The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-02-07
NOT A PROFITABLE POLICY
Mr.. Williams Discusses Expansion
From Commercial Standpoint.
The Effect of Annexation of the Phil
ippines Upon the Cotton Growers
of the SoutIi-InhabitantsO Of Con-
qucred Territory Covered by the
Constitution as If by Blanket.

When the journal had been read in .he
House yesterday the Speaker submitted
an invitation to Congress from the Sec
retary Of War TO attend the funeral ser
vices over the remains of the late General
Lawton at the Church OF the Covenant
next Friday afternoon.
A bill was passed, upon motion by Mr..
Tate of Georgia, authorizing the payment
Of extra salary and commutation of rations
TO petty officers of the navy who served
on detached duty between March l and
November 4, 1898.
The final conference report on the Ur-
gent Deficiency bill was agreed to.
The House then went into Committee
of the Whole for the further consideration
of the Diplomatic and Consular Appropria-
tion bill.
Mr.. Gibson of Tennessee opened the de-
bate with a general argument in favor of
expansion. He said expansion had been
the policy OF the Government since its in
ception. IL Bryan had been elected in
stead OF Mckinley, he said, the war with
| Spain would have occurred just the same,
and the United States would have ae-
quired the Philippines and the Democrats
would have approved it.
He was followed by Mr.. Williams of
| Mississippi a member of the Committee
| on Foreign Affairs who said he had sew
! eral times discussed the question OF ex-
| pansion from the elevated view of human
liberty and the worlds civilization. Now.
he proposed to discuss the matter from
the lower standpoint of commercialism.
| sentiment of which was abroad in the
| land and must be dealt with. Discussing
military expenditures in the Philippines.
Mr.. Williams said they would amount to
sum greater than all the imports and eN
| ports of the islands. The annexation OF
the Philippines, he went on, would bring
| the large staple cotton growers of the
| South into competition with the produce
! in the Philippines. and he would never
vote to effect that Even upon the low,
base, contemplate basis of commercial
ism. it won't pay
Mr. Williams predicted that the first
time the courts were confronted with the
question of duties on imports from Porto
| Rico they would be compelled TO decide
| that no customs duties could be levied
| on goods from Porto Rico or from the
| Philippines If they. by Congressional ac-
| tion. became part OF the territory of the
| United States.
Mr. Williams turned his attention TO a
discussion of the legal side of the ques-
tion, asset ting that the people of the Phil
ippines would either be citizens of the
United States and entitled to admission as
States or they would not. There was no
escape from that.
Mr. Hill OF Connecticut interrupted Mr..
Williams TO say: II find in the United
ba-
tween France and the United States under
the date of February g. I77S-eleven years
before the Constitution was adopted
treaty which was annuled nine years after
the Constitution was adopted. That treaty
| contains in article 5. this language: Con
quests that shall belong to the United
States: If the United States should think
fit to attempt the reduction of the British
power remaining in the Northern parts of
America or the islands of the Bermudas.
those countries or islands. in case of SIC
cess shall be confederated with or depen-
dent upon the said United States. What
did that mean?'
Mr.. Williams-That was a recognition
on the part OF the controlling authorities
of the United States that the United States
being engaged in war with Great Britain
had a right TO make conquests--a right
not disputed by any judge OF any ooIrt-
By conquest, which has never teen dis
puted, | believe, by anybody
Mr.. Hill-But what would be their rela-
tion as dependencies Of the United States.
Mr.. Williams-They could not have been
dependencies OF the United States. That
proves that even great men sometimes use
words which seem to mean one thing when
they mean 10 express other ideas. In a
certain sense every thing is a dependency
Cour las held that when a territory and
its population become dependency OF
the United States. that they become 4 part
of the United States, and that the popula-
jion become citizens OF the United States
and that they are covered by the Ccnstitu-
ton as by a blanket. and that every right
guaranteed by the Constitution to anybody
is guaranteed TO them.
Responding to various questions by Re-
publcans, MIR. Williams deiied any one of
them to say that the United States could
hold any people as subjects. That being con-
ceded, he asked what was to be the course
of The Government toward the Philippines
A suggestion by Mr. Mann of Illinois led
Mr.. Williams to enquire If ii was the in
tention TO reduce the Filipinos TO the con-
dtion and position of the Indians in this
country.
In conclusion. he re1d from decisions of
the Supreme Court ard from authorities TO
prove that dominion. sovereignty, and ma
tionality went with territory.
Mr. Morris of Minnesota was the next
speaker. devoting himself 10 presentation
of the constitutional questions involved in
the Philippine matter The trainers of the
Constitution, he said. could not be sup
posed 10 have forcseen all the acquisition OF
territory by the United States that might be
made by conquest for commercial purposes
or for self-preservation; and to suppose
that all such acquisition came into our DOS
session vested with the right OF statehood
in the Union was absurd. The conditions
under which the Philippines were secured.
he conceded were radically different from
those under which Louisiana was pur-
chased. but the responsibility was the
same. The idea OF protectorate over the
Islands. Mr.. Morris said. was TO him the
widest and most impossible departure from
the policy the United States had pursued
for more than a century OF minding its own
business. III we are 10 control them
he said. we must have power equal to
that responsibility. The duty of the
United States. said the speaker. was to es-