Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-19

| reach some International solution of the
| question. The effort failed of accomplish
ment. The minis of the countries Of Eu-
| rope were open for the coinage or gold
| alone
| The vast discoveries Of Alaska, South
| Africa and the states Of our own country
| have furnished steadily increasing volume
| of gold and with the recent European ac-
| ton. have demonstrated that the question
| is one calling for international action by all
| the great countries of the world. and, II
| ever entered into, must be by Such concur
| rent action Of the leading commercial ma
| tons as shall secure permanence OF rela-
| tive value Of the two metals. Meanwhile
| we follow the path of safety. AS we grow
| year by year more firmly established as a
| creditor nation the question concerns us
| less and other countries more. NO impair
| rnent of national credit can be contemplated
| by an honorable nation. We have made I'D
! vances enough; This country can better at
| ford than any other TO enter upon the con-
| test for commercial! supremacy with gold as
| its standard. and for us the time has come
| to give fair notice TO the world that we. too,
| make gold our standard and redeem our OBJ
| legations i'll that metz. t'or twelve years
| the platforms of the party have declared in
| favor of the use of gold and silver as
| money. The logic of recent events. to-
| gether with the attempt of the democracy
| to drag down the question from its interna-
| tonal character. to associate 1t with every
| vagdry of populism and socialism, and to
drive this country to an alliance with Mex
| leo and China, as an exclusively silver
| using country has impelled our people to
| this settlement of this problem. and the re-
! cent action of Congress has eliminated the
| danger which its further agitation n:eEaced.
The War With Spain.
| OF the war with Spain the speaker said:
| No man now, or in the centuries to come,
! when history, which alone "triumphs over
| time" recounts the marvellous story Of the
war which changed the map of the world.
| shall ever truthfully say that this republic
was animated by any but the noblest pur-
| poses. Recorded time tells of no such war
| FOR it was fought, with bloody sacrifice, by
a great and free republic, for the freedom
| of another race, while its own liberties
| We're ssailed.
Until our soldiers and sailors had landed
| at Manila we had known little of the con-
| ditions of the people of the Philippines.
| We soon ascertained that the cruelties and
| expressions existing in Cuba We're mild
| compared with the treatment to which
eight millions Of people in those islands
were subjected. We realized that if we
| relnquished the archipelago to Spain we
consigned its inhabitants again to condi-
| ton worse than slavery worse than bar
| barism. We had put our hands to the
| plough. and every instinct Of honor and
| humanity forbade US to turn back. uni
| Versal demand arose from all over the
| country that we should retain our hold
| upon these islands, afford their people the
| protection of our laws. lift them out of
their unfortunate condition ana MT tnem, IL
| possible, for Self-Rovernment. Any agree
| ment by our commissioners to give back
| the Philippines to Spain, reserving for our
| selves an island or coaling station. would
have aroused universal national indigna-
| ton and would never have been ratified by
| the representatives of the people.
| We assumed dominion of Porto RICO,
! Cuba and the Philippines for reasons diff
| fering as to each of them.
| We took to ourselves the little island OF
| Porto Rico because it lay under the shadow
| of own shores and because Its con-
| tinued occupancy by Spain or by any for
| eign government would be a constant men
| ace to the states and to that great inter-
| oceanic waterway which we shall build
| and own and operate as an American
canal.
Power to Deal With Porto Rico.
There has been much discussion during
the past few months In respect to the ex-
| tent of the power of this country to deal
| with Porto Rico and our other possessions.
and it has been frequently contended by
| the democracy that as soon as we became
the owners of any Of these islands the
| Constitution of the United States at once
| extended over them, or In the oralorical
but misleading phrase. 1.-The Constitution
follows the flag" The argument is spe-
| cious, but 1t will not bear investigation
| The same question was raised in 1903. at
the time of the Louisiana purchase, ana
the doctrine then established by Congress
| that we could acquire foreign soil by pur-
cha Sc that Congress had the right to es-
tablsh there such government as II saw
fit and that the Constitution did not OF its
own force extend over such territory. Ihe
doctrine was never questioned until IN Cal-
houn's time it was sought to be denied IN
the effort to extend human slavery Ih'o
| the territories.
bas more than once determined the ques-
ton and the contention concerning 1t now
hv our opponents is not because anybody
believes that the laws we have enacted
for the government of the island are un-
inst. but in order to embarrass the ad-
ministrat6n in dealing effectively with our
new possessions The flag went to Mexico
in 1S4S. the Constitution did not Inc nag
want 70 Cuba and was carried into San
tiago. and Is there yet But our Sohs.io
husy encouraging Cuba to prepare con.
stitution of her own. When any portion OF
our territory becomes sovereign state
then is our Constitution Its corner stone.
In the territory of the United States not
included within state boundaries Congress
alone determines the extent to which the
provisions of the Constitution o.. extehdc COW
And in this connection 1t Is fitting to say
tb.t the REGULATIONS and frauds committed
in tuba by subordinate officials have mace
every American blush with shame, and
mill the last Of the guilty men is arrested
and convicted and sentenced that shame
will know no abatement. 1t is no more to
he charged to the party than would
theft by trusted empioye De enar r,sso
emnioyed him. The party that shields and
nrntects dishonest officials forfeits public
confidence. not the party that exposes and
nunishes them. The republican party has
bean rarely the victim of misplaced con-
f3dence in its officials. In this instance the
appointments were made with the greatest
care. many Of them from the classified
service Whenever fraud has been dis
covered the guilty have been pursued I'M
sparingly and with the greatest publicity.
Dealing in a Spirit of Fairness.
We are dealing with Cuba in spirit not
only of fairness, but Of generosity and of
! absolute unselfshness, and whenever the
| inhabitants of that island evince and de-
| clare their ability to take over Its govern
ment and control. that day they shall
ceive it; and until then we shall continue
to administer its affairs under a rule salu-
| tary and satisfactory to all good citizens
J In Cuba, and creditable to the administra-