Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-06-21

canal. We foupd it impoverished by
years of colonial misgoyernment and
without any system of revenue laws.
Soon after the peace its people were
further stricken by flood and famine.
We assumed toward them every obli-
cation which sympathy and frienu-
ship could prompt. We contributed as
a nation large sums of money to amel-
iorate their condition and to enable
them to plant and garner their crops.
| Then we said to them, We shall give
you just and equitable form of free
government, with power to manage
your home affairs. Until you shall de-
wise proper and efficient methods for
revenue and taxation, your needed
funds shall be raised as follows: You
shall pay upon your imports Is per
, cent. of the present tariff rate govern
ing importations into the Unitet.
States which means an average duty
of about seven per cent. All the neces-
saries of life and building materials
I for the structures you need shall be
free. On the first day of March, 1902,
all these duties shall cease in any
event, and shall cease sooner if before
that time you can arrange for the
needed revenues of the island.
The recommendations of the presi-
dent We're fully and satisfactorily COM
piled with; the people Of the island are
content, the vast mass of the American
people approve, and we have avoided
precedents that might vex us when we
ccme to- deal with the problems that
finally await us in the establishment
of our permanent relations towards
the people of the Philippine islands.
Porto RIcan Question.
There has been much discussion dur
Ing the past few months in respect
to the extent of the power of this
country to deal with Porto Rico and
our other possessions, and it has been
frequently commended by the democ-
racy that as soon as we became the
owners of any of these islands .he
constitution of the United States at
once extended ever them, or in the
oratorical but misleading phrase, '.The
constitution follows the flag" The ar
gu1nent, is specious, but it. will no,
bear investigation. The same question
was raised in 1903, at the time of the
Louisiana Purchase, and the doctrine
then established by congress that we
could acquire foreign soil by pur-
chase, that congress had the right
to establish there such govern
ment as it saw fit, and that the con-
stitution did not of it's own force ex-
tend over such territory. The doctrine
was never questioned until in Calhoun.e
time it was sought to be denied in the
effort to extend human slavery into
the territories.
| The supreme court of the United
States has more than once determined
the question, and the contention con-
corning it now by our opponents is
not because anybody believes that the
laws we have enacted for the govern
ment Of the islands are unjust, but in
order to embarrass the administration in
dealing effectively with our new posses.
sions. The flag went to Mexico, in
| 184S, the constitution did not. The
flag went to Cuba and was carried into
Santiago, and is there yet. But our
constitution not only is not there, but
we are busy encouraging Cuba to pre-
pare constitution of her own. When
any portion Of our territory becomes a
! sovereign state. then is orr constitn.
ton its cornerstone. n the terr;to rv
Of the United States NOT included WITH,
in the state boundaries congress- alone
determines the extent To which the nro.
visions of the constitution extend
r1n,,.a s,,,s. ~, c,,r.
$50 oD''
Inc circumstances associated with
our possession OF Cupa are new and un-
R pa N the history OF conquests.
Inc cruelties practlced upon its peo-
pie induced the war. Before we COM
menced hostle proceedings, however,
and that the world might know that
our hands We're clean and that we
| were not anlmaied ny lust Tor terri
tory, we soiemniy discialmed any dis
PosiIlon OF lntention to exercise sover-
elgnty' 1urisal0.lon or control over the
lsidno except TOT us paclncatlon, and
asser.ed our aete1minaton, When thaa
was accompLsned, 70 leave the gov
erhmen. ana contfol OF the island to
i's people.
70 1hls declaration si5, we sun rigorous
y Mnere. When we took possession
~ one CLOSE o. !he war we found the