Virginian-pilot. (Norfolk, Va.) 1898-1911, 1899-11-12


by the American gov
eminent. And most meaningless OF all
is the term colonial expansion, as APP
piled to territorial extension, and for
which 1t would be difficult to find any
rational equivalent. Expansion Is sim.
ply growth; to resist expansion Is to
resist progress. which Is to resist des-
tiny. Because Of the acquisition Of
new lands, and the assumption of new
duties, we are told that we are grasp
Ing at empire. Is 1t grasping at en-
pire to do ones duty, to deliver the
oppressed, to right the wrongs that cry
loudly at our door? AS FOR the acotli-
sltion of new lands and the manage
ment of strange peoples, there is no.
thing very formidable in either. If
this Is imperialism, 1t Is new, noble
imperialism. born not OF despotism, but
Of Democracy; not of slavery, but of
freedom, the Imperialism of equity and
humanity. as Providence has
given us wealth, industry and power,
not quietly to sit down and enjoy, but
to use for the true interests OF man
Kind. In taking the Philippines
out CT the hands of Spain we assumed
solemn obligations alike to the inhab-
itants Of the Islands and the world. We
cannot. leave them to become Il prey,
either to foreign powers or TO domestic
strife We have deprived them of their
government, which, poor as it was, per-
haps was better than no governments;
we must supply them with another
government. Because we entered up
on the war in good faith, not for ter
ritory, but for philanthropic purpose,
is no reason why we should not re-
quire from Spain a war indemnity, and
as Spain has no money we must take
property. We might justly
nave taken the Islands and have re-
CURED money indemnity also, but we
did not. We had no desire to take an
unfair advantage of Spain. and did not
do 80, whatever may be the opinion of
her statesmen"
Any broad minded person will at n
glance see the emptiness of the two
strongest declarations for imperialism
that the above quotation contains, "IIS-
pansion is simply growth. etc." but is
the Selling of other peoples by force
growth? Is the thrustng of ourselves
upon a people who want their liberty
noble Imperialism, born not Of des-
potism. but of democracy?" Again,
AS for the acquisition OF new lands
and the management or new people,
there is nothing very formidable in
either" In my opinion there Is n very
formidable something In it. In the first
place the Philippines are set OF peo-
pie who Will recognize 40 authority
until our might may subdue them for
while. but we Will have n vcritable
white elephant on our hands. They
VIII be worse than a white elephant; all
the White elephants ever born would
not take such an army to guard them
as we VIII have to keep in the hot, UNI
healthy Philippine islands to prevent
our newly acquired brethren from ris-
ing up in a fierce attempt to throw
OH the yoke that we have placed on
them. The whole thing In a nut shell
IS Just this, rs quoted above: 1--WE
nave taken possession and must bea..
the responsibilities of possession" and
1t is n nice kettle of fish that this wise
and far-seeing administration Of ours
mas got us into; we will have our hands
Euii bearing the Responsibilities of
possession"
But to go back to the New Pacific"
MI Bancroft sets forth the following
against the eNpansionlst policy:
Never has this nation added to its
DOMAIN unless 1t was primarily for the
governed by no scheme of philnnthro-
phy and no dream of empire. Now to
employ a war waEed for the ligeration
or one island in the subjugatton of an
other, mainly to supply spols for po-
litical adventures who support the
Administration, Is worse than the rob-
berry OF Mexico to provide more terri
toiS Luz LUX DOllt(!anS. I'll what
use to us are these 1,i00 tropical is
lands, 1000 miles from our western
seaboard, where white men can not
live and where seven or eight million
negroes and NIalays swelter in the
neat, eating roots, grasshoppers and
berries, and trembling through fear of
earthquakes and typhoons? or what
advantage to call them ours and in
termeddle in their affairs? Trade? We
rDn int at q
in any event Money? il will cost
more to hold them than we will gain
by them. AS 1T Is our intercourse with
them is upon the same basis as those
OF other nations, and we are at no
trouble or expense for morally cleans
ing and governing them. Is it worth
to US two or three hundred millions
year to be called gTr f5,ott !. 4
good fighters? There is no profit in our
farming this foreign plantation; we
can buy the products cheaper than we
can raise them. Our own people can
not work there, our own institutions
can not be planted there, or If planted
there, can never He made to take root
and grow.
"rhese Asiatic isles, with their mot
ley humanity, are worse than value
less to us; they are dangerous to our
peace, dangerous to our time-honorcd
iiop'ut'ohsr uaiiBeIouS 10 the prlncl-
pies of our republcanism. For our own
honor and safety We should refuse to
employ military despotism in the adj
minlstration OF free government.
Without imperialism. without eXpan-
sion other than the natural growth
arising from the addition To our domain
of contiguous territory, we have be-
come prosperous aud powerful. and all
of it is the product OF our own ins,ltu
tons. which tend to make men rcspec-
table and respected. Nor is our acre
age by any means fully occupied or
cultivated. but will sustain comfortr,.
bly, SnNcral tinns "A; larn....I..