Omaha daily bee., 1898-11-30
PRICE or rMrERrALIsM.
Prospective Drain ON Taxpayers 10
sustain the Policy.
luiiadatuhia I adusr

sustain the POttCy.
Philadelphia Ledger.
The money cost Of maintaining the I'm
perialistic policy and extending the Amerl-
can sphere Of influence to the Orient can
scarcely be estimated at the present stage
Of Affairs. The new venture IL q leap In
the dark. and all exhibits OF probable ex-
pendture for the assertion OF federal
authority In the new lands are subject to
revision and to the correction Of experience.
Under any phase of the case the. outlay
will be colossal, notably % during the first
few years OF experiment In tho art Of
distant colonial government by prentice
hands. Much Of our success In training
strange peoples In the school Of freedom
and self government depends upon their
tractability, docuity and loyalty. These are
wholly unknown elements Of the problem
almost everywhere in the new domains, and
they greatly complicate the situation. 1t Is
well for ones peace Of mind not to an
ticipate dificulties and, according to the
homely proverb. not to attempt to cross a
stream until one comes to It, but In deal
ing with governmental policies the country
must prudently anticipate, as far as may
be, the cost OF an undertaking before the
nation Is irrevocably committed to It's ex-
ecution. Before the contest with Spain the
federal expense averaged about $1,0O0000 a
day. The usual outlay Of about 1896. 900 900
year on the old peace footing must be
heavily increased under the new peace foot
Ing to maintain a regular army increased
nearly four-fold, a more powerful navy con-
stantly prepared for war, and to support
civil government and construct necessary
public works In the numerous island pos
sessions or protectorates, for whose
tranquility and development we are about
to become responsible. The estimates OF ex-
pendhures for the coming year have not
been compiled. but 1t Is believed that they
will reach $5O0,000,OO0. The customs and
internal revenue receipts, upon the basis
OF existing laws and Of recent official re-
ports, will yield nearly $500,ooo,00O per
annum, so that the yearly Income Of the
government may meet the annual eN-
penditures for the new peace establishment,
assuming that not more than 100000 q
month is required for army and navy in
crease and for public improvements in the
new possessions. The revenue which these
possessions will produce will, OF course, re-
lieve to that extent the burthen which the
United States will assume on their behalf;
but this is an exceedingly uncertain quantity
and 80 also is the outlay for the army and
navy, for Notifications, harbor and internal
improvements and all present theories as
to the cost Of governing the colonies may be
upset by insurrectlons and rebellions In
them and by other emergencies not now
foreseen by the most prescient mind. 1t Is
certain that the federal taxes cannot be re-
duced for an indefinite period, and that the
undeveloped situation is such that 1t Is
highly probable that new subjects for taxa
tion must be sought and the existing taxes
must be increased to keep the country on
the safe side and prepared for any con-
tingency. Imperialism In Its best estate Is
an enormously costly luxury.
Notwithstanding this enormous CONTINUOUS
expenditure for these island possessions, 1t
is more than probable that many OF them
will never become settled to any effective ex-
tent by Americans or Europeans OF the de-
sirable stocks. II the Philippines presented
an inviting field for American colonAxation
we might hope that in time another America
might be found in those regions "a thorough
sympathy with tho parent country, ana
thoroughly hospitable toward American IN
stt&utions and habits. We can buy or con-
Quer the Philippines, but we cannot cnanse
their climate nor make them safely and
Prof. Worcester in his work on the Phil
ippines says 1t Is unfortunately true that
the climate Of the Philippines Is especially
severe in Its effect upon white women and
children and, In his judgment, 1t Is very
doubtful II many successive generations OF
European or American children could be
reared there. In the December Atlantic, Mr.
Ren,amin Kidd, the author OF recent
work. 1.-THE Control Of the Tropics" says
that one Of the leading principles he has
tried to enumerate In his book Is that the
white man can never be accllmatized IN the
tropics and that such regions must be per-
manently .peopled by their natural inhabi-
tants. II this view be tenabie ana .ns
story of European attempts at tropicai
colonization confirm Vt, the federal govern
ment is not likely to be assisted In the
work of governing Its tropical dependencies
by the presence of a controlling American
population; and the maintenance OF iaege
American armies in the tropics must always
expose the young manhood OF the nauon 70
disease and death. This, too, is the price OF
oria1isrn.