New-York tribune., 1898-12-07
THE SANE OLD STORY.

THE SAME Old STORY.
The Little American changes not from one
generation to another. lie had the same lack
of constructive Imagination and the same mar
row National vision when Josiah Quincy de-
nounccd the "in.,aralsm threatening in our
possession % az land where 81. Louis now
stands as -%:xa Carl Schurz weeps over the
lcstructLA ~ American IDEAS and of tho
American Constitution in the extension OF our
authority over Honolulu and Manila. There is
not new argument in the whole anti-cxpan-
sion armory The men who now use them
say that never before was the question pre-
scnted OF governing far-removcd territories and
alien peoples and establishing special tar'irs
not uniform with those for the States. These
questions are now only rs they have been for
gotten. Every one Of them. IN slightly differ
ent form. but to the mind Of earlier statesmen
involving the same principles. has been present
pd in the halls Of Congress and decided Ill
favor of the dreaded "impcrialists New-Or-
leans. st. Augustine and Pensacola had their
special tariffs. which were denounced rs un-
constitutional for years after they were III
United States territory. Their people were
governed as coOnlsts. sometimes win no nome
rule. sometimes with an advisory power over
which the representative OF the president OK
ercIsed nm absolute veto. Plans Tor governing
our outlying Territories were denounced by the
cnrly Little Americans in exactly the same
tone that the prescnt-day Little Americans en-
n,ov. The Ia nds were too far away: their trade
wos not worth the expense Of occupation; they
never could be part of our system. If they dld
thev would destroy the Nation: II they wer"
hold outside our system they would destroy it
even more certainly.
In 1894 President Monroe. in his Message TO
Congress advised the occupation or oregon ana
In accordance with his suggestion Dill WIS
drawn authorizing the establishment OF post
on the Columbia River 1t was opposed py
Senotor Dlckprson Of Ncw-Jersey, and IN the
course OF his speech in the Senate, on February
&c. 1925, he made tho following remarks:
A.vet we have extended our laws to no Ter
1torles but such as were or are TO become
States of the Union. We have NOT adopteu
system Of colonization. ard It IS TO be hopeu
we never shall Oregon can never De o.e =.
the United states. II extend our laws 10
IT we must consider 1t as colony. AZ
vet we have sent no military force there "hat
is thn immediate pressure for such force at
this timeo To protect our ships engaged IN the
whaling and fishing. and in the fur trade. anu
taking of sea otters. The whales are caught IN
the Southern lstitudes and all the sea otIels
We shall ever take upon the coast or the Orc
gon Territory would not paw the expense Oh
marching a single company across the Rochy
Mountains.
But is this Territory OF Oregon ever 10 be-
come a State n member OF the Union? Never
The Union ia already too extrnsive-anu We We
must make three four new states from the
Territories already formed. There were thch
twentv-four States The distance from
the mouth OF the Columbia to the mouth OF the
Missouri Is 3.555 mes-frOm Washington 10
the mouth Of the Missouri is ] 100 miles-Inak-
ing the whole distance from Washington to the
mouth Of the Columbia River 4,H miles-Dut
say 1850. The distance therefore. that mem.
Der of Congress Of this State OF Oregon would
be obliged to travel in coming to the seat or
Government and returning bone would be oSV
miles would make his travelling expenses
amount to S3.72O. Every member OF Congress
ought to see his constituents once year. TINS
is already very difficult for those in the most
remote parts Of the Union. AT the rate
which the members of Congress travel accord
Ing to law. that is twenty miles per day, 1t would
require to como to the seat OF Government
from Oregon and return, 46J days. Yet
young. ablc-bodcd Senator might travel from
Oregon to Washington and back once a year,
but he could do nothing else. II would be more
expeditions. however. to come by water round
Cape Horn. or to pass through Behring's
Straits. round the north coast Of this CONT
nent to Baffns Bay. thence through Davis's
Straits to The Atlantic. and to Washing
ton. 1t is true. this passage IS not yet dscov-
cred. except upon maps--but it Will he rs
as oregon shall be a state.
II we plant colony at oregon We must pro-
tect IT. and at an enormous expense. And what
advantage can we expect in return? Surely
none. We form vulnerable point where our
enemy can easily reach us. and where It will
be very difficult TO defend ourselves.
Does not that sound just as If ii came ont
of yesterdays "Anti-Imperialist"? Change Ore
gon TO Hawaii and the resemblance is COM
petc. Everything that You see in to-day's dire
predictions and smart snccrs is there Notice
in that speech the mposslbty OF our gov
crning colonies which are not TO be States. 1t
presagcd the calculations that the trade Of the
cupation. 1t forcsaw the extension of the
Union till ii broke H. pieces. The military
weakness which springs from far-oT posses
sl0ns was as perfectly understood by Mr.. Dick
crson as hy Gamalicl Bradford: and that deli
cous touch about the undiscovered Northwest
massage by which might reach our ''col-
ony" s worthy Of the best sarcasm cnrrcnt
Americans. How wise you We're IN your day
and gcneraton How ungratcful your success
sors are to pretend that they discover new
dangers TO the State and 10 neglect 10 give You
credit for having long ago anticipated all their
fears and brought forward all their arguments
and saved the country NJ every stage of It's de-
vclopmont from the unconstitutional expan-
sion which would have destroyed il and left
nothing for the lattcr-day Little Americans TO
save.
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COEDUCATION AT WESLEYAN.