Jasper County Democrat, Volume 1, Number 40, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 January 1899 — NO RIGHT TO CONQUER. [ARTICLE]

NO RIGHT TO CONQUER.

Senator Hoar Argnea Power of Gov merit la Limited. Senator Hoar’s long-expected and much-advertised speech against expansion, or imperialism, as he is pleased to call the sentiment in favor of keeping the Philippines, was delivered in the Senate Monday, and for two hours the venerable Massachusetts Senator held the elose attention of his associates. It was a remarkable speech in many ways and was filled with lofty sentiments and constitutional argument. Much withering sarcasm was leveled at Senator Platt of Connecticut and some at the President. Mr. Hoar confined himself pretty closely to the constitutional aspects of the question, disclaiming at the outset au intention to discuss exeept in an incidental way the policy proposed by the administration of entering upon an expansion of its Jterritory, but making ‘a clear enough statement of his personal position on the subject. He based his argument principally on the declaration of independence and on the national constitution, saying that if the doctrines of the fathers were to be preserved, no right exists whereby we could govern subject peoples. He declared that labor would suffer, that the national debt would be materially augmented, and that the necessary increase in the army and navy would be a menace. The SSenator added that if Congress should vote for annexation it would be in palpable violation of its declaration a few months ago that “the people of Cuba are and of right ought to be free and independent.” Mr. Platt of Connecticut made a terse reply, saying the Massachusetts Senator had been building up a man of straw, and that he stood in fear of a mere specter. SENATOR MASON SPEAKS. Illinois Man Tries to Arouse Feeling for Filipinos. 'V Senator William E. Mason of Chicago was the star attraction iu the Senate Tuesday, and the galleries were filled to hear his speech against expansion. Senator Mason was just as earnest and enthusiastic in his appeal for the Filipinos as he was for the Cubans last spring, when he declared himself for war and for the independence of Cuba.. He spoke for an hour and a half. The keynote of the Senator's speech was the belief that in considering the welfare of the natives of the Philippines we should be in reality studying our own best interests. In the course of his speech he said: “It is easy to drift with the tide, but it is not always safe. The simple resolution I have introduced has nothing necessarily to do with any treaty nor do I intend to speak of any proposed treaty. The resolution does not involve a question of law, but is a question as to the future policy of this republic, I am willing to trust the people and I want the people to hear both sides of the case before the verdict is rendered. In speaking of the Philippines I am speaking one word for them and two for ourselves. A black man said to a Senator the other day: ‘I thank you for spenking for my race,’ and the Senator replied: T am speaking one word for your race and two for my own; nothing ever dwarfed the white race so much as stooping for 100 years to keep the black man down.’ T may appear to speak one word for the Philippines, but two for my own people, when I plead for the broad manhood of the man who wrote: ‘All just powers of government are derived from the consent of the governed.’ You cannot govern the Philippines without taxing them. You have not yet their consent and the proposition of taxation without representation is made again. Look out for tea parties; those little semisocial functions are likely to break out even there, for ‘Hail, Columbia!’ and ‘Yankee Doodle’ hav.u-.been heard iu the archipelago.”