The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-11-05
VIRTUES
OF Expansion
Expounded.
ALDERMAN POTTER
Talks Of National Policy to
Ward Five Voters.

largely dlleuueQ una WHICH leStiIlSO TO
the interest the club is arousing in diff
ferent sections of the city, especially
in ward five, where the contest for the
legislature is considered close.
The meeting was in charge Of the
president, Henry E, Whitcomb, and
there were present as guests of the club
Alderman Henry BranEon, Councilman
John Rivard, Frank Roe Batchelder,
! charles ii. Evers, Edward ID. Cum
bingham, Charles Il. Nystrom and
George w. b. Sisson. The speakers
had been well chosen and discussed ma
1 tional, state, and local issues in a man.
ner which brought conviction to those
present Besides Alderman Burton w
Potter, president of the council. who
/ was the principal speaker of the eVe-
ming, the audience had the pleasure Of
| listening to President Frank L. Hall
| or the common council Robert NJ
| Washburn, "A. George Busby, candidate
Tor the common council in ward one,
and j. B. Stone.
| Inc voters present We're urged by all
the speakers to support and lend their
aid in behalf of Congressman Walker
and John G. Hagberg. President Pot
| tef'S speech in behalf of territorial ex-
pansion, contained Well thoughtout ar
guments and was listened to with rapt
attention, at the conclusion of which
ne was given an ovation. He said
in part:
We are face to face with territorial
| expansion and colonial government.
and we might as we'll begin to consider
the question. Democrats and republi-
cans alike voted for the measures in
congress which made the war with
SPAN inevitable; but now the war is
over, the democrats begin to show a
disposition to recede from their for
| mer position, and TO declare against
| retaining the territory conquered from
the enemy, and to advocate the leav-
ing of the Cubans and other colonial
! SUBJECTS Of Spain to their fate
Belore the war was started, President
Mckinley, Senator Hoar and many
other able republican leaders. did all
IN their power to adjust the Cuban diff
ncultles without war, but circumstances
beyond human control forced the quar-
rel to arbitrament by the sword. and
IN few weeks we had Cuba Porto
Rico and the Philippines on our hands.
| The inhabitants of these islands i'm
plore us not to leave them again to the
cruelties of their Spanish oppressors.
II is an open question whether they
would prefer to be independent or to be
annexed to the United States and it is
IflGX Afe
capable of independent government.
No doubt there are dangers in terrific
rial expansion, and we shall do well to
look at all possible drawbacks on ac-
count thereof, before we take a leap
into q stream from which it will be
hard to get out. But it may be that
some of the anticipated dangers are
more imaginary than real For instance.
we have been building a powerful
/ no fI6 CT fav 4 e,
the policy of our government as I I'M
derstand to go on increasing the eff
cheney of the navy without reference
to the acquisition of foreign territory.
also understand that it is proposed to
enlarge the standing army and to keep
it in constant preparation for war, re-
CARELESS of our interests in Cuba or the
Philippines. So, in any event, we are
to have a larger navy and army. Then,
too, the possession of distant colonies
does not necessarily mean a large
standing army or long and expensive
wars. Great Britain does not main
tain a very large standing army. and
we were told by Senator Hoar in his re-
cent Mechanics Hall speech, that our
country lost more men in the late civil
war than Great Britain had lost in all
her wars during the past seven hundred
years.
Great Britain is a greater example
than Holland of what colonization will
enable the inhabitants of small coun-
try to do fer themselves and the world.
Her language and institutions are as
widespread as the globe on which we
] live. The temperate zones have al
ways been the home of the highest
types of civilization, yet one-half Of
the temperate regions belong to Great
Britain The products of her shops
and factories are to be found in nearly
every human dwelling. She is great
| in many ways but her greatness is
most clearly shown in her CONNER
cial primacy. She is today doing the
carrying trade OF the world over So,
| 900 British vessels are ever on the seas,
going and coming from the most distant
ports Her shores are lined with miles
of docks and ring with the clang of
hammers preparing sail and steamships
| for adventurous voyages, or battleships
for maritime warfare
Does anybody believe that with a
system of non-expansion Great Britain
i would ever have reached her present
greatness? If she had not expended
| her borders. does anybody believe the
world would have reached its present
! high state Of civilization? Her eXpan-
sion has not injured her people, nor
/ has it injured any colony that has
come under her control.
| Wherever her flag has been raised
there has been planted respect for law
and freedom of opinion. Her rule in
Tsvpt and South Africa. is even now
promoting civilization in those coun-
| tries, and when her armies from the
north and from the south meet near
| the head waters of the Nile, then rail
! road communication will be established
/ between Capetown and Alexandria, and
the beams of Christian civilization will
| glow in the heart of that dark con-
tinent.
Now, if expansion and colonization
have done so much for Great Britain
and the world are we sure that nom
expansion win be the best policy for
| this country?
We have already expanded from the
| Atlantic to the Pacific, and from Mex
leo to the Arctic ocean and to the
J Sandwich islands. We are a cosmo-
politan people made up from different
nationalities, and all Of us are immi-
grants or the immediate descendants
of immigrants, but we have only one
flag, one country, one God, and one
purpose to make our land the home of
virtue. liberty and equal rights. If we
can extend the blessings we enjoy to
our fellow-men in other parts OF the
world without detriment to ourselves,
let us not shrink from the attempt,
knowing that God made of one blood
all the nations of the earth, and that
all peoples are capable Of improvement
and enlightenment. We want no vas
sal races under our control without
representation any longer than is ne
cessary to fit them for self govern
ment
In the history of mankind, no nation
has ever yet permitted its colonists to
send representatives to the halls of