The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-06-15
SENATOR MORGAN.
And His Views and Vote on the,
 Philippine Bill.

| ~~@AA 4Ako N1eWS duQ vOLS Oh thS Philippine Bill.
 | Mobile Register
 To the Editor of The Register:
 IT my speech on the Philippines bill was read, even the first paragraph of 1t
 It would be seen that I stated that would not vote for it .inless some fea- | lures of the bill were changed or strick-
 en out. consider those features as be- Ing unconstitutional. 4 moment before l | took the floor Mr. Lodge presented a series oi amendments to the bill. which were adopted, no one opposing. They incorporated the entire bill of rights in the measure. with the exception of jury .riais, in certain cases. and the right to bear arms The States have the right to deny both these rights to their citizens. and Congress has these rights as to the people in the territories and Indian res ervations. I think they are useless and dangerous privileges in the Indian reser- vations and In the Philippines, and mo-
 body.in the Senate, so far as l am aware, obgected to the omission to provide these privileges in favor of the Fippinos. If they are hereafter found to be useful and safe, the government of the Philippines can adopt them. They are entirely at liberty to do so.
 My objection to the bill after these anne ndments were adopted. releted chiefly to the fifth section, which makes the in haibitants of the islands citizens of the Philippine Islands,. which Is not only absurd. but Is impossible under the Con- sttution of the United States. A human being cannot owe allegiance to an island, or any other body of land, any more than to an idol. Allegiance Is due only to a government. not to a material object, and the corresponding right of allegiance is protection, which an island cannot give. It Is at this point that the taint of inn perialisnl enters the legislation relating to these islands, ard to Porto Rico; and am sorry to say that some Democratic Senators are as much affected with it as
 the Republicans. They want to refuse
 citizenship to the Filipnos as a means
 of getting rid of them. while the Repub-
 licans deny them the character, of citi-
 zens in order to rule them as subjects outside of the restraints of the Constitu- tfon upon the powers of Congress.
 The Constitution makes them citizens of the United States. and I want to give them the benefits of the Constitution. To avoid doin gthjs, the Republicans consign them to a position that no human being ever held. or can hold, and tn order to bo rid of them, some Dem )crats unite In this absdrdity. I said in that speech that we can no more have subjects than we can have kings, in this country, our cit fzcnship. being the basis of sovereign power In a republic is the distinguishing lire between a republic and monarchy. A Kingdom cannot be built upon a ctti- zenship and a republic cannot be founded upon people who afe the subjects Of monarchic rule. Whoever violates these conditions. under any pressure. however great. abandons the basis of the sover- eighty of the people and deserts the cause of the revolution of 17l6. l tried to get Democratic assistance in tine Sen ate, to attack this fearful departure, but only a few agreed with me Their point was to get rid of the Philippines. with out repeating the treaty of Paris. don't desire to repeal that treaty. would be afraid to do SO on account of the disasters 1t would bring on the Phil ippines. and the world. even if I desired to expel from this republic people whom it will save from themselves and from 8 lapse into the united powers of church. and state inder Spanish domin- ion. If we find time when we eau withdraw from the Philippines and leave them to stand alone, without our help. if they so desire. we can repeal the treaty of Paris and get rid of them. I do not wish to do this at the bidding of Aguin- aldo. Sexto Lopez Agoncillo and Mabini. prefer to wait and he er from the people of the Philippines. I write in haste. but my opinions are neither of sudden growth
 John T. Morgan.
 Senate, Washington. June 9, 1902.
 
 We have the pleasure of printing this morning letter from Sen ator Morgan explairing hs vcte upon the Phlippin es bill. The Senator refers to his speech. as reported in the Congressional Record, to show that he announced that he could not vote for the bill as long as 1t con- tained features he consi tered unconstitu- tiT1fdl. The general puDllC ana lHP press have overlooked this portion of the speech and concentrated attention upon the sentences expressing approval of the bill Hence the surprise expressed that the Senator. after spproval-for so was his speech reported in the papcrs-voted against the bill The Senator is fully vim dicated by the Record, however. which we have looked up and which reads as follows:
 MIR. MORGAN. MT. President, there are some features of this bill which will cause me to vote against 1t, hecause l do not believe they are warrant cd by the Constitution if they are not changed by the amendments whlrh have been just offered and to which l have only had an opportunity of listening as they were read from the desk.
 I approve the purpose of the measure and believe that 1t is d decided improve ment on the state of the law now con- trolling the islands of the Philippine ar chipelago.
 I am satisfied that the purpose of the bill Is to secure good government in those islands, and that 1t Is neither ln- tended to abrdge the liberties of the Fil- ipinos nor to promote the interes or any class or of any individuals who have or expect to have any special interest in the Philippines. Believing this, and that 1t is decided movement in the direction of securing peace. the slands, VII support the bill by my vote If the fca- lures that I believe are unconstitutional are changed or stricken out.
 The Strators letter describes the ;n- features and Sustains his indictment of them.
 In a case like this however. when one Is ''satisficd that the purpose of the hill ia to secure good government In those islands and that it is neither intend d to abridge the liberties of the Filipihos nor promote the interests of any class or of any individuals who have or cX- pect to have any special interest in ,he Philippines" that ,t is to separate | church from state: and that it will tend to the early modification of the inhabit- | auts it would seem to he optional to vote for it. notwithstanding certain un- e cnstitutional features contained in it. | leaving to the United States Supreme Court the duty of striking out such fea- | lures. At any rate. had we been in MT. | MoTSans place. we would nave voted for | 1t as sufferable makeshift
 COUNTRY EDITORS, l