The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-01-18
EXPANSION AND THE CONSTITUTION

NHILIP THE GOOD of Burgundy, not long be-
~ fore his son, Charles the Bold, had entaied
upon the Netherlands what Motley calls the
curse OF a standing army" succeeded in strad-
ding an awkward dilemma. Having substituted his
elastic conscience for the ancient constitution and
privileges of the country, he dispossessed his grand
daughter Jacquelne, OF three provinces, and estab-
lished at Bruges TIE Order of the Golden Fleece,
which represented at once the staple production of
the Netherlands and the Christian humility of the
twenty-five emperors, kings, princes and mobiles
who were the original or charter members. After
having proclaimed Our dsinterestedness and our
strict integrity in declaring against Spain, if we
should not only violate official pledges but cast
aside our constitution like wet rag in order to hold
Asiatic dependencies and reduce nine millions of
Filipinos to serfdom or graft them into American
citizenship by military power ought to perfect
resuscitation of the fifteenth century and by some
invention vindcate the consistency of theories,
antagonized by practice. If we desire to occupy
the relation toward the Spanish colonies that
Spain occupied toward the Netherlands doubtless we
can found an order composed of at least twenty-five
generals and politicians who will fairly illustrate Our
imperialism on the one hand and our Amercanism on
the other Constitutional inhibition of course will not
stand in the way and it might not be inappropriate
include few OF the journalists who have national
policy" If these contradictory attitudes be sue
cessfuly maintained we can spread the new hybrid
of American imperialism other territory oc-
cupied or within the sphere of influence" of Euro
pean powers until we can compacently announce that
"as one gathereth eggs that left have we gath
cred all the earth"
An accurate but shallow view of the existing stua-
ton would encourage the pessimsts who deny the
capacity of the American people for sef-government
and who predict speedy disruption of the Union,
through causes generated within itself But our ma
tona history contradicts and fasihes these gloomy
anticipatons. In every emergency while the people
were slow and apparently apathetc at first, settled
public opinion, expressed through the ballot-box has
to secure national guarantee for the abolition of
slavery and the perpetuty of the Union, and much
longer before sectional dscords were annihilated and
political unity developed into universal sentiment
as well accomplished fact In the elections of
1896 and 1893 hard conquered passion aroused
by real evils and by theories that captivating to
restless and uninstructed minds. And now, in the
press in colleges and universities by conservative
statesmen and great thinkers in the halls of legisa-
ton and among the toiling masses who represent
muscular and mechanical industry the reaction
against the drift toward Imperialism has begun, and
! day by day, grows more intense and demonstrative
1t is not likely to recede and both capital and labor
will probably realize that our own continent supplies
abundant fields for enterprise that there is no dis
content suppressed energy at home that demands
outlets abroad and that great republic may safely
retain its distinctive features preserve its unity under
the constitution, and through educated and dscip-
lined citizenship work its final results the most
benehcent and the most logical plan that has ever
been devised for the benefit of the human race.