The Irish standard., 1899-10-28
EXPANSION AND IMPERIALISM.

The hypocrisy OF the Republican ar
gument that expansion and imperialism
are one and the same thing is sufficient
ly exposed by comparison of the expan-
sion which took in Texas, Alaska and
the Louisiana purchase with the impe-
rialism that now prevails in Cuba and
the Philippines. In the former cases the
United States government began with
the good will of the people inhabiting
the annexed territory, and was main
tanned by policy which left their local
customs undisturbed In the latter cases
we have set up tyranny worse than the
Romans ever dreamed of practicing
against the Israelites. The Romans left
the Israelites in full possession of their
local government and their internal sys-
TENS and observances. The Jews had
their own laws and their own courts.
Have we even offered to either more
than the lightest shadow of self-govern-
ment or so much as the opportunity?
asks the Cincinnati Enquirer. In Luzon
we propose only the choice between
abject submission and death by violence
In Cuba, after eight months of occupa-
ton, we give the Cubans nothing but
the cynical pretense of political auton-
only and the stern fact OF an autocratic
despotisn. The Filipinos loathe and
hate It's as they never did the Spaniards,
and are in infinitely worse condition
morally and materially than they were
when we began our work of benevolent
assimilation.
We are only beginners, however, in
this evil and unholy enterprise. II one
would see imperialism as practiced by
the past master in the art-by the cham
pion spectator of the world, and the
teacher and leader that Secretary Hay
would have us adopt, let him make a
study of the situation in South Africa
to-day. He will see Our proposed ally.
guide. philosopher and friend-England
-badgering, tormenting and humiliating
to the point OF desperation a thinly-
populated, remote and friendless repub-
lie, whose people have committed no
cffense against morality, violated no
principle Of the law Of nations, whose
sole crime consists in owning a terri
tory in which gold and diamonds have
been discovered, and who still wish to
administer their own affairs in their own
way. They are not barbarans. They
are not heather. They are as sincere
Christians rs the English are, and they
have made no blot upon this cnlight-
ened age. But England, inspired by the
same spirit Of Imperialism that animated
the Berserkers, the Vandals and the
Gotls, is closing in upon them with all
the relentless cruelty OF savage nation,
and, sooner or later, will exterminate
them with savage violence. Their
manly and high courage, their patriotic
self-government, their splendid devo-
ton to home and family and freedom,
all these, we fear, will avail them not
at all. They will fight as did their fore
fathers against the bloodstained Alva,
and England will bleed like maraud-
ing tiger, buffeted and sorely stricken,
before all is done. But, according to
the laws OF brute force and barbarous
supremacy. England must triumph in
the end, and justice, humanity and civili-
cation go down in blood and ashes be-
fore the brutal onslaught of imperialism.
Here is the model for imperialists to
contemplate. 1t is the same model that
Attila and Alaric set up for their guild
ance-the same that the bloody Vikings
carried with them when they devastated
the civilization of their day. Is this
what we want to blazen on our banner?
Are these the words OF cruelty and in
fanny we wish to figure in the history of
the American republic? But here we
have imperialism in all its hideous and
ugly nakedness. Gaze on it, measure it,
and then adopt it if you can.