Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-07-07
DEMOCRATIC DOCTRINE,

Samuel j. Tilden, Grover Cleveland and
William ]. Bryan, the three most notable
leaders of the Democracy since the civil
war, are all on record against such enter
prises as the annexation OF Hawaii and
the Philippine Islands. In speech before
the New York Democratic State Cenven-
tion Of 1868 Mr. Tilden referred to the i'm
perialistic craze which swept over the
country at the close of the Mexican war.
considerable party then arose which de-
sired to annex, by right of conquest, the
entire country of Mexico. Texas, Cali
fornia and New Mexico were not enough
to satisfy the imperialists of the day. But
they were checked in their mad project,
and in his New York speech Mr.. Tilden
thus told of their defeat:-
ave have everywhere hitherto refused
to enter into a partnership in self govern
ment with inferior or mixed races. / re-
member that twenty-one years ago there
seemed to be danger that the spirit of ter
ritorial extension would lead some of the
Democratic party to favor the absorption
all the populated portions of that country
into our system. For the purpose OF
checking that tendency declaration was
prepared by a great statesman of the day
and was made public, to the effect that to
hold Mexico as province would be con-
trary to the principles of our institutions
and would tend TO their subversion and
that the destinies of our great experiment
in sell government could not be safely
committed to the issue of partnership in
it with the 100000 OF the mixed races
which formed three quarters of the p0pula-
ton OF Mexico | may add that, being
consulted, l concurred in the measure"
If Mr.. Tilden objected to 100000 Mex
leans what would he say to the 100000
of Chinese, Malays and Negritos of the
Philippines, or to the Chinese, Japanese
and Kanakas who form the great bulk of
the population of Hawaii And what would
Thomas Jefferson, say the founder of the
Democratic party, who wrote in his i'm
mortal Declaration of independence =
We hold these truths to be selfevident
that all men are created equal; that
they are endowed by their Creator with
certain inalienable rights; that among
these are life, liberty and the pursuit Of
happiness. That to sscure these rights
governments are instituted among men,
deriving their just powers from the con-
sent of the governed"
That doctrine is as old as the American
republic and lies at the foundation of our
institutions. 1t is an eloquent and all
sufficient argument against a war of con-
quest, against taking forcible possession of
the islands of the sea and ruling them
against the consent of the inhabitants. The
Democratic party will stand by it, while
the Republicans drift toward Imperialism.
Their theory of government carries them
there logically and naturally. If the
General Government has all powers of all
sorts why should it not march out into the
world to do whatever those charged with
administering it for the time may think
would add to its splendor or to the wealth
of some of some favored individuals? If it
is an unrestricted agency upon what
ICSbIiCilOu5 uO PuV OPOu AtO
actions? But the Democrat naturally and
logically opposes all such notions He
says the Federal Government was estabs
lished to rule the country within the
boundaries of the United States, and that
it has been given no authority whatever to
go out of those boundaries unless in that
sort of defensive warfare which makes
excursions into the enemy's territory a
necessary part of defence. And the DEM
ocrat says there were good and sufficient
reasons why such authority was denied to
the Government. So long as we are con-
fined to our own territory we need nothing
more than the shadow of standing army
and but a moderate navy, whereby our
taxes can be kept down to reasonable
limits. But when we go out into the
world at large to establish colonies and
take part in adjusting the balance Of
power, we must have great military and
naval establishment that will cost i'm
mense sums and load us down with
intolerable burdens of taxation. This is
not Democracy as taught by the great
men who saved the country from aristoc-
racy. Paterson Guardian.