Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1899-01-12
DANGER OF IMPERIALISM.
A Solemn Warming.

AS e"NASSo "a etSo StShs Stsl \
Sehurz, before the IJniyersity of
Chicago, on the question of imperial
ism, which we publish this morning,
is tho most thorough and able discus
sion OF this all-absorbing subject that
has yet appeared in print. 1t is the
work of a scholar and statesman, a
man of knowledge and sagaoity.
The airy sophistry Of the advocates
of imperialism is penetrated and dis
sipated by his logic as the morning
mists by the rays of the sun. He
warns the American people that in
the intoxioation of victory they are
about to sell their birthrighL for q
mess of pottage; that this proud
Republic, which has made itself a
power by its example, illustrating
the benefits of Democratic form of
government, seeking the welfare of
its own people, and not engaging in
entangling alliances, is about to
throw away it's prestige, to make
itself byword and a reproaoh, the
scoff of all the world as nation
which, under the guise Of humanity,
has waged war of conquest, show
ing itself no better and less honest
than the nations of the Old World,
with their monarchial governments.
Mr.. Schurz pictures with graphic
pen the prosperous condition and
proud position of our country before
Che outbreak of the war with Spain,
and says:
"Peace reigned within our bor-
ders, and there was not the faintest
shadow of danger of foreign attack.
Our voice, whenever we chose to
speak in the councils of nations, was
listened to with respect, even the
mightiest eea Power on occasion
yielding to us Difference far beyond
it's habit in it's intercourse with
others. We were considered ulti-
mately invincible, if not invulnor-
able, in our continental stronghold
1t was our boast, not that we pos
sessed great and costly armies and
navies, but that we did not need
any. This exceptional blessing was
our pride, as it was the envy of the
world. We looked down with pity
ing sympathy on other nations which
submissively groaned under the bur-
den of continually increasing arma-
ments, and we praised our good for
tune for having saved us from SO
wretched fate"
Mr.. Schurz then describes the
change that came over the spirit of
our dream when ga few vigorous
blows laid the feeble enemy helpless
at our feet" and proceeds to expose
the puerility of the effort to justify
this imperial scheme by our previous
acquisitions of territory, and points
out the differences as follows:
"Only look with an uncloudcd eye,
and you will soon discover differ
ences enough warning you to beware.
There are five of decisive import
ance.
"Q) All the former acquisitions
were on this continent, and except
ing Alaska, contiguous to our bor-
ders.
"(2) They were situated, not in
the tropical, but in the temperate
zone, and where our people could
migrate in mass.
"(3) They were but very thinly
peopled-.in fact, without any popu,'
lation that would have been in tbs
way of new settlements.
"(4) They could be organized as
Territories in the usual manner,
with the expectation that they would
presently como into the Union as
self-governing States, with popula-
tions substantially homogeneous to
our own.
"(5) They did not require q ma
terial increase of our army and navy,
either for their subjugation to our
rule or for their defence against any
probable foreign attack provoked
by their being in our possession"
He then contrasts the conditions
above with the conditions in the new
territories we arc about to acquire,
and shows that these countries,
being already thickly inhabited, do
not admit of being colonized by emf
grants from this country as were
Louisiana, Texas and California, and
that even If our people were dis
posed to crowd out the natives in
the West Indies and the Philippines
they could not do it on account of
tho climate. Therefore, the popu-
lation of these new territories must
remain substantially what it is to-
day. The consequence will be that