The Brunswick times-call. [volume] (Brunswick, Ga.) 1900-1902, 1901-06-09
CONGRESSMAN BRANTLEYS
Interview. \
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tends to hold that congress has unlim-
tied power to deal with territory Of the
United States, or to state II another
way, only one out of the nine concurs
with the views Of the administration g,
as represented by the Attorney General
in his argument, or as represented by
the republican speakers on the floors of
congress, and 1t is clear that. as the
court is now constituted, all that is
necessary to make the constitution
suprem 10 Porto Rico is for the people
to elect congress that will pass an act
declaring tia part OF the United States,
Upon the passage Of such an act, the
four juItioes now ooRourring with
Justice Brown would, by the very wore s
In the opinion Of Justice White, be
oonstrained to hold the Foraker law
unconstitutional.
While the decision of the court lie, of
course, some encouragement to those
who seek to establish a colonial system
Of government under cur O. institution
and outside OF it, and is apparently a
judicial FINANCE of what exsPre sident
Harrison called departure from
correct principles, yet the fact is that the
court mus. 60 further on this line than
1t has gone 10 the Downes case before
colonies can exist, and pending such
action by the ur', or ev n II the court
has already gone 81 fficientlg far for that
purp SO, the people have the absolute
power to forever prevent the establish
ment Of colonies by cleo ing congress
opposed TO their establishment, The
court has undoubtC dly gone long way
towards authorizing their existence, but
they have lef. the matter Of colo 1ies Of
no colonies. for the present az least, ,
political and no. a judicial quesd n
which 10 to be deplored, but, neverthe
less, being male political, the people
have complete power 10 the m tier.
With four of the Ablest judges on tn
ench denying the constitutionality o
the Foraker law, and with contlictin,
reasons given by the remaining fiv'
Justices fer upholdingits cons. tuition
ality, it is apparent that the admins
tration has won but q weak victory
and on suoh 9 statement OF the facts, il
will be hard co convince the people tha
the constitution needs any amen dment
1t will be easier to take all the ques
lions raised in the Downes case into tht
field of politics than to undertake q
campaign for constitutional amend
ment, and this will be the result, az
in the coming campaign, people viii
vote on Imperialism" and "Anti
Imperialism" as a real and not
fanoiful ques ion, aud as one, III
determination Of which they dare not
as they once thought they could, trus
to the Supreme court of the land.
In the disou sion Of this matter, 1t il
pertinent to discuss the various matters
and things that have led up to the
epso ment OF the Foraker law and to itt
unfolding by the Supreme court. 1t Ii
to be seriously doubted II the revenue
olAuse OF the Foraker act would have
ever been enacted, except for the
benefit OF the protected interests Of the
country. 1t Is to be seriously doubted
also II the unconstitutionality Of this
part Of the Foraker law " u'd have
ever been questii ed. except for the
protected interests of the country. II
WAS these interests that caused Presi.
dent Mckinley to recede from his
announced declaration that il was cur
"plain duty" to admit Porto Il can
products free Of duty. It is these
protected interests thst alone pr, fit by
the decision just rendered. No one else
in all the United States is benz fitted by
tie lsbored effort in which the decision
is arrived at.
The part that these protsc.ed inter.