Show THE TREATMENT OF SUBJECT TERRITORY Those politicians and constitutional lawyers who Insist that the Constitution Constitu-tion must follow immediately the flag that when territory is acquired by the United States no matter how that territory ter-ritory at once becomes an integral part of the United States and the Constitution Constitu-tion at once silently and imperceptibly impercepti-bly through some mysterious force which is inherent in itself envelops that territory like an atmosphere should read The Sale of Texas to Spain by Henry S Boutell in the current Forum Such people If honest will gain some new ideas l There was territory to which tho United States had held perfect title for fifteen years sold directly to Spain and the legality of the contract was never for a moment mo-ment questioned It was sold too by Monroe HS President who as special envoy sent by Jefferson had purchased the same soil from France It was altogether Democratic More the I sale was made under the special direction direc-tion of the Constitution which authorizes author-izes that same thing Indeed the men who insist that nothing shall be done toward Porto Rico or the Philippines that cannot be done toward a State In the Union will hardly l Insist that the United States could not If It desired to sell those islands to Germany or Japan or any other power Surely such a power Indicates absolute ownership and the right to treat the possession so situated even as the sovereign power may please limited only by the unwritten law that our Republic must in governing any province make that government conform to the genius of our free Institutions All the dust that has been raised over the tyranny practiced by our Government Govern-ment In Porto Rico has been eIther through ignorance of the laws that govern or through partisan dishonesty |