St. Paul daily globe., 1895-12-06
A GOOD BEGINNING.

N GOOD bE&INNlNUs
An excellent beginning of the policy
of still further draining the public
treasury for the sake of transform
ing the republic of the United States
into a military despotiSm, which
seems to be the aim today of great
many people, and of pretty nearly
the whole Republican party, is made
by the bill of Senator Squire, of
Washington, appropriating $S7,OOO,-
600 for coast defenses. He desires
that an average of over $7,O00,OOO a
year shall be expended for the next
twelve years in fortifications to be
erected at the principal seaports on
both coasts and on the great lakes.
Any one can see how tre-
mendous is the bribe that is
here offered for congressional
support. The same principle
that has carried through indefensi-
bic river and harbor bills will be in
voked to unite the representatives
of all the districts where work would
be done in support of this gigantic
scheme for plundering the people.
There is about as much need of
spending $S7, 100000 in seacoast de-
fenses as there is of putting that
amount of money into electric light
towers, to be scattered over the in
terror of the country, so that the
farmer can see to drive his team
home after the days work is over.
The project is absolutely without
recommendation or defense. We
never have needed such fortifica-
tions, and we never will. Should an
enemy be bent upon attacking US,
he would not be deferred by a plan
of defense which, though we were
to spend a thousand million dollars
upon it, would still leave it perfectly
easy for a determined enemy to land
a force upon our shores. The idea
that one of our great cities might be
threatened with bombardment and
compelled to pay heavy ransom Is
a foolish fairy tale. Any power that
contemplated such an act would
know that, even if it could be per-
formed, every dollar would have to
be repaid ten-fold when this coun-
try took summary vengeance. The
infamous feature of the scheme is
it's proposition to tax the people Of
this country to the extent of un-
counted millions every year for the
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of useless military
esta blishment.
1t will be interesting to see how
many members of congress yield to
the proffered bribe. The hope is that
the promise to eXpend large sums of
money in so many districts will COM
bine the great cities in support of
this appropriation, and so force it
upon an unwilling country. We have
been drifting steadily toward the
military system of the worlds des-
potism for now these many years.
1t is just as well to have the issue
made direct. ,Republicanism means
pa ternalism; and paternalism means
the building of an autocratic central
authority, that must be supported
by great. armaments on land and
sea at the expense Of the people.
The country will have to face this
issue squarely. We have no doubt
what it's ultimate decision will be,
but it is a grave question how far
the resources of the people will be
wasted, by such projects as that
which Senator Squire has set on
foot, before the inevitable halt is
called, and we return to the free,
fearless and truly Democratic sys-
tenn Of government by and for the
people which was contemplated by
the fathers.
What with Senator Hansbrough