The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-08-21
GERMAN VOTE.
On Political Issues They Will
Oppose Imperialism
A Chicago German Republican
Writes the President.
PERIL FOR M'KINLEY.
Interviews With Well known
TeutOn Citizens
PERIL FOR M'KINLEY.
Which Show Why Bryan Lays
Stress on the Question.

this city to President Mckinley recent
" advising him that If the present
policy of territorial expansion shall be
persisted in the Republican party will
lose the German vote in 1900. This vote
went to Mckinley very generally IN
1896 on the silver issue. That the Dem
ocratic leaders are aware of the feel
| ings Of the Germans is sufficiently clear
from the recent words of Mr.. Bryan
and from the platform of the Iowa
Democrats, adopted in Des Moines last
| Wednesday, Mr.. Bryan expects to get
| the German vote by subordinating the
free silver issue to the territorial ex-
pansiOn issue-he says so.
EXPRESSIONS FROM GERMAN
CITIZENS.
The Record has requested interviews
with we'll known German citizens or
! Chicago on this subject. Mr.. William
Woke who has been a Republican
| since before the beginning of the civil
war, who has been a Republican cand1-
date for congress and always prom
inent in party affairs was outspoken
on the subject.
that the Germans are opposed to eX-
pansion, Imperialism and an Anglo
American alliance?"
ATTITUDE OF THE GERMAN PRESS
Mr. Woke replied: THE spirit Of the
German press and the expressions OF
leading Germans throughout the cOun-
try justify the opinion that the German
voters are as earnestly and uniformly
opposed to expansion, Imperialism and
an AnglO-American alliance as they
were in 1854 to the repeal of the Mis-
souri, compromise. At that time out of
eighty-eight German newspapers IN the
country eighty declared their unfalter-
ing opposition to the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
bill About the same proportion OF Ger
man neWspap ers-the number having
since then greatly increased-has taken
a decided stand against Imperialism
and an Anglo-American alliance"
What would be an offensive policy
to the Germans in these respects?"
IAN AnglO-American alliance, of
course, and imperialism and expansion
that is, the conquest of remote is
lands inhabited by unwilling and heter-
OgeneOuS races
CONGRESS IS YET TO BE HEARD
FROM.
IF the Republican administration
adheres to the present policy, will it
drift the country into Imperialism ?"
so long as congress has not met
and enacted measures regarding the is
sues involved, and so long as the Re
publican party has not laid down it's
principles in a national platform, it can
hardly be said that the present policy
of the administration is pledged to inn
perialism. The attempt to give effect
to the provisions of the treaty of Paris
relating to the Philippine islands until
congress can determine the course of
the government, and the serious diff
encountered in those islands, do not
necessarily commit the executive to
imperialism. If it is meant, however,
and if this meaning is correct, that the
present policy of the administration
stands for Imperialism, which I am not
able to admit, then, 1 believe, it will
drift the country thither in case the
Republican party remains in power"
BOUND TO BE A POLITICAL ISSUE.
''Will this matter be a political issue
next year,"
Il regard it of such vast Importance
that 1 can not conceive how it can be
otherwise
If the Democrats oppose Imperialism
will they gain German votes?"
They certainly will-'
VIII the Germans subvert their op-
position to Is to 1 in order to vote
against Imperialism
If Imperialism, as used in this con-
nection, means the subjugation and
governmental colonies forming parts of
distant continents by military or civil
governors appointed by the federal
government and maintained by militia
~ force, it is to be feared, so far as I
have been able to watch the develop
ment of German sentiment in this
country, that many Germans who were
heretofore decidedly in favor of the
gold standard viii view imperialism as
fraught with more danger to the repub-
lie than the free silver issue"
VIEWS OF A GERMAN EDITOR.
Mr.. Joseph Brucker, editor of the Il
LuOlS SLs1aLS LelJUQE, SAD In response
to the same questions:
Yes, the Germans are generally op-
posed to Imperialism, because they
give a graver meaning to the word
than the AnglO-Americans generally
do. warned certain Republicans and
Republican papers over year ago
against the use of the word imperial
ism. I told them they should protest
against calling the policy of expansion
an imperialistic policy. If expansion
means imperialism then the saint Of
the -Jefferson-was the
first imperialiSt when he purchased
from France the Louisiana territory
and made all who lived in it Americans
by purchase; then our expansion tow
ard the Pacific coast and every war
against the Indians was an imperialiS-
tic aggression. The great mass of the
Germans are against imperialism. be-
cause they take the word in the right
sense; they combine with it one-man
power, militarism, Caesarism and con-
quests.
HERE IS A TROUBLESOME WORD.
This word imperialism will make
great trouble for the Republicans in
the next campaign, because the Demo-
cratic papers, orators and stump speak
ers will use it for demagogical pur-
poses 1t reminds one of the time
nearly fifty years ago. when the Demo-
Gratis caught thousands of European
newcomers who were Democrats in the
old country in opposition to the royal
lists and imperia1ists with the very
thought they could not do any better
than to join the Democrats against the
wings, who were described as aristo-
Gratis. What's in a name?' asks Shake
speare; sometimes very much, and the
word Imperialism, used before people
who do not think much and do not
know history. viii have a damaging
effect for the Republicans.
There is not the least doubt in my
mind that the issue of Imperialism will
enter the campaign next year. The