Delaware gazette and state journal., 1900-01-25

which ex-Goy. Boutwell, Of Massa-
chusetts, ex-senator }. B. Henderson
of Missouri, and Representative Lentz
of Ohio delivered addresses. Mr.. Hen
derson asserted that the Filipinos are
proved by the testimony of Admiral
Dewey and others to be capable of self
government, and that our whole history
is antagonistic to subjugation OF liber-
ties of people. He appealed to Ameri-
can manhood to acknowledge our error
and right the wrong done the Fillpinos.
Ex-Gov. Boutwell, said in part
The administration must apprehend
what everybody else foresees as certain,
namely, this: Wherever the Supreme
Court shall reach the conclusion that
the Islands are within the jurisdiction
Of the United States, the court will
bold also that the duties, imposts, and
excises must be the same in the de-
tendencies as in the States, and that
the freedom of trade between Manila
and New York must correspond to the
freedom of trade between New York
and Boston. Such decision means
full freedom of trade between the
islands and the States, and it means
much more.
The inhabitants of the islands, from
Luzon to Sulu, slave and free, are made
citizens of the United States. and no
puny Legislative scheme, such as has
been proposed for Hawai-, can bar
them out. What does citizenship mean?
First Of all, it means the right, the
unrestricted right, of movement, of
travel, of residence; the right to labor
everywhere. in everything, and in COM
petition with everybody; the right of
purchase, of sale of every form of
property, from boys marble to the
stateliest mansion in the Fifth Avenue.
In fine. by one unfortunate treaty. the
work of an hour. we have called into
existence 10,000,000 American citizens
all Of another race, all ignorant of our
language, ignorant OF our traditions,
and yet they aie to be endowed with
the rights of citizenship or they are TO
be held in a condition of vassalaee. IL
the Supreme Court shall prove faithful
to the ideas and doctrines on which it
has acted through long century, a
condition of vassalage will be i'm
possible. Freedom and an equality of
rights for these 100000 900 and for all
their descendants through the centuries
of the future, 'or an amendment to the
Constitution by which colonial yassal-
age shall be authorized as fundamental
law of the republic, is the alternative
which the policy of this administration
opens to the country.
The laboripg classes should have in
mind the certain truth that free trade
between the colonies and the States
will follow the establishment of a
colonial system, and without much
delay. Such has been the policy Of
England and such will be the policy
Of America.
The question before the country will
be this Shall the laboring and pro-
ducing classes Of America be sub iected
TO direct and never ending competition
with the underpaid and half-clad
laborers of Asia, or shall the Republic
of America be transformed into a
colonial empire, with like consequences
TO the laboring classesl This, the
grayest question ever submitted to man,
is the question before the country
today, but happily way of escape is
before us, if the way can be accepted
now.
The attempt to engraft colonial
policy upon the republic, is beset with
difficulties, with perils, in every di-
rection. This administration, elected
as protecticnist administration, is
following the lead of England in what
is called an open.door policy in trade,
and to what endf
In the treaty for the partition of the
Samoan Islands We agree that English
and German products and manufactur
ers are to be admitted free OF duty into
the islands conceded to the United
States. That is to say, we stipulate
for free trade between two countries
i and a portion of the1 territory of the
United States, and yet duties are TO be
levied upon everybody else and every
where else. How does this treaty run
with the Constitution, or is the Con-
stitution to be made ''of none effect
with the Declaration of Independence
Or how is security to be taken that
goods SO entered in the Samoan Islands
free OF duties may not be reshipped to
San Francisco and to other parts OF
the Continent as coastwise trade?
We are demanding an open door tc
all the markets of China, and herald,
ing the demand with a menace of war.
IL we establish our tenacy in the Philip.
pine Islands, can we press demand
upon China and close the Philippine.
60 the ChineseP And IL not to China.
how about England and the rest Of the
worldG Where is our open door, free,
trade policy to end? And with wha'
results to American labor and Ameri
can industriesY
IL We establish our tenancyEip tbt
Philippine Islands, do not the island:
become ap open door for the free inRres,
OF the Mongolian race; peoples in nj
way distinguishable fIom the presep
occupants of the islands? If the islands
are treated as of the United States
then the United States becomes tht
receptacle of the Mongolian race. Th,
thousand islands are SO near to eacf
other that passage from neighbor t,
neighbor is journey of minutes O
hours only, and police of the island
to prevent immigration into them, o
migration from island to island, is al
impossibility. Thus does the admins
tration invite the country to polio,
by which these islands are to -becom
'an open avenue through which S,
many, and as many as may choose /,
pass over, are to have an opportunit
to pass over to this continent.
On what ground and for what reason
have we excluded Chinese Mongolian
from the States and Territories Of th
American Union? For this, and thi
assuredly: That they outnumbered ou
millions many times over, and that il
labor contests our labofing classe
would be broken down, impoverished
and ruined. That was our defence, an,
sufficient defence for a policy whicl
otherwiseiwas indefensible. But now
by a course Of indirection on which th
administration has entered, that bs
which was wisely set up is to b
broken down.