The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1898-07-27
objects To Colonies

against inc annexation OF the Philip
pines, Porto Rico and Cuba and against
territorial expansion or an Anglo. Amer
lean alliance:
think we may have to take possess
sion OF Cuba, Porto Rico and the Phil
ippines as a war measure and for the
purpose of getting indemnity. should
look upon all save Cuba simply in the
same light as If held mortgage upon
a mans farm. would foreclose that
mortgage not because wanted to take
the farm, but for the reason wanted
the farm to sell in order to raise the
money. l do not see how Spain will
ever be able to pay us an indemnity,
and so would take her real estate. I
think it is consistent with our policy.
and it is certainly necessary that we
should keep Cuba for awhile and have
an army there to maintain good order.
There are more than quarter of mil
lion people on the island, and it will
take some time to get stable govern.
ment, and until they do I think, as a
matter of humanity, that we should
keep force of troops there to preserve
order When we have demanded posses
sion Of those islands as security for the
payment of indemnity and have kept
Cuba for the sake of order, / think we
should then let them go.
II do not believe in colonial expan.
sion at all. / think Hawaii stands in
different circumstances. My objection
to colonial expansion is twofold. You
take the Philippines with from 6, OOO,.
600 to 100000 of people, Cuba
with more than $50, 600 and Porto Rico,
do not remember the number, but
there is but one way to manage those
people and that is by force, just as Eng
land manages Egypt, South Africa and
India to great extent. Their govern
ment over these colonies is arbitrary,
despotic, you may call it, but they ap-
preciate the necessity of good govern
ment and govern wisely, but for all
that it is not government of the peo-
pie. l do not see how we could initiate
that kind of colonial government with
out changing our theories of govern
| ment OF course we could govern them
that would not be a physical impossi-
bility-but in order to do so we must
change our theories of government.
"In the territory we have hitherto
taken into our government we have in
troduced territorial system of govern
ment, territorial legislature, or gov
eminent of the people. I do not think
that that can be done with those peo-
| pie, and think it will be introducing
a new system of government into the
United States. Again, think it would
| compel an unnecessary increase in our
army. do not know but that some in
crease is needed. We would be bound
| to have a large increase in our navy,
and do not like the idea of the United
States considering itself military pow
er. I think if we had large army and
a large navy we would be getting into
trouble with other nations 1t is human
nature for an army officer and a navy
officer to want promotion and if it does
not come rapidly enough they want a
war to bring it about.
SIN SO far as the Philippines are con-
cerned especially it seems to me that it
would be a black eye to the Monroe
| doctrine. When we said that the Euro
pean nations must not take possession Of
| any territory in this continent, it was o
sort Of implied declaration that we
would not take any possessions in their
| continent. If we would reach out into
Asiatic countries and take the islands
| there, it would look as though we could
not say anything if European nations
reach over here and take possession OF
territory.
| "There is another thing in this con-
| nection want to talk about. l have
seen in good many religious papers
\ and heard in few sermons that because
we have the best civilization In the
world it was our destiny and our Chris
| tan duty to reach out and make other
| nations accept our civilization. 1t seems
| to me that the best way we could make
our civilization of value to others is by
example and not by force We could
make it valuable to the world great
deal better by example than by appro-
priating territory.
"If it had been proposed in congress
| the LIST of January to appropriate the
| Philippine islands, Porto Rico and Gu
ba. believe it would have been voted
down four to one Yet the war has de-
veloped such conditions that a great
many men in congress as well as out
of it are beginning to think that colo
NAL expansion is before us. There is
very different sentiment in congress
than there was at that time"
"What is your idea about the pro-
posed Anglo-Saxon alliance as mention
ed by Chamberlain in his speech some
time ago and talked of in the United
States?'' was asked.
lido not believe in formal alliance
think George Washington's advice Is
as sound today as it was when it was
given, to avoid all alliances. AT the
same time believe in an arbitratins
tribunal to settle all disputes between
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