Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1899-12-01
PTRIT OF THE PRESS
kCTS AND OPINIONS GATHERED
FROM CONTEMPORARIES.
THE MENACE OF IMPERIALISM

THE MENACE OF IMPERIALISM
Address by Albion A. Perry, an old
bpublicau, in the White Hill Congre-
tional church at Somerville, Mass:
Without concealment of deep-seated
nvictions or mincng of words, | shall
tempt to point out some of the dangers
hich threaten a republic like ours
hen it follows In the footsteps of
pnarchial governments, and enters
pom policy of territorial conquest and
Iperialistic rule.
The task which | have taken upon my
If is painful in the extreme, for it com
lis me to condemn the acts of 4 presi-
Fnt for whom | gladly voted, a m,n
HON we all honor for his valiant ser
ices in that great war for liberty and
he preservation of the Union which was
aged in this country little more than
third of century ago. Moreover. it
aces me in seeming hostility to the
ominant faction of the political party
which have been life long mem.
err. But neither admiration for u brave
eteran of the Union army, nor regard
Or party associates, ought TO deter
IAN from criticism of a policy which he
elieves to be subversive of the cardinal
rinciples of Republican government.
10 man who places party above princi
lie is fit to wear the crown of American
itizenship
What is meant by the term imperialism
: 1t is used today in discussions of the
Philippine question? Simply this, take
t: The extension of the permanent SOW
|reignty of the United States over terri
Dry the inhabitants of which are denied
participation in many of the privileges
Ind functions of government 1t is a
wholly different thing from expansion.
Expansion is as legitimate for republic
|is for monarchy, if it can be brought
|ibout without doing injustice to the in
|habitants of the territory annexed. I'm
beralism, according TO the definition
which have given, is, in its very es
Fence, repugnant to the whole theory of
government and should be
Epurned by every American citizen.
Am | warranted in assuming that it is
the intention of the present administra.
zion to maintain permanent sovereignty
In the Philippines? The question shall
be answered in President McI[inlev's
bwn words. In speech at Minneapolis
on the 18th day of last month, he declared
that "the future of the new possessions
is in the keeping of congress, and con-
gress is the servant of the people. That
they will be retained under the benign
sovereignty of the United States, | do
not permit myself to doubt" Senator
Lodge has lately said: 81 believe in re-
tanning the Philippine islands, and have
always believed in that policy"
For an answer to the inquiry whether
the inhabitants of the Philippine
who, as the president believes, are to re-
main under the "benign sovereignty" of
he United States-will be permitted to
enjoy the ''beuign privileges of citizen
ship" let us turn to the statements of
two gentlemen who seem to be in full
accord with the views of President Nc
hinley. Whitelaw Reid. while favoring
the retention of our new possessions, is
opposed to the admission of their inhab-
Itauts as citizens of the United States,
and he solemnly affirms that "the
of admitting them cannot be
Overrated." He even suggests that we
can protect ourselves against the Filipi-
nos, whom President Mckinley is so
anxious to retain under the governments
benign sovereignty" by keeping them
at arms length by means of high
tariff and rigid immigration laws. Gen.
Curtis Guild is also DESTROYS that the
Filipinos shall remain under our kind
and benevolent sway, but he is careful
TO add: 1--WE do not propose to adopt
Malays and Chinese as American voters.
Neither can we admit 100000 pairs of
yellow hands to free competition with
labor by breaking down the
tariff wall that still separates u.s."
If, my friends, the Fllpinos have such
yellow hands that we must hide them be-
hind tariff wall, and in no event per-
NIT them to touch ballot, would it not
be well to leave them to the tender
mercy of their Creator, who, perhaps, is