Book Description

Excerpt from The Retention of the Philippine Islands: Speech of Hon. Henry Cabot Lodge, of Massachusetts, in the Senate of the United States, March 7, 1900 Mr. Lodge. This bill, Mr. President, is simple but all sumcient. It makes no declarations and ofiers no promises as to a future we can not yet predict. It meets the need of the present and stops there. The President, under the military power, which still con trols and must for some time control the islands, could do all that this bill provides. But it is well that he should have the direct authorization of Congress and be enabled to meet any emergency that may arise with the sanction of the law-making power, until that power shall decree otherwise. Above all it is important that Congress should assert its authority; that we should not leave the Executive acting with the unlimited authority of the war ower to goon alone after the conclusion of peace, but that he s ould proceed under the authority of Congress in whatever he does until Congress shall otherwise and more specifically provide. By this bill we follow the well-settled American precedents of Jefferson and Monroe, which were used still later in the case of Hawaii. To leave the war power unrestrained after the end of war, as was done in the case of California and New Mexico, is to abdicate our own authority. This bill is the assertion of Congressional authority and of the legislative power of the Government. To undertake any further or more far-reaching legislation at this time would be, in my judgment, a great mistake. But I believe it to be of great importance to define our position, so that it may be perfectly understood by the inhabitants of the Philippines, as well as by our own people. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.