The Indianapolis journal., 1900-06-07

ment, and the United States of America
VIII stand ready to drive from your sunny
land and sea-washed shores any power
that shall attempt TO interfere with your
right TO govern yourselves This the com
mon dictates of humanity suggest. and in
demanding 1t the Democratic party puts it
self IN harmony with the old-fashioned
American idea of government and of right.
our Congress is the creature of our
constitution. The Constitution Is the
standard by which the acts of Congress are
to be tried and tested, and il is for our
Supreme Court TO determine when an act
of Congress infracts the organic law. The
Constitution contains no provision au-
thorizing Congress TO fix its territorial
bounds
when our flag went TO Porto Rico to
stay, either the Constitution accompanied
IL or the flag should have remained at
home. The term, United States, was de-
fined by Chief Justice Marshall as being
the name, to use his language, given TO
great Republic. which is composed of
States and Territories There is no inti-
nation in his definition that If a Territory
were separated from the States by cham
mel or an ocean, IL would cease to be a
part of the United States. The Supreme
Court OF the Nation has held that the
power of Congress over Territories is linn
ited by the obvious purposes for which ii
was conferred and these purposes are sat-
isfied by measures which prepare the peo-
pie of the Territories to become States in
the Union; that every nation acquiring
teFTltOTy Dy treaty OF OtneTWlSe, must QOlu
it subject to the Constitution and laws of
its own government that the Constitution
was made for the benefit of every citizen
of the United States and that there is no
citizen, whatever his condition, or wher-
ever ne may be. within the territory of the
United States, who has not a right TO its
protection. 1t is expressly provided in the
Constitution that mo tax or duty shall be
laid on articles exported from any State.
1T follows, as a logical sequence, from
the holdings of the Supreme Court l have
quoted, and the provision of the Constitu-
ton / have just read, that the recent act
of Congress. imposing a tariff tax on the
exports of Porto Rico into the States. is
unconstitutional, and void, and wrong,
whose magnitude cannot be adequately de-
scribed
1.-THE Porto Ricans, like the Cubans, had
been the objects of persecution for GEN.
turies. They were poor in purse and broken
in spirit when they sought, and we ex-
tended to them, the protecting folds of our
flag They had read of our great institu-
tions, of the sympathy of our people for
oppressed man. and of the high. ennobling
purposes that rule our national life.
"And so there was nothing strange In the
scene that took place when General Miles
and his army stood face to face on the
storm-swept island, with crowd of Porto
Ricans, and they welcomed him with ex-
tended arms. and brought him flowers and
kissed the dear old flag he bore. On this oc-
casion he said to them: We have not come
TO make war upon people of country
Deen
but. on the contrary, to bring to you pro-
lection, not only to yourselves. but to your
property, to promote your prosperity, and
to bestow upon you the 1mmunities and
blessing of the liberal institutions of our
government
1.-The people of this country object to the
tax imposed upon the Porto Ricans on the
ground first, there Is no authority for it,
and. second. ii Is a dangerous precedent,
with dangerous influences back of IL.
IyDPECCTON
president Mckinley said in December
last that 1t was our plain duty to give them
free access to our markets, but the infiu-
ences demanding the tax were not powerful
enough to- compel the President to change
his mind and to become a lobbyist and a
iog-roller in Congress in favor of taxing
them. but powerful enough TO override the
Constitution. Ex-President Harrison cor
rectly characterized this act when he said:
Tt is serious departure from right prin-
ciples,' and ex-senator Edmunds believes 1t
initiates and parallels the acts of the Brit
ish Parliament against which our fathers
rebelled.' 1t remains to be seen whether
this country will submit to this un-Amer-
lean act. When the people shall once &C
quiesce in denial of the protecting shield
and guarantees of our Constitution TO the
inhabitants of our Territories, II Will be
but a brief season until the States will
be asked TO surrender some OF their consti-
tutional rights, and thus gradually an en-
pire will supplant the Republic.
1.-THE administration has clearly Indicated
an intention to hold the islands with which
we are now concerned for the purpose of
spoliation, and beyond doubt to this fact
is largely due the disgrace and humilia-
ton our country now suffers, through the
thefts ard frauds of the administration
in the affairs of Cuba. The little rascals
correctly interpreted the signs of the times,
and were systematically storing away their
harvest in the safety deposit vaults, before
the big scoundrels got their methods in
operation, and the big fellows are now
righteously indignant.
Gentlemen of the convention, at this
juncture in the affairs of our Nation a
high and imperative duty rests upon the
Democratic party. The present admins
tration, domineered by the worst influences
i'm public life should be succeeded by a
Democratic administration and the public
service purified
s'To lead us in the discharge of this duty,
our candidate is already named. His NOM
ination will be ratified on the Nations next
birthday. He is honest and courageous
He is a God-fearing and Christ-loving
statesman, whose heart beats in sympathy
with the common people of his country.
No man need to apologize for fighting un-
der the banner of William Jennings Bryan.
MAKE him successful next November and
he and his party will preserve our present
form of government and unitedly set about
to supplement the influences going out to
the other nations of the earth from the
torch of Liberty borne aloft in the hand
of the goddess in New York harbor, by
favoring a similar statue. bearing SIM
liar torch of liberty for Cuba, Porto Rico
and the islands in the far away eastern
archipelago"