Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1893-06-15
AN ADMIRABLE COURSE.
The Democratic Administration Working
on Jefersonian Principles.

4
on Jeffersonian Principles
The latest reports from Hawaii show
| that Mr.. Cleveland is still carrying out
his thoroughly American and thorough.
| ~ democratic policy of non-interven.
ton in the domestic affairs of our
| weaker neighbors- Mr.. Blount has
| given the provisional government to
| understand that American newspaper
| correspondents in Honolulu must not
be arrested and punished for what ap-
pears in American newspapers, but he
has taken no part IN the controversy
on the islands and is doing nothing
whatever to promote the trouble
which, as is now well known, was
| originally due to the intrigues of per
sons connected with the Harrison ad
ministration.
The autonomy of these islands will
be maintained. They will remain in
dependent of foreign control. We will
| not annex them, nor will we declare q
protectorate. twill be enough simply
| to have it understood, as it is well un
| derstood now by the whole world. that
the Monroe doctrine applies to them
Mr.. Cleveland's foreign policy is il
every respect admirable. He has op
posed himself to the policy of en-
| tangling alliances and intrigues which
| under Harrison threatened the coun
| try with the gravest dangers. Had
we gone on for another year without e
change of this policy, we would have
| almost certainly had foreign war OF
conquest and rapine, in which, to oul
lasting disgrace and to the final over
throw of democracy, we would have in
vaded and subjugated some one of oul
weaker neighbors.
In opposing himself to this Mr.
Cleveland represents the democracy OF
Thomas Jefferson-of government by
consent OF the governed; of opposition
to subjugation; of helpfulness and
neighborliness instead of rapacity and
violence.
We have a country so large already
that any further acquisition of terri
tory would be in every respect disad-
vantage. If we acquire more territory,
we must sooner or later abandon the
republican form of government 1t is
not suitable for an empire. and we can
not make it so. What do any of us
know of the condition of our subjects
IN Alaska? We know that they are our
subjects more the slaves Of the federal
government than if they were personal
chattels. We hear from time to time
that whole villages of them are carried
off by starvation, and we know in a
general way that all this country cares
about in Alaska is what money can be
got out of the mines and fisheries. But
beyond this we know nothing and care
nothing of these people for whom we
are morally responsible since we have
bought them as slaves in buying their
country without their consent. But
who will say that our form of govern
ment is suitable for them? And if it is
not, who can deny that it was a crime
for US 10 buy them as it is crime to
hold them in subsection?
AS the country becomes more i'm
peria1 in extent it becomes more diff
cult to maintain local self-government.
Our territory already extends from
ocean to ocean, and already in the
course of its first century we have been
obliged to fight civil war which came
near costing US the abandonment OF
the principle of consent and the restora-
ton of the old barbaric rule OF force.
What folly, then. would it be to enter
deliberately on policy of subjugating
new territory when it is certain that in
so doing we would forfeit our own lib
critics.
Mr.. Cleveland deserves the thanks OF
every patriotic American for what he
has done to save the country from the
great danger that threatened 1.-THE
danger of rejecting the democratic
principle, of finally abandoning the re-
publican form and of rushing headlong
into a policy of imperialism.-St. Louis
Republic.