The Seattle Republican. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1???-1915, 1900-09-21
Parallel Situations.


purpose of justifying the extension
OF slavery into the territories.
Parallel Situations.
"The parallel between what JEFF
ferson did with Louisiana and what
Is now being done in the Philippines
IS exact. Jefferson, the author of
the Declaration of independence and
the consent of the governed doc
trlne, saw no incongruity between
this and the establishment Of a gov
eminent on common-sense grounds
IN the new territory, and he rallied
at the sticklers for an impossible ap-
pllcatiOn of his principle, saying in
langunage that at the present day
applies to the situation in the Philip |
pines, without the change Of word
Though it is acknowledged that our
new fellow-citizens are as yet as in
capable of self-government as chill
dren, yet some cannot bring them
selves to suspend its principles for a
single moment
''He intended that ultimately self
government should be introduced
throughout the territory, but only
as the different parts became fit for
it, and no sooner. This is just the
policy that has been pursued. In no
part of the Louisiana purchase was
complete self-government introduce
ed for a number of years; in one
part Of it, the Indian territory, it
has not yet been introduced, al
though nearly century has elapsed
Over enormous tracts of it, includ-
ing the various Indian reservations,
with territory in the aggregate as
large as that of the Philippines, the
constitution has never yet followed
the flag; the army officer and civil
ian agent still exercise authority
without asking the consent Of the
governed
eve must proceed in the Philip
pines with the same wise caution,
taking each successive step as it be-
comes desirable, and accommodating
the details Of our policy to the pecu-
liar needs of the situation. But as
soon as the present revolt is put
down and order established, it will
undoubtedly be possible to give to
the islands larger measure Of self
government than Jefferson original
y gave Louisiana.
Acquisition of Florida.
"The next great step in expansion
was the acquisition of Florida. This
was partly acquired by conquest and
partly by purchase, Andrew Jackson
being the most prominent figure in
the acquisition. 1t was taken under
President Monroe, the after-time
president, John Quincy Adams be-
ing active in securing the purchase
AS in the case of the Philippines,
Florida was acquired by purchase
from Spain, and in Florida the Sem
inoles, who had not been consulted
in the sale, rebelled and waged war,
exactly as some Of the Tagals have
rebelled and waged war in the Phil
ippines.
''The Seminole war lasted for
many years, but Presidents Monroe,
Adams and Jackson declined for a
moment to consider the question of
abandoning Florida to the Seminoles
or to treat their non-consent to the
government Of the United States as
a valid reason for turning over the
territory to them.
"Our next acquisition of territory
was that of Texas, secured by treaty
after it had been wrested from the
Mexicans by the Texans themselves.
Then came the acquisition of Cali
fornia, New Mexico, Arizona, Ne
vada and parts of Colorado and Utah,
as the result of the Mexican war,
supplemented five years later by the
GddSden purchase.
Purchase of Alaska.
"The next acquisition was that Of
Alaska, secured from Russia by
treaty and purchase. Alaska was
full Of natives, some Of whom had
advanced well beyond the stage of
savagery and were Christians. They
were not consulted about the pur-
chase, nor was their acquiescence re
quired. The purchase was made by |
the men who had just put through a
triumphant war to restore the Union
and free the slaves, but none Of them
deemed it necessary to push the doc
trine Of the consent Of the governed |
to a conclusion so fantastic as to ne
cessitate the turning ever of Alaska
to its original owners, the Indian
and the Aleut.
''For thirty years the United |
States authorities, military and civil.
exercised supreme authority in a
tract of land many times larger than
the Philippines, in which it did not
seem likely that there would ever be
any considerable body of white in
habitants.
Annexation of Hawaii.
Nearly thirty years passed before
the next instance of expansion oc-
Cured, which was over in the island
Of Hawaii An effort was made, at
the end of President HarrisOn's ad-
ministratiOn, to secure the annexa-
ton Of Hawaii. The effort was I'M
successful. In a debate in congress
on February 2, 1894, one of the lead
ers in opposing the annexation of
the islands. stated these islands are