Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1900-02-23

resist. Webster knew the constitution,
if anyone knew it, and realized that It
must be fairly and honestly construed
if it were to remain the foundation
upon which could solidly stand the
best and finest government ever devised
by man for nation Of people. burn
ing question at the time was the govern
ment of territory that came through the
Mexican war. There was then as now
theory advanced by those who wished to
carry a selfish point that congress was
not bound by restrictions of the con-
situation in dealing with territories. In
answer thereto, Mr.. webster MADE TINS
clear cut statement:
IAN arbitrary government may have
territorial governments in distant pos
sessions, because an arbitrary govern
ment may rule its distant territories by
different laws and different systems.
Russia may govern the Ukraine and the
Caucasus and Kamtschkatka by different
codes of ukases. We can do no such
thing. They must be of us-part Of us
or else estranged. | think | see in
progress what is to disfgure and de-
form the constitution. | think | see
course adopted that is likely to turn the
constitution under which we live into a
defOrmed monster-intO a curse, rather
than a blessing-into a great frame Of
UNEQUAL government, not founded on
popular representation, but founded on
the crosses inequalities; and think II 1t
goes on, for there is a great danger that
it will go on. that this government will
be broken up
Here is an authc ritative statement
that reaches farther than Mr.. McCalls
application of it that there could not be
/ IF ri
ulations for one territory and another
set for another; that certain regulations
should apply to Alaska, others strikingly
different for Puerto Rico. AID still others
for Hawaii, the Philippines and Guam,
but it also supports the contention of
those foremost constitutional lawyers
among the statesmen of today, Messrs.
Hoar and Edmunds and all antrim
perialists as we'll, that the practical
governing of distant lands, peopled by
citizens of different race and temperament.
affected by different climate, such as
can never become homogeneous with
our own people, was an impossibility
under our form of government. Our
republican government was never
designed to comprehend subject people
and colonies, and the undertaking to
embrace them necessarily means the
abandoning of the fundamental princl-
pies and policies that distinguish such
government, changing it from democ-
racy to an arbitrary form, such as we
have long and rightfully congratulated
ourselves for escaping. Mr.. Webster
shows that it is possible for arbitrary
governments only to rule "distant terri
tories bv different laws and different
systems" but 1--WE can do no such thing
They must be of us-part of us--or else
estrapged." That has been the warn
/ ing OF tic antiimperialists ever since
Mr.. Hanna'S policy was suspected with
! the Paris treaty, aud since it is ad-
mltted universally that 1t is impractic..
able to MAKE the Filipnos "a part of
u.s. they should not be placed in a
position where we should need abandon
the beneficent constitution because we had
willfully imposed our sovereignty upon
them and thus gotten them upon our
hands.