President
McKinley disclaimed any such purpose. He expressed his earnest
and emphatic dissent from the opinions imputed to several
leading Republicans, whom he named.
I never, at any time during the discussion of the Philippine
question, expressed a more emphatic disapproval of the acquisition
of dependencies or Oriental Empire by military strength, than
he expressed on that occasion. I am justified in putting
this on record, not only because I am confirmed by several
gentlemen in public life, who had interviews with him, but
because he made in substance the same declaration in public.
He declared, speaking of this very matter of acquiring sovereignty
over Spanish territory by conquest:
"Forcible annexation, according to our American code of morals,
would be criminal aggression."
He said at another time:
"Human rights and constitutional privileges must not be forgotten
in the race for wealth and commercial supremacy. The Government
of the people must be by the people and not by a few of the
people. It must rest upon the free consent of the governed
and all of the governed.
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