Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1900-02-14

VIII complete une garment ny WORKING
in few button holes and riveting the
buttons.
WASHINGTON LETTER.
The reason for the very marked
f iendship shown by the administration
towards Great Britain in the South
African struggle has been made plain
by the signing of treaty between the
two countries formally abrogating the
clause IN the old Clayton Bulwer treaty
by which Great Britain claimed the right
of dual control over the Nicaraguan
canal about to be built by the United
States. AS piece of diplomacy on the
part of Great Britain it ranks
with the greatest efforts of all time.
By it, that country permits the United
States to build the canal at its own ex-
pense and to operate, police and control
it neutral for the ships of all nations,
both in peace and in war. The United
States agrees to put up the money
and to execute all the above tasks and
further agrees not to fortify either the
canal nor its approaches Both nations
agree to observe the neutrality of the
canal, but the United States pledges
itself not to fortify either the entrance
nor the approaches. The result is that
Great Britain has the canal built at no
trouble or expense to herself, and if she
ever goes to war with this country, she
can send her overwhelming fleet to
Nicaragua, seize the unprotected, I'M
defended canal, use it 80 as to hurry
her warships from the Atlantic to the
Pacific and harry both our coasts, and
at the same time prevent any American
war-ship from passing through. There
will be no treachery in this, because all
TT eaties lapse during war. and the Hay
Pauncefote treaty will be no exception.
Unless the United States shall build a
huge navy, the chances are that any
war with Great Britain would end with
the latter as owner of the canal. Oh!
1t is lovely stroke of diplomacy-for
Great Britain. The worst part of the
affair is that the Clayton Bulwer treaty
was really abrogated years ago by its
chief provision being deliberately VIC
lated by Great Britain. She pledges
herself not to extend her territory in
America and before the ink was dry
she nearly doubled the area of her pos.
sessions in British Honduras. Now
she takes advantage of trusting, conlid-
ing Secretary Hay to surrender the
treaty she has already broken and ty
doing so to limit the United States in
the execution of work already prac-
tically undertaken in q way which is
sooner or later bound to inure to her
advantage and the disadvantage of this
country. Fortunately, the senate still
has to consider the treaty and it is to be
hoped that enough senators are free
from Anglomania to amend it before
ratification. Even if the senate should
ratify it without amendment the house
will still have something to say regard
ing the canal bill. Chairman Hepburn
of the conf erce committee, who pre-
pared the bill declares that the United
States must and will fortify and says
that without such fertilization, the
government, for instance, would never
have dared to bring the Oregon through
the canal during the late war.
The Porto Rican tariff bill will be
taken up in congress some time this
week and the hottest sort of fight is
likely to be preci nitated. The crucial
question is whether congress can estab-
lish tariff for that and other islands
differing from that Of the United States
The constitution provides that call
duties imposts and excuses must be uni
form throughout the United States"
The ways and means committee,
which reported the bill, holds that Porto
Rico is not part of the United States
and that this provision therefore does
not apply. The committee says: "That
congress has power to govern acquired
territory independent of the limitations
of the constitution, but in cases where
the territory has been acquired for the
purposes of statehood congress would
be subject to those fundamental limit
atoms in favor of personal rights which
are formulated in the constitution and
its amendments, but these limitations
exist rather by inference and the gen
eral spirit of the constitution, from
which congress derives all its powers,
than from any express and direct ap-
plication of its provisions. In other
words, the republican committee con.
tends that the Porto Ricans are not
citizens of this country; that they are
not entitled to trial by jury, habeas
corpus, freedom of speech, or to be
secure against unreasonable searches
and seizures. They may be granted all
this, but they have no real inalienable
right to it. In fact the committee
holds that they have no rights except