The Saint Paul globe., 1904-12-29
WITHOUT A STATUS

decision declaring the Philippine ISL
ands partly within and partly without
the constitution and the laws of the
United States will bear plentiful fruit.
Another item of the crop is found in
| the ruling on the Panama canal strip.
Here is another piece of country, large
/ ly inhabited and destined to be the
scene of most important operations,
which has no definite standing in law.
1t is held that this is territory within
the Jurisdiction of the United States in
the sense that it is subject to federal
authority yet without the United
States in the sense that it's people are
not entitled to the rights, privileges
and immunities that the constitution
confers.
There is no escape from this confu
sion while the doctrine of this admins
tration and it's supporters prevails. We
must have two kinds of citizenship
one for those who have the good for
tune to live within the boundaries of
an organized state or territory, and the
other for those whose evil fate it has
been to pass over to our control by di-
rect or indirect purchase. The people
of the Philippines, the people of Porto
Rico and the people of the canal strip
are in this unhappy state; and We our
selves do not know exactly where our
rights and powers begin and end, ex-
| cept as they may be interpreted and
definitely set forth from time to time in
special cases, each decided by the SUI
preme court itself.
The worst effect of this is not upon
the people of the countries or districts
concerned. It is a common error to
look first at those deprived of natural
and ordinary rights, to pity their sad
case and to consider the effect upon
But among all peoples and in all times
the law Of nature has inflicted the
severest penalties for wrongdoing upon
the wrongdoer. 1t is those who deny
liberty to others who eventually lose
the blessings of liberty themselves. 1t
is the arrogant ruler who suffers in the
long and just course of time more than
the subject upon whom he forces in
justice or oppression.
Look at the tremendous illustration
in our own history. Not all the diff
culties and distresses of the black race
in the United States can compare in
the aggregate for a moment with the
difficulties, distress, losses and national
impairment brought to the white race
by it's own liberation first of slavery
and afterward of political and social
wrong. 1t is always the aggressor who
suffers when there is time enough, as
there is in the life of states, for just
penalties to accrue We are heaping
up innumerable and most difficult
problems for the future. The govern
ment of the United States will be af-
fected most seriously and disastEously
hereafter by the existence of a status
in our possessions unrecognized by the
constitution and unknown to the Amer
lean system.
We are less moved by sympathy with
the Filipinos, the Porto Ricans and the
Panamans, who will probably do very
well and much better than they ever
did before even under such govern
ment as we deign to give, than we are
| concerned about the effect upon the
people and the government of the
United States of this departure from
tradition and custom and just law. In
all our relations to these several peo-
pies we are sowing the wind; and it is
we and not they who will be reapers OF
the whirlwind.