The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1899-08-05
IMPERIALISM DEFINED.
Views Of an Old Democrat Who De-
lieves In Extending Amer
lean Lines.

The Courier-Journal did say that the
idiosyncrasy of the last century was
liberty and that the idiosyncrasy of
the coming century will be markets.
But, surely, in this it did not imply
that freedom is to be sacrificed to COM
merce. 1t meant simply that the bat
tie for constitutional government
among people called civilized has been
fought and won; that fcudaAsm dead
and mankind measurably self-govcrn-
ing, liberty, in the sense that Mira
beau conceived it and Washington
fought for it, is not uppermost in the
worlds mind, but that overcrowded
populations and labor-saving machin-
cry have revolutiouized human condi-
tions, producing necessities that seek
their satisfaction in the undeveloped
regions of Asia and Africa and the
islands of the Pacific ocean. In this
connection we undertook to show how,
with Il short cut to the Pacific, the cot
ton states of the south occupy n geo.
graphic position of great advantage,
and, seeking to have them profit by
this, and that as speedily and as fully
as possible, we ventured to deprecate
the unconsidered cutlery against the
policy of national expansion, which, as
far as it relates to the Pacific, is but
another name for the development of
the south.
The Timcs-Democrat calls this the
Imperial idea" and says that we are
in love with it. If it be the idea that
led George Rogers Clark across the
forest and the prairie to find n new
home for liberty in the empire of kas-
kaskia if it be the idea that led Hous-
ton to raise the standard of freedom
and to erect dwelling for free men in
Texas; if it be the idea that led Pike
and Lewis and Clark and Fremont over
the Rocky mountains to enlarge the
boundaries of civilization in what was
then but is no longer the far west; nay,
il it be the idea that led Jefferson, with
out any authority of law, to put his
hand in the treasury, to abstract there
from S15,o00,O00 of the peoples hard
earned money, and to give this to the
tyrant Bonapartc for the Louisiana
territory, French, Spaniards, Creoles,
niggers, and what not, without saying
"by your leave" or blast your eyes"
or any other politencss-nor yet forget
ting Jacllson's performances in Florida
then we are afraid that we must adj
nit our esteemed contemporary dire
impeachment. Eccc signum! Except
for this later circumstance we had
wanted our esteemed contemporary S
company around the ample board OF
American journalism; and for that, at
least, let us be thankful and honor the
memory of jefferson!
But the Times-Democrat says that
all this is republicanism. 1t thinks that
because we follow in the footsteps OF
jefferson we are headed hell bent, OF
words to that effect, for the republican
party. Alas! these five and twenty
| years the Couricr-Journal has so Otter
! had to meet this accusation in its eff
forts to tell the people of the south
/ the plain, sober, oft-unpalatablc truth
! that we are used to it and do not much
! mind il. In the meantime, We would
/ have the democratic party-which, not
withstanding our esteemed contcm'
! porary's ungracious sally, is still tho
! Earty OF cur hopc-capture the policy
II expansion, and. having recovered
| possession of the government. it could
/ then regulate the future of the coun-
try at home and abroad upon Jctfer-
sonian lines. In casting itself across
the highway of that countrys and the
worlds progress it will, We fear, throw
away the substance of all power fol-
! good merely to grasp at the shadow oil
a barren ideality.-Louisyille Courier
! journal Dcm.).