The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1898-11-04
BISHOP POTTER ON EXPANSION.
His Warrant for Plain Speech at Thfs
Time.
(From Harper's Weekly

(From Harper's Weekly
The question of the future policy OF the
United States with reference to foreign
peoples and territory brought by the late
war within their reach is one on which
variety of unexpected lights has happily
been cast since first it was raised.
When we had reduced Spain to the
point where it was Inevitable that she
must surrender her hold upon Cuba.
Pore Rico. and possibly the Phil ppines,
there was for q moment a curious con-
sensus of opinion that, whatever disavow-
ais of territorial aggrandizement had been
made in Congress or by the executive. We
could not disown q responsibility Of SOW
ereignty which conquest had practically
created. Few people seemed to rememb Der
that. If our own most solemn declara-
tions were to be considered In any other
than o Pickwickian sense, We had not
undertaken any war OF conquest, or any
other than business of righteous inter-
vention ON behalf of an oppressed people,
We had brought their oppressors to their
knees, and were in q position to say to
them: "See nerel These oppressive meth
DDS of yours, these deliberate cruelties
these monstrous extortious, must cease,
and you must reform them altogether.
See to it that you set about ending this
reign of brutality and greed And that
you may do 1t, We will stop awhile and
see that you dol''
This was the obvious limo, in view Of
the grounds on which originally we had
justified our interfere nee. But that we
did not honestly bell eve In our own pro-
LESSONS speedily became apparent. The
commercial class shouted, Trade de.
mands new channels, and the party in
power must give them to US, or step down
and outr' The lingo screamed: "Hsre
is chance for an imperial destiny Dis
regard it at your peril; for If you do you
make yourselves the laughing-stock of the
civilized world What Is great nation
without colonies? And what ARE colonies
but the credentials OF empires" And be-
sides these. the philanthropists and mis-
sionary enthusiasts protested: Consider
what You have to give to these pagan or
only half Christian and wholly supersti-
tious peoples! Ours is the pure light OF
the gospel, Look at the Sandwich Islands
and read the history OF the sons or mis-
sionaries, and see what blessing the
American religion has been TO those
benighted peoplesP'
We'll we have been looking, but we do
not need to look so far. The proposition
before US today, whether In the farther or
the hither islands that are this moment
within our grasp. is substantially this:
"Here are certain subject races Come
and rule them, enfranchise them, ennoble
Them" What now are the Indications
that we have any single qualification for
such q task? The question ought not to
be difficult to answer, for in q COMPARE
lively short space of time-less than
century-three subject races. so to speak,
have been dropped into our lap, and the
record of our dealings with them may be
known and read of all men. One OF them
is the Indian race, another the negro
race, and another the Chinese. II any
honest man, by any ingenuity-and In
spite of our tardy efforts In connection
with one of them, the Indian, to redeem
the dishonor OF our dealings with
him-oan extract any ground for anything
elselthan shame and confusion OF face IN
view Of our dealings with these races,
congratulate him upon his ingenuity.
The story In every case. in greater or less
degree, has been one long record of cruelty
raptne, lust and outrage. Tho best In
dian" an army officer has been quoted as
saying, 'is q dead Indian" and the
best negro or Chinaman. apparently Is
one who has been strung up at q lamp
post or Rrilled alive on village bonfire.
And this is the nation, with suoh q
record to demonstrate it's capacity to deal
with subject races, which Is to give new
and more benign civilization to the Span
ish West Indies and the Philippine is
lands!
If, indeed, it is to be done, it is greatly
to be hoped that our members ofCongress
lingo newspaper editors and political con.
tractors may be drafted for service In the
ranks-not anywhere above them-of our
armies of occupation. These people are
responsible for the tens of thousands of
ply sical wrecks that have come back from
Santiago. Chickamauga, Camp Alger
and Montauk. Their principles Of civic
and military administration have given
US the infamous results which have
turned the glory of our victories into the
shame of our most criminal inoompetency
In every department of the practical ad-
ministration of great army. And the
fruits of such q p0licy-a policy that
trades in positions Of grave responsibility,
and barters :civic and military appoint
ments for political ''pull, ARE, ii is to
be hoped, teaching our people that the
ssimperial" idea has for this republic no
better promise than identical results, only
in far larger proportions; to the further
degradation OF subject races. and to the
greater dishonor Of those who are to rule
them.
As I conclude these few words hear
some one say: "What Incorporate speech
What good can come of dennnciations so
bitter and oontemptuous?" Who can say9
But, in the elder time. when one was
bidd.n to speak plain and searching
W ords to an age that loved darkness
rather than light, what was the message,
constraininR such q one, from the spirit
of eternal TRUTH / read it in an old book
much forgotten Of men and nations, but
having word to them now as pertinent
and as personal az any that 1t ever uttered
to any of their predecessors.
"Son OF Man, speak to the children OF
thy people, and say unto them, When l
bring the sword upon land, il the people