The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-08-05

VA ANSSSAoA SSASAS 80
senat is this: Shall the United States
abandon the well defined and univer
sally accepted Monroe doctrine AM
her traditional domestic policy, and a
his time enter on the dangerous ca
reer Of cOlonial expansion and Euro
pean imperialism, en%countering as
consequence all the dangers and as
Stunning all the burdens incident to sucl
a change?
Imperialism Is defined to be a system
of imperial government, ambition tt
form an empire, a policy of territorial
extension, the spirit Of Napoleonic EN-.
pire, or advocacy Of it or Of its revival
1t would serve no new purpose tt
now recall at length the history and
tradition of the United States respect
ing this question, but the discussion
would be incomplete If I did no direct
attention to the fact that, from the
organization of the government Of the
United States to the present time, ours
a been exclusively a domestic pol
icy intended to advance the best in
terest and elevate our own people. To
now change that policy and enter upon
the uncertain and perilous career of i'm
perialism would be an experiment that
l am not prepared to make. 1 am not
willing to incorporate in our popula-
ton, as citizens of the United States,
lO,VVU,VVV PcOpIc UelOIl6lA6 " dlleH
races, the most of them ignorant, bru-
tai, hostile, and savage, and reduce
the standard Of our home civilization to
that of a low and brutal Asiatic pop
ulation. And that such would be the
case If Imperialism should prevail in
our country no one who a given the
question n serious thought "a sue
cessfully deny.
Henry Norman, in ar article pub
lished in the Washington Post July l,
1898, says:
UNLESS all signs fail, however, or I
fail to interpret them, the old America,
the America obedient to the traditions
of the founders Of the republic, is pass
ing away, and a new America, an
America standing armed, alert, and ex-
igent in the arena of the world strug-
gle is taking place.
1.-The change is threefold:
II. The United States Is about to take
its place among the great armed pow
ers of the world.
"2. BY the seizure and retention of
territory not only not contiguous to the
borders Of the republic, but remote
from them. the United States becomes
a colonizing nation and enters the field
of international rivalries."
I shall endeavor to demonstrate that
my position is that Of the fathers OF
the republic, and with them I cheer.
fully take my stand against imperial
aggression and the danger incident to
its exercise. If anything can be said
to be completely settled in our coun-
try, it is the Monroe doctrine, which
declares that, while we will not our
selves engage in a career of imperial
ism and colonial acquisition, no other
nation shall invade Or extend her do
minion on this continent to the detri-
ment or injury Of the United States,
and IL we hold to this doctrine we must
also be bound by its terms. Here, Mr..
President, the nation has stood through
all it's existence, and here we must
stand in the future, as immovable as
the Rock of Gibraltar, If u govern
ment is to be safe n u people are
to reap the highest rewards of their
sacrifices and efforts in establishing
this government.
In saying this it must not be under
stood that l favor returning to Spain
any Of the territory lost to her as a
result of the war now in progress. ]
have so repeatedly stated my position
on this subject in this chamber that
it would seem to be a work Of superer-
ogation to repeat it, to the effect that
this continent and in the e must be
lost to her forever. Spain must pay
every dollar this war costs us, and fol
the Maine and our dead and wounded
seamen. ~
The Philippines, Cuba and Porto Rice
must pass from her dominion and be.
come independent republics, and no ar.
rangement must be made by which
there will be any recession Of territory
to that decaying and brutal monarchy
now, thank God, rapidly disappearing
from the map Of the world.
Nor, Mr.. President, must the Hawa
iian islands be permitted to pass from
their present government, or at leas
into the possession or under the dOmin
ion or influence of any foreign power
They, too must. as was declared fit!
years ago or more, remain a friendl,
and cooperating power with the United
States.
Mr.. President, in the orderly discus
sion of the main question now befor,
the senate, there arises this importan
subordinate question: Have we tn,
constitutional power to territor!
by q joint resolution? I will point GU
that this Is q dangerous n unprece
dented exercise Of power, not conferred
by the constitution and not intended
by the trainers Of that instrument t,
be exercised by the United States ex
cept through the treaty-making power
There is no instance In history wher
it has been done. The single case o
the annexation of Texas was accom-
plished only after the people OF tn
republic had voted In favor of 1t, Their
being less than 100 votes against 1t
and then only after the duly consti
tuted authority of Texas had ratified
the action OF the people at the polls
and that had been adopted and ratified
by the president Of the United States.
Every other instance Of the purchas'
or acquisition in any form Of territor!
1by the United States has been by treaty
and IL nrecedents are OF any value anG