Daily Kennebec journal., 1898-06-24
'.ImperiaIism."

IL y .
writes the Boston Herald's Washington
correspondent.
no reason to doubt it. we are left to in
fer that the lawmakers at Washington
are not disposed to hearken unto the
voices of true prophets lifting up their
cry from afar in warning or else that
they think their duty lies rather in
meeting the demands of the present
than in sonorously palavering about
something that may or may not de-
mand attention hereafter.
We think it but fair to assume that
the Congress has not gone mad but
that it simply is not disposed with all
that it now has to look after to cross
any streams until it comes to them,
much less to swell their sources with
useless tears shed in advance.
This howl about imperialism" is an
exact counterpart of that of the
shrewd naughty boy who essays to
Gnnerve the arm that would chastise
him by shriekinS bloody murder before
a blow is struck. Mr.. Bryan is 'holler-
ing" because he wants an issue and
Mr. Cleveland for the reason that he
wishes the people to forget Some in
which he once played an ignominioas
part. He wants the country to believe
that the annexation of Hawaii which
we have virtually dictated to for half
a century without comforting in return
the benefits of government that simple
justice now demands, is "imperialism"
whereas his efforts to restore corrupt,
dissolute barbarian, bent on revenge,
to the control of an American colony
that had borne with her iniquities un-
til patience ceased to be a virtue, must
be regarded as an illustration of Amer
icaniSm.
What Congress and the country have
to concern themselves with today are
not the lucubratons of Il Cleveland
baskinG in the classic atmosphere of
Princeton and the reflected warmth of
his past fortuitous greatness, but with
vital pressing problems that must re-
coive prompt and vigorous treatment
as they arise afrcsh every day. They
could not deal with the Philippine
question until it arose and then it did
not admit of more extended treatment
than consisted in taking possession of
and properly caring for what the for
tunes of war had unexpectedly thrown
upon our shoulders. The wisdom of
annexing Hawaii is no greater today
than a year ago but it is clearer to
a wider and better educated compre
hension. 1t required the long voyage
of the Oregon about Cape Horn at
what appeared to be critical time, to
attract general notice to the puerility
of the objections hitherto urged
against construction of the Nicaragua
canal. Not until we We're obliged to
prepare for war was it 50 clearly seen
how unprepared we Were even for a
contest With tenth rate power. We
now see that naval power no gre alter
than France could have wrought al
most irreparable damage along our
coast because we had dillE E-dallied in
coast defense and naval construction
in listening to those who dccried such
work as the inauguration of "imperial
ism"
What's in a name? What's in this
name "imperialism' that ponderous
people should pronounce it so impress
sivcly ana with such Wagging of
heads? Nothing, absolutely nothing
save clap-trap and buncombe. There
is just as much in it as there was in
the cry about the taxed dinner pail, as
there was in the Wheat-slver parallel,
in the 'crime of '73.' 1t is one of
those phrases designed to excite
prejudice instead of sober dispassion
ate thought Those who make most
use of ii do not for an instant
think we are. to depart from our
American form of government and re-
lapse into monarchy. The trend OF
human government throughout the
world today is away from monarchical
forms and we are as we have been for
more than a century leading off in the
evolution.
Because we are to have a better and
bigger navy to meet growing demands
and to protect Il growing commerce,
because We are to have n canal mani
feStly necessary to our welfare, be-
cause we are to have coaling stations
for our ships instead of remaining
crimnally negligent of our duty i'll that
respect. because Of this foresight and
awakening to the dictates Of common
sense certain ones are trying to divert
attention by crying stop thief, i'm