Omaha daily bee., 1898-07-24

'ueHh' IL inns reasonable? When, before
the war, the right and duty OF Intervention
In Cuba was being discussed, the following
was used by way Of argument:
MY neighbor is an old brute. who cruelty
maltreats his children. / witness across the
fence In my back yard how he mercilessly
oudgels one of his daughters and kicks her
nigh to death. Is 1t not my moral duty to
jump over the fence and to rescue the girl
from the brutality of her unnatural parent"
l accept the smile, but l say: "1f 1t is
my moral duty to rescue the girl, it does
not follow that, after | have knocked down
the old tyrant and rescued the girl, ii will
also, II she cannot take care of herself, be
my moral duty to marry her or TO adopt
her as a daughter and take her into my
own household as o permanent member of
my family. for she may be very undesirable
company for my own children" And this
is the real point to be considered as to
whether the having of those colonies would
be good for us.
risky Experiments.
Is there n conscientious and s~ober-minded
man among the imperialists who will deny
that In deciding this question of expansion
the welfare of our wi people should be our
first consideration? Is there one who will
deny that it would be an exceedingly risky
experiment TO annex Cuba and Porto Rico
and the Philippines and to incorporate them
in our political system as states on an
equal footing with the other states, not
only to govern themselves, but to take
part in governing the whole republic, with
such populations as they have, and con-
sidering that, owing to the influences of the
tropical climate, those populations will
never be like ours? And is there one who
will deny that 1t will be an equally risky
experiment to annex those countries and
to govern them in the pro-consular way
a system of government which, aside from
overthrowing all the fundamental principles
OF our institutions, would be likely might
say certain-to bring into our politics a flood
Of corruption?
/ know 1t is pretended by some of the i'm
perialists that of late our craftsmanship has
been at a low ebb. because it had to deal
only with parochial questions, that our
country was too small for great states
men, that we needed expansion to
make our views larger, that If we
only obeyed our new consciousness and
recognized our destiny" such small topics
as silver and the tariff would be crowded
out by vast international interests, and that
greater responsibilities would not only make
us broader in our conceptions and wiser, but
also more virtuous. We heard similar
predictions when Greater New York" was
in Issue. We were told that the larger
responsibility for SO great a city as thai
would be would arouse the citizens from
their apathy to a firm determination that
only the best and wisest men should be In
the high places thereof. The first result
was the restoration OF old Tammany hall
to power. Does any one believe that II we
annex the Spanish colonies Bosses Croker
and Plat will lose their power, and New
York City will send Joseph Choate and
Seth Low to congress instead of Sulzer and
Quigg? We have heard much Of the Sugar
trust exercising great influence in congress
The first effect OF the annexation Of the
Spanish colonies would be likely to add tc
the Sugar trust a Manila combine and {
Cuba and Porto Rico ring working to gel
favorable legislation from congress for theil
own enrichment. l certainly do not despair
of the publication of our politics. But
look for 1t in the concentration Of the
peoples attention upon our home affairs. no
in its distraction from them and in the
multiplication Of the elements OF corruption
Here lies what / deem the first duty the
American people owe to themselves-not the
care for the people of Cuba, Porto Rico ant
the Philippines. After liberating them we
should do for them the best we can, but II
any event keep them out of our own house
hold.
There are many other phases of this grea
SUBJECTIVE matter of expense, for instance
which l cannot discuss here for lack o
space. / will only add that l expect thi!
craze to pass over as other crazes hav'
passed before when the searchlights o
public discussion were turned upon them
1t is said that the republicans are likely tt
make the expansion policy a party issu'
and that they rely for their triumph upol
the war-cry and upon the unpopularity o
the democratic silver policy with the con
sentative citizens of the country. This ma!
prove a miscalculation. | have seen severa
very earnest sound money men who reason
thus: "a victory OF the silver party woul'
be a great calamity, but a calamity which
in the course Of time may be repaired. Thu
annexation Of the Spanish colonies would b
in its consequences a greater calamity which
can never be repaired. AS between the two
we would rather take our chances with tn
first" How far this feeling extends l d.
not know; possibly very far. I
will be likely to make itself yer,
much felt, II not in the congressional
elections of this year, then certainly in the
presidential election two years hence, wher
the bills will have begun to come in ant
the people will have gained a real ICON
seriousness" of what it all means.