Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-12-20

nexed Territory and It's Civilized Inhabitants
We have now acquired instslar territory
unsuitable for American settlers, even il
they were not populated as they are. We
have taken on people rather than lands
The native labor is cheap and threatens
competition. We have said that the Chinese
will not anal ganiate, and the Filipino will
be equally slow at least It is not open TO
question, think, that il we had only taken
over tho Sandwich Islands and the West
Indies The questions would have been
otherwise.
The Supreme Court has said that the
Constitution gives the power to make war,
and that carries with it the power to ac-
auire territory. The people, then, have
delegated to Congress and the President the
power 20 acquire territory, as we have
acquired the Hawaiian Islands, Porto Rico
and the Philippines These islands have
been taken over not for a temporary pur
pose. as we have taken Cuba, but to have
aud to hold forever Indeed we have not
vet made up our minds what VIC viii do
with them, and only claim now that they
are part OF the United States and its people
must obey our authority
It is urged that Spain was not in pos
sion when she sold the Philippines, but
this is not proved. There is no doubt that
any international tribunal would affirm our
title to the Philippines. The question
which troubles us IS their status Are
these people citizens or subjects, which {?
A recent newspaper heading attracted my
attention. .sCitizens Of Porto Rico Not
Properly Citizens Of the United States =
Are they improperly citizens or citizens
10 he
improper about it.
There are two views to be taken First,
that all governmental powers are delegated
to the Constitution, that equal taxation
anplies to every man and woman within
the nations sovereignty; second, that the
term United States defines only those
regions and people within the organized
States. and that the government yof the
territories is an absolute government and
not constitutional, and we are under no
obligation to treat as citizens those living
in the territories. This idea seems to have
found its birth within commercial neces-
sity The man who must entirely depend
upon the baneyolence Of another IS a slave.
s government Of unlimited and absolute
executive power is not an American gov
eminent For one, | do not believe the
makers of our Constitution ever intended
to confer the power Of any such govern
ment over any one in the Constitution.
It is not right TO say that because OF sla-
very our fathers did not mean all men. 1t
is different thing to allow an existing
condition to continue from creating an
entirely different condition TO meet COM
mercial necessity.
Pereaps it should be asked further
whether the rule Of equal taxation must
apply TO all people The instructions Of
the President to the Philippine commits
sion seems to indicate that the Constitution
must apply to any government that should
1 he established there The provisions ouI
fathers fought for were for rights, not fol
privileges. No man can read that schedule
Of rights which the President gave to the
! Philippine Commission, in an inverse order,
i without horror Did you ever read of the
! treaties made by the United States with an
I'D World power? On one side they speak
Of the Subjects of her Majesty, and OF
the other the s'citizens of the United
/ States Now if these provisions guar
anteed to citizens Of the United States dc
not apply to citizens of the Philippine
! Islands, it is tire for us to amend these
i treaties by adding and subjects" after thu
words citizens Of the United States.
4 The constitutional provisions regulating
the crime of treason seem to apply to thes'
/ people, We have never had any trouble
! with this question in our government Of thu
] territories before What have we beer
i doing? Have we acquired these territories
that we might hold them for crown colon
les /? There was only one door Of escape
from the provision for uniformity Of taxa
ton in the Constitution, and that was t.
declare that Porto Rico was not part 0
the United States 1t would seem that /;
region where the educational and sanitar.
and other regulations are of interest to TIN
United States is Of itself portion of th'
4 United States. 1t would seem that w
should seek to find a way to govern thi
q territ1ry that Providence has thrown upol
US. for which we paid $40, 1000, 600.
But don't YOU see that there is a grave
peril hanging over us Are the rights o
the people upon the mainland secure whel
slrzz.sSegcise arbitrary power. over peopi
ON we demand g. obedience
me lag Cannot stand for the benevolent |
policies Of the administration. 1t must
stand for permanency. Is it not mockery
to raise the flag over the people OF Porto
Rico and bid them respect it, and then
issue to them an absolute power Of govern |
ment from the staff beneath II the act OF
does not carry the Constitution,
| can think of nothing that does. The
Constitution goes to annexed territory
because of the act.
A gentleman wrote me that it was abb
solutely necessary to pass the Porto Rican
tariff to protect the beet sugar business. /
thanked him, but / could not see that it
referred to the question.
These constitutional questions viii soon
be settled by the Supreme Court. Il the
court shall hold that the constitutional
provisions extend to all portions of the
United States and all portions that are
goverend by the United States, then we
shall conform our legislation and policy to
this doctrine and be sorry that we have
ever held them at length in the government
we offered them The question of whether
the government can take and control hos
tile people is not constitutional provision,
but one of conditions which exist. The
consent of the governed to legislative action
is an entirely different question. The en-
tire written Constitution provides no rule
for this question The right TO conquer
and hold territory is a different question
from the question of how we shall govern
that territory when we have acquired it.
In conclusion, allow me to suggest the
sentiment: s'God forbid that the day should
ever come when the thought of men as a
consumer should absorb that grand old
doctrine that man is a creation of God
with inalienable rights. "
-snu----
Railroad Company viii Issue
Clerical orders for 1901.