The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1899-06-09
TERRITORIAL EXPANSION,
Are the Principles Involved Right,
just and COnstitutiUnal?-The
Questions Answered.

~ SOlStlt he
Questions Answered.,
After the exciting events of the past
year, in the ensuing silence the Amer
lean people are to Judge coolly and care
fully decide the many unthought-of
questions which have a'isen as a result
OF the opanish-American war. The
one which most interests US at present
is the disposition Of the Philippine Is
lands and their inhabitants. We see
and heal considerable of the two words
expansion" and ''imperialism." The
one IS defined as increase of surface,
hence increase OF territory. but in the
present inter probation it possesses a
broader mea ning-it implies not only
extension of territory, but expansion
IN commerce, the army and the navy.
1t has been said that the history of the
world IS the history Of the extension
OF empire. "Imperialism' signifies the
spirit Of empire. AS an illustration of
the manifestations of imperialism | will
cite the following Incidents: AT the
queens jubilee il 1897 were assembled
representatives OF all E%ngland's colo
MES, together with large numbers OF
visitors from the other countries of the
earth. The demands of the labOring
classes, the needs of the many thou
sands OF poor, nearly disappeared from
the London newspapers. The members
OF the house OF commons, the real rulers
OF the empire, on going to pay their
respects to the queen were compelled
to remain a long time in the halls of
the palace like acrowd of office seekers.
John Morley says: "The word 'imper.
ialism' never yet signifed good to hui
manity and never will"
The question is: "Shall our country
adopt the imperial policy of the Euro.
rean n%ations?:" Before we may deuiate
from a policy peculiarly our own, and in
pursuance of which in our brief history
we have advanced as y nation proper
tionally further and higher in the scale
OF civilization than any other nation OF
today, we must present many strong
reasons for such a deviation.
There was something inspiring in
the glorious news that reached us the
-1u Vi NAoS q JSol dSo dlu IL UlOuSL III
OF old glory waving owe tropical is
lands thousands Of miles away and the
blessing of freedom being bestowed up.
on people long burdened with oppres.
sion filled every American with en-
thuslasm. Little then did we dream OF
any future trouble in regard to the
new territory, for we were so occupied
MI h tho (t,,hnr nF,;,. +l,t 1;+&l ,,,
thought of the Philippine question un-
til Aug. l3, when Manila was occupied
BY our soldiers. From hat date it has
continued to grow in Importance and
at present time is still unsettled and
more serious than ever.
AS a pretext for supporting our "new
policy" we are referred by expansion.
lists to the several acquisitions of terri.
tory during our limited history. name
ly: Louisiana, Oregon and that terri.
tory acquired as a result of the Mexican
war. The reasons for which these
lands were annexed were very different
from those for which the Philippine is.
lands are or are not to become a part
of the United States.
In 1903 Napoleon, despairing of fight.
ing the English across the waters and
being in immediate need of money,
the United States, fearful lest England
should secur control of the land, has
tened to accept his offer of SIS, 000, DOC
for the vast territory of Louisiana, from
which eight states, parts of four Others
and two territories have been formed
Again the feeling existing between
} England and the United States forced
, our government to send aid to the little
colony of inning rants led by Whitman
which had settled in Oregon, and in
1916, after t~wenty-eight years of joint
occupation by the United States and
: Great Britain, the boundary dispute
was finally settled. AS to the territory
accruing from our war with Mexico
the justice Of our part of the dispute is
to this day doubted by the conservative
! American, his view being that oul
country was merely DESTROYS of display.
ing her military prowess.
One Of the many able arguments Hen,
, ~ Watterson makes in favor of expan.
sion is that the necessity of settling the
question in regard to the disposition O.
the native Filipino would enable us tc
dispose OF the two important questions
at home-the Indian and the negro
Why should we not first successfully
settle our home disputes before en-
tangling ourselves in more trouble ir
an attempt to solve the problem tina,
has caused the downfall OF so many
powerful nations?
Those opposed to the new policy are
called unpatriotic and un-American be-
cause they are so conservative as tc
agree with our Lord that our right to
rule over many things is conditional
upon first having shown ourselves
faithful over a few things. And have
we proved ourselves faithful when to.
day the onoe extens i've possessions Of
the American Indian have heen reduced
to a few reservations, which the tribes
are not permitted to leave?: And can
we co%nscientiously attempt to decide
for 10000, 900 half-ciyiliz. d natives and
turn q deaf ear to the murdered repre-.
sentatlves Of 800, 900 DISTINGUISHED ne.
groes in our southern states?
We are asked ny the expansiopist to
follow the policy Of the mother coun
try. In SO doing we must pursue a
path that does not lead to the heights
Of Christian civilization. What was it
but English imperialism which %sutfocat-
ed the Matebele chiefs aud their wives
and children in the caves in which
they had taken refuge? Or, still later,
which allowed the barbarous Soudan-
ese to slaughter in cold blood the
wounded Deryishes after the hattie Of
lOmdurman. in which Kitchenerso dis,