The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-10-14

man. IT was emphasized in the dec
laration Severing the colonies from the
British crown, and 1t gave the 1nSpira-
ton to the armies of the revolution
In the application OF the thought of
the equality of man is included neces-
sarily the idea that governments derive
their just powers from the consent or
the governed. The logical consequence
is that government by force IS exclud-
ed. In the very nature Of things, II IS
impossible that these principles are out
half truths. It cannot be that they
are true today, but false tomorrow;
nor are they in their application only
true of some men. To say that only
some men are created equal, or that
some governments only derive their
Just powers from the consent of the
governed, is to at once admit the prop
osition of a government by force. Now,
if these declarations were true in 1796,
they are true today To deny their
truth, or their application, in the case
of other men or nations, is to deprive
ourselves of the sword Of our strength
and power. If we assert for ourselves
only that mo man is good enough to
govern another without that others
consent but baSely arrogate to this
nation such an authority over a. weaker
people, do we not strike down the very
foundation upon which our house
stands?
Ours is a government by the people,
based upon the consent of the govern
ed and the equality of man, and we
cannot Join with its administration
that of other systems maintained with
force without in the end destroying our
own institutions. Let it once be ad-
mitted that we have a right to cross
the seas and plant a colonial empire, to
be governed by the sword, as the
changing views Of political parties, or
the exigencies Of trade may demand,
and we have a, weapon ready at hand,
with which to strike down our own lib
critics. I do not say that this nation
is not capable of governing colonies.
Tt might be able to do so. Mr.. Justice
Brewer of the supreme court, in an
address delivered in 1888, said: 'I do
not question the capacity of the race
well and wisely to govern others I
object to the Philippine policy because
it antagonizes the principles upon
which this government was founded,
which have controlled its life up to the
present time, and the perfection Of
which has been the hope and aSpira-
ton of every American Sure
ly the Declaration of Independence has
been the ideal Of our life, and we have
Striven to make it more and more real.
Now, government by force is the very
antipodes of this, and to introduce gov
eminent by force over any portion of
the nation is to start the second quar-
ter of the second century of our life up
on principles which are the exact OppO-
site of those upon which we have hith-
L
ment is not in the outward mechani-
cal display of order, but in the capac-
ity to develop the best men, and we
have lived in the faith that government
by the consent of the governed devel-
ops the best men. We have not let the
wise rule the ignorant, the learned The
unlearned, the rich the poor, but we
have appealed always to the plain peo-
pie as the ones in whose judgment TO
rely, and upon whose shoulders should
rest the burden Of government"
This is the argument in a nutshell,
and it must appeal to every American
In order to make even a. pretenSe of a
right to subjugate the Philippines, the
party in power asserts that the consti-
tuition does not follow the flag. But,
if the constitution does not follow the
flag is restrained by the law Of the con-
stitution- The flag is the symbol Of the
federated power of the United States,
which has its source alone in the con-
Stitution. by which it rs also restricted.
Both the president and the congress
must find in the constitution warrant
for every official act, expressly or by
necessary implication given. Outside
the constitution there is no flag; neither
army nor navy, nor president nor con-
gresS- If the constitution does not ex-
tend its protection over the Philippines,
how then will you govern the islands?
Congress cannot enact a law save by
authority Of the constitution, and in
that instrument is found no power Civ
en- to legiSlate upon a principle Of the
inequality of man. The administration
may set UP a government by force over
the Filipino nation, and may permit the
sultan Of Sulu to reign over his domin-
ions, under the protection Of the Amer