The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1899-04-09
C Came Savage$
Wise Scot Says Cbsre's none
rike the Hmerieait 10 Do II.

FAlStiIg
ialism, like the roots of peace and var.
reach far back into primitive cnnd;i-f rs
and institutions. You have heard my de-
scription of the development Of the hum
ter, the shepherd, the sail0r, and of the
establishment among them of a nalul al
and peaceful interchange of products.
What has this to do you say, with i'm
periaIism?' ] am coming 70 that. 4 an
evolutionist. you know, [ must begin at
the beginning. Imperialism is a Dherom-
enon of racial expansion in is miIi' ant,
as distinguished from its economic, fern.
The shepherd-caravan by land, the fIsEmg
boat by sea, develop trade routes under
peaceful conditions; peace gives US the
manifold civilization Of the sac-ei East.
the achievements and ideals Of Israel ard
os Hellas. But. as yet, we have nc IN
perialism That, like war, belongs II a
secondary stage of evolution. TIE hunter
is not yet a bandit nor the sailor a pirate.
Now. for the connection betwssp ell
this and our modern lions and ~tag,es
Where do these emblems come from EEt
from Assyria, whose hunter-hecoa xii ed
lions and bears, and became hunce- kings
founders of the great empires, which all
but overwhelmed first Israel, then Cree?
And from the first empire of the Assyrian
hunter-king to the modern empire par en-
cellence. that of the Corsican bandit, Ma
poleon, is practically regular line o: evo-
luton. The Roman expression was off
ferent. The legion was the age I,tl raj
colony militant. The soldiers fought for
sand to retire upon. Therein lay the sH-
L., 49, ,sr-,
was the strong feature of Roman empire
In so far as we colonize to take up land in
cu,tivable regions. we are SUE 'e-sful, and
the mother of new Romeo: but that IS not
empire. Imperialism is ruling other races
for tribute. COlonialism is Spreading cut
OF one race over more land; as We have
done in Canada and Aust ;aiia, where.
since the wholesome lesson of the Boston
tea-party' and its conseqI ences. we do not
attempt imperial government; it is par
allel with your own occupation OF terri
tory west of youF original ch'onies.
imperialism is illustrated by oU- hold
idg of India and our innumerable Mirror
dependencies in the tropics, wnete we can
not possibly DO physical work or raise
children, much less permanently settle
and multiply; and to which we can send
only our soldier, the administrator. and
the tax collector
and do you consider that for the
United States to hold the Philippines
would be parallel with this?" was asked.
Geography settles that" answered
Professor Geddes. ''White men cannot
possibly multiply in the tropics"
DO you consider that British occupa-
ton is for the good of the natives?"
THAT is too large a question to answer
at once and generally. But If you should
ask me If our governing class, our colo
NAL office, understand the countries and
people they govern, I dare not say they
do. have seen little evidence of it. AS
for our petty wars, 1 believe them to be
far too often wars of revenge, of aggres-
sion, or of sheer ignorant laundering. I
believe, also, that the happily not infre-
quent avoidance of war by our ministers
indicates that in these cases, at least, they
had that sympathy and knowledge re-
quisite for dealing with native populations.
Our soldiers and sailors have fine quail
ties; but this sympathy, this knowledge, is
not theirs
From the days of Mungo Park TO those
of Livingstone and up to our own time,
we Scotsmen have done very great pro
portion of the exploration of Africa; and
the best explorers have been the pacific
ones. So from an often personal knowledge
of our British travellers, do not hesitate
to say that it is the men of agricultural
traditions. the men whose business it is TO
tend life, not take it, who go safely
through Africa. The men of hunting.
sporting, or military traditions are the
men who have to fight Precisely the
same rule holds in politics. The soldier.
the administrator, the tax collector ira
verses, in far more ways thar he knows.
the ordinary life. economy, and instincts
Of the people he tries 20 govern. They
refuse or they rebel. He thinks them
'half-devil and half-child accordingly: and
determines to maintain order'-an order.
alas! which, in many of our wars. I am
bound to say, think more than half
devilish, and maintained with an lenor-
ance more than half-chiIdish. As to the
white mans responsibility? He has re-
sponsibility. certainly, of the sort the mis-
sionary fees who does what he can for
these less enlightened races at his own
risk and charges, his business being pri-
marily TO give them his best
'Of course. the civilizer who can really
educate. really develop greater prosperity.
is he who promotes commerce. not he who
promotes successful war, or even success
ful order and taxation. To understand
our imperialism. YOU must study il in de-
tail. It presents every extreme. from col
onization of the most successful type to
failures as conspicuous as any which can
be alleged against France.
Il referred to our colonial administra-
tors and their lack of understanding OF
the people under them. Yet they are
picked from a profession which II has
taken generations to develop and which.
whatever its failings may be- has this
good quality: that it is. and has been for
a least generation, free from personal
dishonor in the matter OF spoiIs.
Il am not going 10 criticise your poll
tics or your politicians; but my last word
is the emphatic declaration that have
seen lin the east. for instancel admirable
and distinguished representatives of the
United States or America. who were ex-
tending your ideas and your markets. II
seemed 10 me, even more successfully
than our consuls and administrators ex-
TEND ours. Among these are the American
missionaries in Constantinople-w 7 do
not imagine you. therefore, propose 70. &C
CURE
BAY CITY STREET CAR STRIKE