Speech #550152192

There would have been no constitutional barrier to surmount or evade. While we were acting as "civilization schoolmasters" to Philippine pupils the pupils might not have liked itmight. indeed. have had the sympathy of the world in their antipathy to itbut we could have done it without violating our own organic law. Now. however. the Constitution of the United States prevents any local selfgovernment in the Philippine Islands at all unless each Filipino. (who by the decision of the United States Supreme Court becomes upon annexation ipsofacto a naturalized citizen of the United States.) has equal rights with each American and each naturalized citizen of English. German. or other derivation. I use the word "citizen." I do not use the word "subject." because I know. as the hearer ought to. that neither our Constitution. nor the spirit of our laws. nor the ideals of our forefathers ever contemplated that the United States should have a "subject." unless. indeed. the subject were the slave of a citizen.