Washington sentinel., 1899-11-25
What Empire Involves.

What Empire Involves.
Empire implies the domination
by force OF one race or nation owe
other races and nations, with more
or less unwillingness on the par
OF subjects so dominated. Impe
rialism means, therefore, the main.
tenance of expensive and demoral'
izing armies for the double pur'
pose of maintaining and extending
ones conquests. NaPoleon's
"expansionist" imperialism kept
France and all Europe in commo-
tion for IS years. and caused the
waste of oceans OF blood and treas
ure. Similarly the extension oI
the Russian Empire till it covers
S,ooo,o 900 square miles and ot the
British Empire till it covers H.
900, 900 square miles has resulted
in numerous wars, great and small,
either in subduing the nations to
be incorporated, or in conflict with
rival empires that threatened i'm.
perial interests.
England's war record during the
so-called peaceful reign of
Queen Victoria illustrates the in
compatibility OF wide empire and
perpetual peace. In 1885, a ccord-
ing to the New York WOyka'S list.
there was rebellion in Canada; in
I84o there was brush with China,
and another with Egypt; in S4a
occurred the first Afghan war; in
I84s was the year of the Scinde and
Mahratta wars; in I84s and IS4S
there were wars with the Sikhs; in
1850 the Kaffir war began; in 1859
there was war with Burma; in 1883
SIS the more considerable war with
Russia occurred; in 1857 there was
war with Persia and the great In
dian mutiny was to be suppressed;
the second Chinese war ended
in 1860, to be followed by the
Maori war in 1869; 1868 saw the
Ashantee expedition; in IS67-68
the expensive war of rescue with
Abyssinia was carried on; in 1873
there was a second Ashantee war;
in 1850 occurred the second
Afghan war and the Zulu war; in
1880 there was war with the Beers
OF the TransVaal; in 1882 Arab
Pasha was TO be put down and
Egypt recovered; from 1884 to
1889 there were numerous bloody
battles with the Mahd.sts; in 1885
Burma was annexed after brief
war; in I896-oS occurred d the ior-
midable wars that resulted in the
dow mall oi the Khalifa at Omdur
man and of the Mad Mullah and
other tribal leaders in Northwest
India. This record omits innum-
cradle minor wars in West Africa,
in Uganda, in Beluchistan, in Mat
abeleland and other parts OF the
globe. According to the WO,N,
oi the 6s years OF Victoria's reign
36 were marked with wars OF
greater or less magnitude, at times
two or three wars being in prog
ress at the same time. At so many
points throughout the globe does
the British Empire come in contact
with conflicting interests that it is
almost literally true that the doors
Of the British Temple Of Janus are
never shut.
This does not imply that the
English are particularly aggres-
sive people. On the contrary, THEN
commercial and industrial interest:
predispose them to peace, But
frequent wars are inevitable Incl
dents OF empire, es 2eciallY wher
ones subjects are Of alien races, Of
when expansion brings one into
contact with barbarous people
wanting in seli-control. Hitherto
the United States, bV limiting itsel
to this continent, has escaped the
constant risk OF war to which Eng
land is exposed, but now that WI
have begun to seek adventures
over sea, and have come in contac
with numerous alien and hostilI
races, our risks are indeEnitell
multiplied. Omitting our domes
tic wars, our onl" wars have beeI
with England in ISIa. with Mexic,
in Is46, with Spain ia 1898 AM
with the FiIipinos in 1898 80, tn
last two being due to the new i'm