Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-07

ments and the declaration Of independ-
ence, wa exposed in it's editorial kinetos
scope at the wrong part Of the perform
ance. While dwelling on that point, III
contemporary might have parenthetically
remarked that only through a constitu-
tional amendment can the relationship
existing between the several states of the
union be made to apply to Porto Rico
as an outlying province. But that would
have spoiled it's argument.
Another iilustration-not a parallel
case, bear in mind-might be given as to
the generally accepted fact that congress
must determine the status of the people
in acquired territory and fix their rela-
tionship with the United States, is found
in the Indian tribes occupying that sec
tion of the country known as the Louis
lana purchase. The Indians did not be-
come citizens because their territory was
acquired by the United States, nor was
the door to citizenship opened to them
under the regulations which permitted
men from a foreign land to swear allie
glance to the government and it's flag.
They were not given the privileges usual
ly accorded the inhabitants of the United
States. and why? Because has
the w to regulate the status of the
inhabitants of acquired territory in a
manner best calculated in it's Judgment
to promote the welfare of all concerned.
1t pursued the only course consistent with
the best interests of the country in it's
general regulations for the government
and control of the Indian tribes. and it
will do the same in adjusting the inter-
relations of the United States and the ac-
quired territory of Porto Rico and the
Philippines.
1t is folly for the Standard, after con-
matters, and acknowledging that Porto
Rico is not as yet a state or a duly or
ganized territory, to censure that body
for applying a different rule to the COM
mercial transactions between the United
States and that island than that which
obtains between the several states of the
union. Our contemporary concludes it's
potpourri of irrelevant ideas and badly
crippled logic. with the following pro-
found OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES the climax
of it's forty-eight hours of meditation:
The Inter Mountains idea seems to br
mat because we V promised the
Puerto Ricans the privileges of Ameri-
cans we are justified in denying them.
\ generous and logical principle in
deed! By the Same rule when some
p~ickpOcket steals the watch of tina
papers editor or proprietor, he will
have an ample defense in the plea that
he never promised not to- steal it. 1t
ia worse to steal a mans. political lib
erty than it is to steal his watch.
This powerful arraignment in a nut
shell-in the Standards %cocoanut she'll
admits Of no rejoinder commensurate to
the ability displayed. 'Wnen 1t comes to
parallels and illustrations, the foregoing
is without a parallel and admits of no
illustration.
1t must be admitted that it is worse to
steal a mans political liberty thar it is
to steal his watch-even II the watch has
been placed on the man at a monthly
salary by the opposition wing of the
democracy. Even if the watch himself
sees fit to 'Steal awhile away from ev-
cry cankering care" the illustration
still holds good. Had it not been for the
conclusion of the Standards article, the
Porto Rican bill might have gone down
into history in good shape. and finally
been endorsed by the democracy, as all
other republican measures are sooner or
later. hut under such a fusilade of illus
trations it can scarcely hold Its own.