Tazewell Republican. [volume] (Tazewell, Va.) 1892-1919, 1900-04-26
THE BEARINGS OF HISTORY.
Florida and Democratic Treatment
Compared with Puerto Rico and
Republican Treatment.
Brooklyn Eagle Und. Dem.)

brooklyn Eagle una. Dell)
When one recalls what the Congress
did with Florida in the days of ts Ter
ritorial probation it is difficult for HIM
to feel alarm at what has just been done
for Puerto Rico.
For the sake of refreshing the memory
of the readers Of the Eagle we shall
briefly summarize the events attending
the transfer of Florida from Spanish to
Unhed States sovereignty. The treaty
cession was ratified in 1871 and it guar
anIeed the religious and property rights
of the people, and it provided that the
Territory should ultimately become a
state. The bill providing for a Temporal
nv government conferred on the Govern
or, to be appointed Ivy the President
practically all the powers formerly exer-
cised BY the Spanish Governor. An at
tempt was made to amend the bill So us
to provide that he should exercise only
those powers which were not incompati.
be with the Constitution. This amend
ment was voted down without division
and the original provision adopted, also
without division.
This was a time when the sovereignty
of the United States over the Territory
vas in the same state az their sovereign
ty over Puerto Rico Andrew Jackson
was appointed as the first Governor of
Florida and he proceeled TO exercise the
powers of lis Spanish predecessor In
the latter part Of 1921 there arose a dis
pute between Jackson and Judge Ere
MONTH over the writ of habeLs corpus.
A Spanish Official had been put in prison
and an attempt was made to release
him 10y the issue of the writ basing it
on the common law, the Constitution of
the United States, his commission as a
Territorial Judge and the act of Congress
Of 1889 authorizing all United States
courts to issue this remedial Trit. Gov.
error Jackson told tie judge that neither
the Constitution nor the federal laws ap
piled to the territory, and that the Con.
gress had passed only twJ laws, one for
the collection Of revenue and the other
for the prevention Of the importation of
slaves, and these were tie only acts
which the Judge could enforce.
When the documents in the case were
submitted to the Congress, after Gov
ernor Jackson's action had been called in
question. it was proposed that they be
referred to the Commit ee on Foreign
Affairs Another suggestion vas made
that part Of lheui 20 to the Judiciary
Committee, while the remainder should
go to the other body; but the question
was finally settled by laying the whole
thing on the table. Governor Jackson
was sustained in his position 10y the
President, and John Quincy Adams, the
Secretary OF State, informed Judge Fro.
month"; that only the revenue and slave
trade laws had been extended to Florida,
and were the only ones which he, as a
United States judge, was to execute.
When The permanent Territorial Gov
eminent for the new Territory was pro-
vded by the act of 1922 the situation was
not changed very much. The act auth
orized the appointment OF a Governor
and an Executive Council by the Presi-
dent, and required that all laws passed
should he approved in Washington be-
fore they became effective, and this, too,
in Territory to which future Statehood
was guaranteed by the treaty Of cession.
If we have imperialism and the procOn-
sular idea today in the government OF
Puerto Rico, we had it in 1922, in the
government Of Florida, by the deliberate
decree of Congress, before there were
any such things as trusts" or "sugar
barons," or tobacco barons," and when
the authority of king had been super
seeded by that of the people for less than
fifty years.