The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-07-04
Circulation sta,ement-
The Fourth of July

The Fourth of July
Thinking Americans will greet this
great day with new if not improved
emotions on the occasion of its first re
currence in the Twentieth century It
does not any more mean what il once
did Our fathers and grandfathers ap-
preciated, respected. and yenerated II in
q way almost forgotten by the present
generation.
Fifty. even twenty-five or thirty,
years ago the whole continent burned
with a sturdy and intense American
ism. The people Of Colorado, Nevada,
wyoming. and Washing ton were not
less American citizens in their own
thought and conviction than they have
since been under Statehood Until Re
Gently the inhabitants of the District
of Columbia Arizona, New Mexico, and
Oklahoma supposed themselves TO be
fully legitimate sons Of Urcle sam.
Even as lately as the last Independence
Day of the Nineteenth century the idea
that native born residents of the Ma
tional Capital are merely tolerated
aliens with no rights except such as
may be conferred by the grace Of Con
gress and the Executive would nave
been secuted as idiocy If not treason
Since then, however. all three branches
Of the Government, executive, IeSlsla-
tive. and judicial, have concurred in de-
Gliding that for all practical purposes We
of Washington are simple c0Ionists and
not entitled 10 the rights or innunities
guaranteed 10 American citizens by the
.-,,--.;+r--s.-v, Of no T-pfTaE
States. For the first time, and, sig
nifcantly. at the very opening Of a new
century, this unhappy and obnoxious
doctrine is presented to US.
Here is food for solemn and earnest
thought on this Fourth Of July TIE
grand jurists. representing the school
of Jay, Ellsworth, and Marshall, 10
whom the country in recent years has
turned confidently for advice and the
true exposition OF that fundamental law
which at length has been emaseUlat-
ed. are all still true TO the Consti-
tuition and the old American faith.
The Chief Justice and Associate
Justices Harlan. Brewer. and Peck
ham are as strong IN = affirming
the constitutional dicta Of John Mar
shall as the most rigid construcuonist
could ask: but they are overslaughed
by the power Of d majority ard must be
resigned under the weight Of its final
decree that formerly presumed ATneri-
cans engaged IN working out the des-
tiny Of the Republic in regions within
our national boundaries not yet erected
into States politically are on all fcurs
with the TagaIs and head hunters Of
Luzou, the AIohammedans of the Sulu
Islands. the Kanakas Of Hawaii, and
the PoIynesian islanders Of Guam and
TutuiIa
To the patriot living in this or an
other Of the national territories this is
hard medicine, and medicine that he
must feel he should not be asked TO
take At present there is no escape
from the dose Our political medical
faculty. consisting Of Hanna. Have
meyer. Morgan, Duke, and the rest Of
that fk, have decided that the interests
and profits Of the trusts and Taonopo-
lies are more to be considered than 10y
atty to the Constitution. But let US
hope not for all time The people yet
may awake to the disaster which . sub
servient and venaI Congress and an IL
logical opinion have brought upon them,
and the power Of remedy and redemp-
ton is sui at their command The
question Is: VIII they use it, Before
another Fourth of July rolls around
that matter ought to be made plain
Our ancient landmarks are weli-nigh
obIiterated, our free institutions are in
the way Of being destroyed VIII the
American masses stand such agsres-
sions upon the liberties conferred upon
them by the fathers Of the Revolution