The pioneer press. (Miller, Hand County, S.D.) 1893-190?, 1900-07-26
THE ISLANDS OURS FOREVER.

Extracts from a speech by Senator
Teller OF Colorado, In Congress, on
June last:
am one of those who believe that
when Dewey went into Manila bay and
the Spanish feet was destroyed, Amer
lean sovereignty attached in a greater
or less degree to at least the island Of
Luzon, and l said then, and | have
seen nothing since to convince me to
the contrary, that the American flag
having gone up there, 1t was very like
ly to stay up for an indefinite period of
time. With that find no fault. By
the laws of war we occupy those ISL
ands, or at least We occupy the chief
island, which has been the dominating
political center Of all the other islands
think 1t is no more than fair to say
that when we became masters of that
island we became the practical masters
of all the other islands There was war
between Spain and the people of those
islands, or of one of those islands, Luz
zon, which had been in existence on
and off, perhaps for fifty years, and yet
there had never been established a per-
manent government, and there was no
government there when Dewey went
into the harbor of Manila, save that Of
Spain. When we took possession of it.,
1T seemed to me that we took with it
the sovereignty that Spain had.
Later we entered into treaty with
Spain, In which Spain coded us her con-
troll over the islands, whatever it might
be. That has never counted with me
for anything. do not believe that we
acquired any title by that treaty which
we did not have by conquest. am not
one of those who do not believe that a
republic can conquer and appropriate
territory to its uss IL 1t becomes neces-
sary. believe that II can be done by a
republic as well as by an empire.
/ find no fault with the status that
existed there so far as the claim on the
part of the United States to sovereignty
or domination over those islands is
concerned, and shall not waste time
to go through with the consideration
of the question whether we have a
right under international law to be
there. Our title cannot be questioned,
according to my notion. under interna-
tional law. Nobody in the world, save
the inhabitants of the islands, Is rails
ing any question as to our title. So We
do not have to concern ourselves with
the rest of the world. Our concern is
principally with the people of the ISL
ands and with our own people.
Mr.. President, / am one of those who
believe that the treaty ought to have
been ratified. | did not believe IL be-
cause ii was the policy of the Republi
can party to ratify it; but I believed it
in spite of that fact. / believed 1t be-
cause / believed it was our duty to close
the Spanish war as speedily as possible.
| believed great harm would come to
the republic IL we continued the war.
believed there was virtue enough In the
American people, when our sovereignty
was acknowledged by Spain and when
our sovereignty was acknowledged, as
had right to believe 1t would be, by
the people Of the islands; so that We
could and that we would establish a
government there, in which the great
fundamental principles OF free govern
ment and of free people would be rec
ofnized. had no conception that, we
would establish an imperial colony, al
though have said, and l repeat, be-
lieve republic may have colonies just
as we'll as any other government In the
world; but they must be colonies found
ed upon the great fundamental princi-
pies of free government and the partic-
ipation in the government by the peo-
pie of those colonies, IL colonies they
are to be.
I believe we shall keep these islands.
We shall keep them with infinite dis
tress. We shall keep them at cost
Infinitely greater than their value We
shall keep them because conditions are
such that II Is not easy for us to let