The sun., 1900-03-03
Saturday, March 3, 1900.

staeesuion are couteHulnS lust now IS
not new. 1t is the same old difficulty
over which they fought during the State
rights and anti-slavery controversy,
and over which they blundered into the
Civil War.
Then. as now, they were not able to
comprehend what the national name
United States-means. 1t is difficulty
OF definition. They denied that the fed
Grafton OF States created nation, or
that there could emanate from it any
sovereign authority over the States. This
was the contention in which they de-
Tended human slavery, attempted to
nullify the national laws and break up
the Union. For the same purdose they
contended that the authority over terri
tory within the national boundaries. and
not yet admitted to the Union of States.
as States, was vested in Congress and the
President OF the United States; that Con-
gress should make the iaw-could dedi-
cate such new territories to slavery, or
freedom, as it willed, and the President
should appoint territorial governors.
The people OF these territories were not,
under the Democratic Interpretation Of
the Constitution of the United States,
citizens in a constitutional sense, and
had no part or lot in the government of
the States, but were the subjects of Con-
gressional authority. Citizenship, as de-
fined by Democratic judicial decisions,
and Congressional enactment, was re-
stricted to the States.
This is the law today. There is no
such thing as citizenship OF the United
States in constitutional sense, except
that derived from citizenship of the
States 1t is this Interpretation OF the
law that makes the South solidly Demo-
cratic. The constitution enfranchises the
negroes of the South; the State laws con-
troll the negroes in the exercise of the
electorate and nullifes it-gives the
Democratic party its hope of controlling
Congress and ofelecting President.
These facts OF our national political
history make the absurdity of the pres
ent Democratic contention apparent. In
the face of their restrictive interpreta-
tion of the constitution fixing the source
and extent of citizenship by which they
have controlled, and hope to again con-
tral the destinies of the Nation, they are
contending that the people OF the newly
acquired island territories Of the United
States are entitled to all the privileges
and immunities granted to and guaran-
teed to the citizens of the States Of the
Union. Ignoring the Declaration of In
dependence, in their local interpretations
and applications of the constitution and
thereby abrogating an explicit provision
OF it, they are now claiming for the peo-
pie of the newly acquired islands that
the Declaration of Independence is fun
damental and mandatory, controlling
the Interpretation OF the constitution;
that wherever the flag goes these two
forces follow, and confers citizenship OF
the United States upon all people over
whom its authority lie exercised; that it
guarantees to the Cubans, Puerto Ricans
and Filipinos what is denied by these
same Democrats to millions of native
born, civilized American citizens. In
attempting this they are confronted with
the results of their own limitations OF
the national authority in relation to
citizenship, and their contrary extern
sion of its authority relative to territorial
government. They said the United
States cannot make citizens except
through Statehood; now they say it
must do it or relinquish its new acquisi-
tions They said the United States was
supreme in its territories outside of the
states, and that Congress could make
what laws seemed best in its judgment;
now they say that Congress cannot make
laws to govern territories not under
Statehood control. The contradiction is
apparent.
L. ie this failure to comprehend the
national character of the United States
to define its nominative as that of ma
tion, that lies at the base of the Demo-
cratic difficulty. In American politics
a State is a thing of defined and limited
area; It's authority, confined to that area
it develops but does not grow. There
san be many States, but only one nation.
The nation in distinction from the
State, is thing OF unlimited area-that
is Of continually extending area-and of
unlimited authority in the direction OF
its declared and rightful purposes. In
exten ling its limits it must govern terri !
tory not ject to State government,
and not entitled to the privileges of
State government II must govern peo-
pie who ara not citizens of the State, and |
are NOT entitled to the privileges Of citi-
zens of the States; and being, in the |
very nature OF things. compelled to do
this must have the authority to do that
which it is compelled to do.
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