The Irish standard., 1899-02-04
SOME UNANSWERABLE ARGUMENTS
AGAINST EXPANSION.
IS DICTATED BY BRITISH POLITICIANS
IF ADOPTED 1T WILL. DESTROY THE
AMERICAN REPUBLIC.
PARIS TREATY SHOULD Be AMENDED
PHILIPPINES WILL INVOLVE Us IN A
WAR OF CONQUEST.

The growth of American public opin-
ion adverse to the policy of expansion is
rapid and vigorus. People are astound-
ed, on rejecting, how easy it is for the
executive of the United States to COM
init the nation to "a policy that may
soon prove detestable or fatal. They
realize that the president already pos
sesses an enormous power over their
destinies, and they are asking If 1T be
safe to further augment this autocratic
and irresponsible power by tamely drift
ing into Imperialism.
Most Americans, dazzled by the glamor
of the war, have not begun to think out
the consequences that may follow from
the treaty. The state department seems
to have calculated that the ratification
could he rushed through In haste, leav-
Ing the people to repent at leisure.
There are some senators. even. who
seem to believe that the matter has gone
SO far that nothing now can be done.
If this were true. the senate would at
once divest itself of its privilege as a
part of the treaty-malsing power. But
the trainers of the constitution imposed
on the senate this duty as special
safeguard Of the people. TO shirk this
duty, or to perform it perfunctorily, out
~ II ho NJ
utive, would be to abandon the country
to the Vaccinations of unsafe politicians
or the blunders of unsalted diplomats,
says w. M. c. in the Irish World.
The opposition to the annexation of
the Philippines is not to be confounded
with the establishing of American in
fluence in Cuba and Porto Rico. These
latter are American islands, and they
belong to the sphere of the United
States. The distant Philippines are far
from us, and would be very difficult to
govern if the natives be unwilling to
accept our rule. 1t would be the case of
Formosa and Japan on larger and
more expensive scale. The natives
could keep up Il rebellion for so years,
and it would be impossible to prevent
the landing of military supplies on the
/ 200 islands of the group. The climate
and the nature of the country would
fight against our armies as effectively
as the natives bullets. The great cy-
pense Of asserting and maintaining our
II r.,1I
working people of America, while all
the benefits of exploitation would go
into the hands of Syndicates of greedy
capitalists. Further there is a secret
understanding made In the heyday Of
the Paris negotiations that England is
to have equal trade rights with Ameri
cans in the Philippines. This. as Han
mis- Taylor has shown, would result in
England and Australia monopolizIng the
trade there to the exclusion of ourselves
For it Is a shorter voyage from England
or any part of Europe than from any
part of the United States, and tho diff
ference In the cost OF freights would
handicap our traders heavily.
The arguments adverse to expansion
are weighty and unanswcrablc A few
of them are as follows:
| The policy of establishing sovereignty
! in the Philippines irrespective of the
will of the people, is contrary to the
| Declaration of Independence and to
adopt it would be to break down the
basic principle of our republcanism.
IT is also opposed to the constitution
of the United States; and If the consti-
| tuition must bend to accommodate this
paltry acquisition, it will cease to be re-
garded with any respect whatever. IT.
will be flexcd this way and that by every
breeze Of opinion that blows
| It would be equivalent to the aban-
donment of the Monroe doctrine for
America to take possession of land out
side this hemisphere. Many nations.
England especially, hope that We will
through greed commit this folly.
| The policy of excluding Asiatics from
our shores would no longer be carried
out, when we should have Asiatic Sub
jects."
| 1t is very certain that the establish
ment of an empire, subject to this repub-
lie. and the investing OF the executive
| with sovereign functions, will lead to
the subversion OF the republic here. If
Grant had been elected for third term
the attempt to make him emperor would
have materialized. There were num-
ber of millionaires desirous of titles OF
nobility, and the united money power
Of the banks would have given the pro-
ject its support. At this time. with an
army Of 100000 and still more million
aires and bankers, the coup d'etat might
prove successful. All the republics of
history have Derished In Just this way.
The expansion policy would cause 4