The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-01-19
THE AMERICAN POLICY.

Tic Post has received a pamphlet con-
ttinlng paper recently read by Hon.
Charles Francis Adams before the Lex
ington. Macs, Historical society. 1t is en-
titled imperialism" and 1.-THE Tracks of
Our Torefathcrs,' aud Ia an attempt to
test historically some OF the arguments
most commonly advanced in favor OF the
proposed policy Of expansion. and to show
to what they apparently lead IN the se-
auence OF human, and more especially. Of
American. events.
Mr.. Adams discusses the matter from
every standpoint--ethnic, religious. econ
omical and political--and shows ccnclu-
sivcly that In accepting policy OF Inn
perialism we abandon the traditional and
distinctively American grounds and ac-'
cept those OF Europe, and especially OF
Great Britain. which heretofore we have
made 1t the basis OF our faith TO deny and
repudiate.
He points out that In every way we
would be compelled to set aside our tredi-
tional policy and to admit that the Old
World. Europe and Great Britain, were,
after all, right, and, that We OF the New
World have been wrong In our conten-
tions. Among other things he mentions
that at the famous Boston tea party"
Great Britain affirmed that taxation with
out representation was right In the case
of colonies and dependencies Taught by
the lesson Of our war OF independence, she
has since abandoned 1t. We now take 1t
up, and are today, as one OF the new OBJ
legations towards the heather imposed
upon u.s. formulating systems OF imposts
and tariffs for these new dependencies,
wholly distinct from our own, and directly
inhibited by our constitution, in regard to
which systems those dependencies have no
representative voice. They are not to be
consulted as to the kind OF door, "openr
or closed" behind which they are to ex-
list. In taking this position 1t is difficult
to see why we must not also incidentally
admit that, in the great contention proceed
ing our war of independence, Great Britain
was more nearly right than the opponents
OF the principles for which those ''em-
battled farmers contended.
AS regards "pauper labor Mr.. Adams
makes this striking comment:
Here the reversal contemplated of cs,ab-
lisbed policy In favor Of European methods Is
specially noteworthy. The labor OF Asia Is
iindeniably less we'll paid even than that OF
Europe; but IT Is now proposed by single
act. to Introduce Into cur Industrial system
ten millions OF Asiatics. either directly. or
through their products sold In open competi-
ton with our own; or IL we do not do that.
to hold them, ascribcd to the soil In sort
of old Saxon serfdom with the function as
signed them OF consuming our surplus prod
ucts, but without In return sending us theirs.
The great counterbalnncpg consideration viii
not. OF course, be forgotten that, like the
English in India, wo also bestow on them
tho blessings OF liberty and the Bible. pro-
vided. always, that liberty does not include
freedom to go to the United States. and this
Bible does include the excellent old time and
old world precept (Ccloss Ill. 22) servants.
obey in all things your masters
| Throughout Mr.. Adams lengthy argu-
ment he shows conclusively that which
ever way the imperialist turns, and how
ever he may regard 1t. he would involve
| this country, at the close of more than a
century Of Independent existence. In a
mesh of contradictions with our past.
That we woull be compelled to abandon
our distinctive National tenets and accept
in their place the old time European tcnets
and policies. which we supposed the world,
actuated largely by our example. was about
| forever to discard!