The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-10-13
ONE FEATURE oFExpANsIoN.

ONE FEATURE or EXPANSION.
Certain persons who r. gard inn
peralism rs an esta liShed fact,
are discussing the colonial policy OF
the United States. Suggestions are
made and theories advanced, al.
though, obviously, in the present
condition Of our new dependencies,
nothing but abstract propositions
can be dealt with.
Not long since it was the unaui-
nous sentiment Of persons consider
ed qualified to speak with authority
that the genius Of American repub-
licanism is ill-ftted for colonial
government. Prior accessions Of
territory came from contiguous
tracts, whose scanty population
welcomed change of nationality
and of the form of government.
Therefore experience sheds no light
on the subject. That the govern
ment of alien peoples in distant
country by republic presented
grave difficulties was regarded as
automatic.
During the present discussion one
feature of the question has not been
touched. That is, the responsibility
of appointIve administrative officers
to the home authority and the pro-
lection of colonial inhabitants from
official rapacity, corruption and
maladministration. Even at home,
with the watchful eye of the cleo
torate, guided by an untrammeled
press, fastened upon those in
authority, corruption is constantly
practiced in national, state and
municipal government. Have we
any assurance that appointive
officers, vested with autocratic
authority thousands of miles distant,
will be more honest and just than
domestic statesmen? Is not the con-
| N6TSo pI''UdDle!
Apologists were not wanting in
Britain for the conduct Of Give and
Hastings. But England made no
pretense of philanthropic motives
for fastening her clutches on India.
She did not claim to have a divine
mission to bestow the blessings of
good government upon other people
Atrocities might shock the moral
sense and call for punishment for
their perpetrators, but they were re-
garded as mere incidents in the
scheme of territorial aggrandize-
ment and commercial enterprise.
By nation whose political cor.
nerstone is that just government
rests upon the consent of and is for
the benefit of the governed, the in
clinations and conditions of persons
who may come.under their jurisdic-
tions should be considered. Other
wise strife and friction will be con-
tinuous, and no benefit will be had
by either party. A people may
know better what will suit them
than any foreigner, however able.
If, for instance, the people of the
Philippine archipelago are capable
of self-government, we can teach
them nothing. If not, it is incon.
ceivable that the United States
has a divine mission to undertake
their government. Other barbarous
regions eXist-nOt as rich as the
Philippines-but no call has beer
heard in their directions. In fact
no portion of the globe except the
United States is governed according
to American ideas, and yet severaI
nations exist which are so we'll salts
fled with their own conduct o
affairs that they might resist ever
with armed force attempted extern
sion of American authority thereto
: imperialism can be justified only
, on the postuIate that it is gooC
, thing per Sc, at home as well as
abroad. With that postulate &C
t cepted, republicani5m is acknowl
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