Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1898-05-10

!! by an Unborn longing to acquire some
| thing that appears to be of value and
| is ours for the taking. The Philip
pines are rich, say the advocates OF
this policy of territorial aggrandize-
! ment, smacking their lips over the
| prospect of securing the alluring prize
| The Philippines would be a great
point of vantage to the United States
| in time of war, they add shrewdly. So
would Samoa, they declare, end Ha-
i wall and Cuba. They are all very
rich in natural resOurces-rich as
cream-and would be valuable stations
for our government in case of hostil-
tiles and for the protection of our
foreign commerce.
Thus with these highly attractive
but specious arguments, the Hawaiian
party spreads its insidious doctrine OF
seizure of territory and extension OF
power against which the fathers OF
this country, in their great wisdom,
experience and foresight, solemnly and
repeatedly warned us in the beginning
of our national life.
Shall we neglect this warning and
the lessons We have been taught from
childhood at almost the first oppor-
;unity presented? Have we not suffi-
cient strength Of character as a nation
to maintain our time-honored princi-
pies in the face of the first temptation
I, to overstep them? Shall we permit
mistaken avarice and acquisitiveness to
override wisdom and real patriotism?
If there was anything to be gained
even from a material and avaricious
point of view by the acquisition of
these foreign islands, as the advocates
of the policy Of conquest seem to be-
lieve. there might be some reason in
their scheme: but there is absolutely
nothing Of the sort to be gained by
this government owning or annexing
these far-away and utterly uncongen-
ial lands and peoples, and we would
soon find that instead of apparent
riches we had acquired nothing but
worry and trouble and endless entan-
clement with foreign governments.
Wherein let us ask the annexationists,
would the acquisition of the Philip
pines, or Samoa, or Hawaii, or Cuba,
or Porto Rico, benefit the United States
an iota? Through taxation? We
could not tax them any more than we
tax ourselves, no more than would be
| their pro rata share for the support of
| the general government. And this
| would not Tighten the taxes on the
, United States proper, for our govern
ment would be compelled to expend
such vast sums for the support of a
mighty army and navy for the govern
ment and retention of these islands
that it would greatly increase taxation
| and the United States proper would
| have to stand their share, although
not participating one whit in the bene-
| fits of the expenditure. How, then
would the wealth Of these islands, sup
posing we possessed them, benefit us?
/ Our people would get nothing from
| them without paying for it as now,
while as regards commerce with these
| islands we have the bulk OF 1t now
and would gain little i. any more
though we owned them ten times over
| There would be new openings for
| American enterprise, it may be sug-
! gested What new openings? what
advantage would American enterprise
have that are not largely ours already?
| To be sure, it might in several ways
benefit several protected trusts now
enjoying the bounty OF the govern
! ment by giving them. among otner
| things, several lines OF raw material
| free of taxes for if these islands were
| a part of our own country their ship
ments to our ports could not be taxed
| at our custom houses. But wherein
would this benefit any one in our coun-
try but the aforesaid trusts unless the
latter would agree voluntarily to fore
! go a portion of their exorbitant and
unearned profits by reducing their arti-
| ficially maintained prices to the
American people? And the character
| of these concerns is not, as rule,
such as to encourage the belief that
| they would do anything of the sort.
In fact it has been our even and pro-
tracted experience that the richer these
concerns grow and the greater their
profits become the more rapaciOus are
| they in their demands upon Congress
for bounties taken from the pockets
of the people. Evidently, therefore,
the American people have nothing to
hope for from that quarter, should the
policy of territorial ACKNOWLEDGMENT
prevail.
Wherein. therefore, let us ask final
ly, would we reap a particle of benefit
from the pursuance of this policy?
The answer is plain: IN NOTHING
| WHATEVER. On the other hand,
look at the array of formidable and
| dangerous burdens and disadvantages
| ~, Of cl I,