The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-27
THE BLINKING Law FOLLOWS THE
Flag.

THE BLINKING Law FOLLOWS THE
FLAG.
Mr.. Bryan may not be the closest
reasoner in the world he may not be
bowling success as an editorial writer
his use Of or and nor may be faulty, he
may get his nouns and verbs at war, but
nevertheless, he is giving the public
some pretty good things through the
Commoner.
Like blood hound, bred and trained
fo1 the human chase, Mr.. Bryan has an
astonishingly keen scent for administra-
ton blunders The various doublings
and back-trackings IN which the Nc
Kinley regime has been INDUCING of late
do not worry Mr.. Bryan or throw him
off the scent. He knows the general
trend of the trail and goes straight to
the point Sometimes he gets ahead of
the fugitives, but he knows all he was
to do is to wait and fresh trails will be
made
1t is a stand-off under the decisions of
the supreme court whether the constitu-
ton follows the flag or congress; but ac-
cording to the Commoner's interpreted
ton of Mr.. Cages interpretation of the
banking law, the national banks follow
the flag.
The announcement by Secretary Gage
that the national banking law applied to
Porto Rico, eIicits from Mr.. Bryan some
very apt comments The mess in which
the administration has got itself has an
amusing as we'll as a serious side. The
squirming INDUCED in by all departments
of the government to adjust their the
cries to the law and the constitution as
they interpret it affords an exhibition
worth TIE full price of admission.
The dicta of Justice Brown and the
acts of the government, have created a
quasi citizen of the United States under
the title citizen of Porto Rico or
citizen of the Philippines" Just where
quasi citizenship rests with the imperial
power of the chief magistrate The
banking law as it is to operate in Porto
Rico deals only with the citizens of
Porto Rico, whoever they may be.
Just how this hiatus between the citi-
zen of the United States and the Porto
Rico citizen is to be bridged in the mat
ter of national bank organization is not
quite clear. The law requires all di-
rectors of a. national bank to be citizens
of the United States. Another important
provision is that which requires at least
three-fourthS of the directors to be resi-
dents of the state, territory or district
for one year Immediately preceding their
election to the directorate. Furthermore
they must reside in the state district or
territory during their continuance in Of
flee.
Porto Rico who have not become also
citizens of the United States when they
want to organize a bank. 1t is also bad
for the carpet-bag promoters who see in
the national banking business in our in
sular possessions both influence and
profit. In this connection Mr.. BRYAN
makes a suggestion (and answers iD
which is somewhat old, but nevertheless
it is apt in this connection. 1t illustrates
the maze of difficulties into which the
administration is continually stumbling
in fnI1 ;+e
of colonization outside the constitution.
1t has been suggested that the Porto
Ricans can avoid this obstacle by becom~
ing citizens of the United States by the
process of naturalization, but when the
citizen of Porto Rico" undertakes to
become, through naturalization, a citizen
of the United States. he encounters an
other serious obstacle. 1t is necessary
for one who desires to become a citizen
OF the United States to renounce his al
legiance to his former sovereign Mr.
Mckinley is the only sovereign" which
the Porto Ricans have and Mr.. McKin-
! ley is also president of the United
States. 1t would not do for the Porto
Rtcan to renounce his allegiance to Mr.
! Mckinley, while at the same time seek
ing to become one of Mr.. Mckinley
subjects.
The fact must be dawning upon the
Republican party that the only way to
extrieate itself from this bramble of in
consistences is for the administration to
join with the plaintiff in the case Of
Downs VS.. Bidwell in a motion for re-
hearing. After whieh, stipulation
should be made providing that the decis-
ion in that case shall follow the decision
in Delima VS.. Bidwell, which held that
the constitution followed the flag. There
may be some minor troubles arising out
of the question of universal suffrage. but
those can be settled, with the negro guess
! ton in the South, by a constitutional
amendment, if such drastic measure Is
| found advisable
This is the suggestion of the Clio e,
and not of Mr.. Bryan
REIGN Or SHALL MEN.
Attention has been called to the fact