The Portland daily press., 1900-10-29
BRYAN AND IMPERIALISM.
The Democratic Party No
Friend to Freedom.
Liberty Cannot Come from the DEM
OerRey.

(FrOm Senator Hoar's Speech at Con-
cord
Men differ IN opinion as to great con-
Germs OF public policy. Men differ in
opinion as to great questions OF righteous
ness, justice and liberty when they are
involved in the affairs OF stats. Our MS
tory has been full Of the dissensions Of
great men and the bitter divisions Of
good men, whom their oOuntrymen today,
looking back, regard with equal honor
and reverence. I held an opinion upon
this question. which I stated then, as
became a Massachusetts, senator, and
which l am ready to state now as becomes
a son Of observation-disclosures a son Of Con-
cord. But L cannot impute to the men
who differ from me-men like my col
leagues in both houses Of Congress, men
ike Andrew White and James b. Angel
and President Schurman among our in
struetors Of youth, men like Edward
Everett Hale and Lyman Abbott and
the editors Of the ngregationalfst and
the Independent among our religious
teaoherS-that they are actuated By any
less patriotic motives than I am or that
they are less deserving Of confidence than
Mr. Bryan or MIR. Iillman or Mr.. Rich-
ard Croker.
What has been done has been done.
What has besn has been.
mot fate itself can Ger the past have
power"
Our question now is for the future.
We cannot forget that for everything
that has happened Mr.. Bryan is more
responsible than any other man, than
any other twenty men, since the Spanish
treaty left the hands Of the President.
That treaty involved this whole question:
1t affirmed the constitutional power OF
the United States TO acquire foreign
territory; 1t pledged the faith Of the peo-
pie that the Congress Of the United
States, and not the people Of the Philip
| pine Islands, should determine their
future faith. 1t purchased sovereignty
over an unwilling people, and pledged
the faith Of the United States to q for
eign power to pay for it,
And when the defeat of that treaty
seemed assured, with many votes to
spare, Mr.. Bryan, the great leader of the
De mocratic party. its last candidate for
the presidency, came to Washington in
person, disregarding the remonstrances
Of his Wisest supporters, and stabbed the
opposition IN the back IN the hour of its
assured victory l cannot doubt that he
did that because he wished to keep this
| question open as a political issue for the
campaign. He knew that the issues he
had lost in time Of adversely he could
not maintain in time Of prosperity.
He knew that his case was hopeIessly
/ lost, as we all knew it, unless he could
keep alive this question for this election
The preteXts which he puts forth and
which satisfy some of his supporters
now did not satisfy them then. Mr..
Mason Of illinois. who had opposed the
acquisition of the PHILIPPINE Islands, had
been invited to deliver an address by the
Anti-Imperialists Of Boston. He voted
for the treaty, and they at once cancelled
the invitation. They did not think a man
worthy to be heard in Boston who had
voted for that treaty. And now they
claim that THE man who procured its
passage is worthy to be trusted with the
destiny Of{5he American people.
The excuses Mr.. Bryan gives for this
course seem to me Infinitely frivolous
and pitiful. He says he expected
that the Senate would pass a resolution
declaring our purpose not to retain SOW
ereignty over these islands, and that he
wanted to stop the war with Spain, and
thought 1t better to trust the question to
our own friends than to the foreign
enemy. He knew perfectly well, as every
man knows, that the war with Spain
was over. The commissioners of Spain
had said formally that the United States
must dictate It's own terms, and that they
were helpless to make further resistance.
That communication of the Spanish COM
missioners had been communicated to
Congress and made public. He knew
perfectly well that there was not the
Slightest validity to such a resolution IN
less 1t passed both houses and was ap-
proved by the President. 1t was, as l
have said elsewhere, as II in the middle
Of the Revolutionary war some great
general and political leader had surren-
dered West Point to the enemy, and got
the Continental Congress to declare that
King George was our lawful sovereign,
and that Parliament was our lawful
Legislature, and then said that after
peace on those terms he hoped to get q
resolution declaring that we should some
time have our independence. That treaty
made 1t the constitutional duty Of Con-
gTess to exercise sovereignty over the
Philippine Islands, and according to the
decision Of the Supreme Court made it
the constitutional duty Of the President
to reduce them to order, and submission
until Congress should act.
It has been said by New York news
paper that such a power has not been
conferred on Congress by the constitution.
1t is not IN the least inconsistent with
it. When the faith of the American peo-
pie has been pledged to foreign govern
ment by a treaty, the treaty making
power must OF necessity decide the con.
stitutional question, just as the Supreme
Court decides it in domestic questions.
But. II that be not 30, the question of
constitutionality is practically settled for
the Executive for the next four years
by the opinion of Mr.. Mckinley, who
negotiated the treaty, and the opinion Of
Mr.. Bryan, who procured It's adoption.
Mr.. Bryan thinks that treaty constitu-
t1onal or he would not have secured the
ratification, So our anti-imperialistic
friends propose today to support Presi-
dent who believes 1t within the constitu-
tionsl power Of Congress to govern the
Philippine people, who advised and Sc
cured the adoption of treaty pledging
them to do 1t, and who must believe also
that 1t is the constitutional duty Of the
President to reduce them to order and
submission until Congress acts.
Ne, felIoW-citizens. If this Spanish
treaty be right, President Mckinley and
Mr.. Bryan were both right. II this
Spanish treaty be wrong, President Nc
KlnIey and Mr.. Bryan were equally
wrong. Now, what are we to do for the
futureg 1 can find no substantial differ-
ehce, when we come to any practical de-
olaration Of purpose between the two
Na