The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-09-11
TWIN BUGABOOS.

It is evident that Imperialism and the
danger Of large standing army are to be
two OF the scare arguments used by the
Democratic party in the next election. In
fact they have already begun their bug
aboo campaign. Mr.. Bryan declares that
expansion means imperialism, imperialism
means militarism and militarism means the
overthrow of the Republic. Mr.. Altgeld pre-
diets that the decision in the Dreyfus case.
which everybody sees is triumph of mill
tarism in France. will be an important fac
tor in the next campaign. He says the sig
nihcance of the verdict will be readily
understood in this country. when the i'm
perialistic policy Of the Republican admins
tration is fully exposed" and that Ameri-
can voters will hear much about Captain
Dreyfus between now and election day." OF
the standing army bugaboo he says:
Standing armies are menaces to the
peace and happiness of all nations, and they
will be none the less so because one is eS-
tablished within the borders of this Repub-
comes a great machine for the depressing
of the people. 1t Is controlled by men who,
by reason Of their education and training,
have nothing in common with the masses.
They produce nothing. They have little to
do but to intrigue and scheme to enlarge
their own powers and encroach upon the
rights OF the people who maintain them
The Dreyfus case has shown all this, and
the people Of this country will not find it
hard to believe that the policy OF imperial
ism being pursued by the Mc ns,I snr al al.
purpose of great corporations and trusts to
foist a great military institution on this
land.
All this shows how very hard up the
Democratic party is for an issue. The tariff
question was a real issue for many years,
and in some form may become so again
when present conditions change. The silver
question was real issue three years ago
and the trust question has the possibilities
of a real issue now. But Imperialism and
the danger of standing army are not and
never can be real issues. and any party that
tries to make them so will be laughed out
Of politics.
What is imperialism? 1t would be inter-
esting to hear Mr.. Altgeld or Mr.. Bryan
attempt to answer that question in such a
way as to satisfy an American audience
that they were sincere and were not try
ing to befog facts with words. The truth
is there is no such thing as Imperialism
in a republic. Imperialism pertains to a
monarchy. The expansion of republican ter
ritory or republican government is repub-
licanism, not Imperialism. To apply the
latter term to the enlargement of republic
an territory or the extension of republican
government insults republican government
and principles by applying to them the
standard and the phraseology of monarch
les. The word should never be heard from
the lips of an American as applied to
American institutions. Messrs. Altgeld and
Bryan are masters of sophistry and phrase
making, but neither of them can furnish a
definition of Imperialism as applied to re-
publican ideas and institutions that can con-
vince an American audience they are not
dealing with a mere scarecrow.
The standing army bugaboo is fit COM
panion for imperialism. Very large stand
ing armies are indeed a source of expense
to a people and sometimes of danger, but
nobody in this country Is proposing a large
standing army. The present law fixes its
maximum limit during the existing emer-
gency at 10000 and contains a provision
that ''such increase in the regular force
shall continue in service only during the
necessity therefor, and not later than July
1, 1901" standing army of 10000 mer
whose life is limited TO July i, 1901, car
hardly be considered menace to the liber-
ties of the people. Besides, who compose
this army and who are it's officers and its
commander-in-chief? Loyal, patriotic Amer.
mr.
Bryan talk about our little standing army
being a menace to the liberties of the people
they virtually charge that the patriotic
| young men who have enlisted in the army
the sons of loyal fathers and mothers from
| Maine to California, and from the lakes Il
| the Gulf Of Mexico, are not loyal American.
| and can be used to overthrow the govern
ment. Moreover they imply that the regu
| lar army officers, of whom the country i!
proud, such men as Generals Miles, Merritt
| Brooke, Otis, Shafter, Lawton, Macarthur
| and hundreds of others of various rank, ar,
| not loyal Americans. They imply that tn
| President of the United States may at
/, tempt to use this army and these mel
| against the government or the people. TIL
| mere statement of the proposition is enough
| to cover those who make 1t with ridicul
and disgrace. The United States has ha'
| eleven Presidents who had been soldiers
Washington. Monroe. Jackson. w. II. Har
rison, Taylor. Pierce, Grant, Hayes, Gar
| field, Benz. Harrison and Mckinley. Som
/ of these had been regular and some vol
unteer officers, but all had military expert
ence. None of them showed the slightes
tendency TO militarism in his administrator
! and there is no reason to fear that an,
| President ever will. The American peopl
cannot be scared by the standing army bug
| aboo any more than they can by the bug
aboo Of Imperialism.
LET DEMOCRATS ELECT HIM.
What return has Mayor Taggart given (