The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-05-31
DEMOCRATIC JTNGoIsNr.

DEMOCRATIC JINGOISM.
There Is one PET phrase which ts for
ever to the front IN tire cuckoo ard Mug
wrs,p newspapers which essay she role
OF defenders ard apoIogfsts for the pres
err administration Should ii be suggest
Ell that this country has interests out
side OF It's trnnsedsase bordsrS. which n Is
the duty OF me Federal administration
20 protect. "tsnso'' Is the cry. When an
orsrorsair1ty was afforded this country 20
oF,aln a. a free gfft tsre most important
territorial cessaon which has been pos
s1tyse TO acquire since the treaties follow
ing the Mexscan war, every statesman
wfSo advocated Tire annexation OF the Ha-
waifan islands was aszsailed with the
same cuckoo cry. When a feeble Arneri-
can state was Mid under the guns Of a
Brst4ss1 rrlan-of-war. which seized it's chief
commercial port and held 81 until a speci-
ned sum of biaeknraA was pad. every pub
lie man who bead tzras r. was the duty OF
this government 10 PROTEST against such
an action was held UP as a lingo"
Now IL there ever was a political party
cts foundatson, which could justly be
charged with "jingossEn,' In the sense
used by these cuckoo organs. II was the
Democratic party from ITS earliest his
tory unsu the era just prior to the civil
war, and " Is an interesting fact and
one which students of political history
would do well TO note. that just so long
az the Democratic party was a party in
favor OF territorial expansion and opposed
to foreign aggressions, just SO long did
IL enjoy the confidence OF the people and
command practically unchecked control
OF the national administration, When
ever ''jtngoasm," as the modern phrase is.
was the issue. the '.jingos" swept this
country. and the anti-jingos were entirely
crushed. And 1t may also be noticed that
the iroadexst minded. traaniest and most
statesmar-iike of the Democratic leaders
OF bygone generations were the most pro-
rlnTnced "jingos'' of their day.
The old Federal party went to wreck
over ITS opposition TO the Louisiana pur-
chase and the war Of 1872. As far as the
purchase of Louisiana was concerned.
there was cea-taAnly no consist utional
warrant for b., and President Jefferson
was tHTe founder OF the school OF the most
severe and straftersed construction of
that instrument as linrftanS the powers
OF the Federal government Yet ne was
a statesman before he was a Democrat.
and made the purchase without a shadow
of authority simply because me recog-
nized that 1t was a political necessity for
the country. Congress approved the act
and Appropriated the necessary money.
But the purchase itself was rsIrely an
executive act, unwarranted by either the
constitution or the laws. Yet on this
purchase, as much as on any act OF his
long public career. the fame OF jefferson
as a statesman rests.
The acquisition of Texas and the Mex
slance Of a most offensive form of
"jirgoisTn.'' The Wing opposition TO these
measures, although tased In great part
II not enRirely upon a desire to prevent
the further acquisition OF slave tecr%tory.
was fatal 10 the Wing party. which never
regainei a hold upon the people. although
by selecting as a candidate a popular
military hero 1t succeeded in grasping the
presidency once more
Ths twuth is that the history OF the
Democratic party In success I'm the era
before the war WAS a history of jingodsm.
It was always clustering. bragg twist
ing the British Hons tail or reaching out
after and fortunately for tho country. too.
acquiring more territory. And 1t must be
confessed that during the continuance Of
this policy, ahe Democratic party con-
trolled the national administration the
greater part Of the time. showing that the
pollcy Was n popular one among the peo-
pie. Every strip OF territory added TO
tho lhnFts OF the United States since che
foundation Of the Country, with the sin
gle exception OF Alaska. was added under
Democratic admsnisera tom. II Is safe
tn say that Il the Democratic ypreslderes
OF those days had been mon OF the stamp
Of Grover Cleveland. not one single acre
would have ever been added to the orig
tnal limits. and tho United States of to-
day would have consisted simply OF the
few states OF the North Atlantic seaboa-d.
ani tho rest OF THIS continent would have
been In the ownership OF European couu-
tries today.
The cry % ''tinsoisTn'' from a Demo
crat today simply marks how far he has
departed from tho tradStionary policy IN
der wh3ch his party once had the con-
fidencs OF The people and actsevesi sue
cess. All this was before the Republican
party was born That party represented.
and sim represents. the national shirt.
and became a necessity through the de-
cadence OF the old Democratic party.
which had nothing in common with the
Dunocratlc party OF today except SIS
name.
SOME IRON FACTS