THE Constitution of the United States provides that no slavery nor involuntary servitude, save as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the territory or under the jurisdiction of the United States.
This is in harmony with and demanded by the idea of “government of the people, by the people and for the people.” It means that no people shall be governed by the United States without their consent.
But it is now proposed to annex the Hawaiian and Phillippine Islands and to extend over the inhabitants of the same the jurisdiction of the Government, independently of their consent. The case of Hawaii is especially prominent at this time. The question of annexation has long been before the peoples of both countries, and the Hawaiians have never signified that they desired it. Their attitude, on the contrary, has been distinctly against it. By annexation, therefore, they will be brought involuntarily into subjection to the American Government.
But the experiment of involuntary subjection has already been tried by this Government, and the result was such as should never be forgotten by the American people. For many years after the establishment of the Constitution involuntary servitude was maintained in many of the States, and was sanctioned by the Federal authority. And the final result was the terrible civil war.
With that warning lesson before their eyes, the American people may well hesitate to approve that which will again violate the spirit if not the letter of the Constitution, and set up the ensign of liberty and union over a people held in subjugation.
This nation was established to proclaim to the world liberty in government; and when it ceases to do this, by annexing to itself a conquered territory and people, it becomes useless for the purpose for which it was divinely ordained and may no longer count upon a favoring Providence.