The Irish standard., 1898-11-26
THE ImPERlALlsTlc POLICY.

THE IMPERIALlsTlC POLICY.
The Republican press of the country
never fails to publish with comments of
approval any utterance in favor of terri
torial expansion coming from any man
of note either in this country or in Eng
land. For instance, the recent address
made by Ex-Governor Flower, of New
York, at the banquet given to Gen. Miles
was published in full in the Mckinley
papers and Endorsed editorially in their
columns. The Tribune, of this city, says
his arguments in regard to the Philip
pines is irresistible. The so-called argu-
ment employed by the New York expan-
sionisa was as follows: "Now, say that
this nation ought to be influenced Just as
any sound business man would be in
fiuenced. What does business man do
when he comes into any property? He
doesn't throw 1t away He takes it and
administers it, and that's exactly what
we have got to do with the Philippines.
The Tribune says that the argument
thus used Strikes a responsive chord in
the breast of every patriotic and wide
awake American citizen" Our Republic
can contemporary knows better than
that. There is Ex-Governor Boutwell,, Of
Massachusetts,, who Is just as patriotic
and as wide-awake an American as ex-
Governor Flower. and that kind of argu-
ment carries no weight with him. In a
recent address he said:
Let lis consider the magnitude of the
undertaking. Let us bring into view some
of the difficulties that are before us. The
Philippine Islands extend over sixteen
degrees of latitude-the distance be-
tween Boston and st. Augustine in Flor
ida. The 1900 islands, more or less, are
supposed to contain ia 900 square miles,
or fourteen times the area of Massa-
chusetts. OF this vast territory only one
half is under the actual jurisdiction of
Spain.
"The islands may contain 5000 900 in
l,bitants, and in intellect and attain
ments they pass by rapid gradations
from cultivated Europeans to the wild
mountain negritos, understood Malays,
who are hardly more than the first re-
move from the walking but speeches. in
habitants of Central Africa. The popu-
lation of the city of Manila is the best
which the islands can offer, and fortu-
nately we have trustworthy information
as to it's magnitude and character. The
total is 100000. OF these there are 200, 900
native Malays, $4,000 Chinese half-castes
and 10000 Chinese: of Spaniards and
Spanish Creoles there are 5000, of Span
ish half-castes 1000; of white persons
from all other countries than Spain there
are about 300. Of the latter the number
may vary with the seasons and the years.
What are We proposing to do? Ger
tainly this: We propose to carry our in
situations into the Philippines, and to set
them up over people who have never
even heard of the ideas ON which the in
situations ought to rest. If American in
situations of government are to be set up
and established firmly in other countries,
the ideas on which our institutions rest
must in anticipation have been accepted
by the people. Hence l condemn the at
tempt to extend American institutions
by the sword. Let the institutions wait
until the world is conquered by IDEAS AS
the conquest Of ideas goes on, the people
who accept the ideas will create and pro-
tect corresponding institutions"
The colonial system is foreign to the
principles and traditions of this republic
and belongs to empires and monarchies.
The Roman republic began to decay
when it started on career of conquest,
and was finally destroyed by the i'm
perialism of Caesar. Did it ever occur
to our esteemed contemporary that the
same fate may be in store for the Amer
lean republic, if it once starts on career
of spoliation and conquest? This is
question which every patriotic American
should carefully consider before he in
dorses the imperialistic policy of the
present administration.