The times., 1899-03-06
MONDAY, MARCH c. 1s99.
: Voice From the Mire.

The Omaha World-Heraid.' which has
loyalty followed Mr.. Bryan into the anti
expansion swamp, finds fault with The
Times statement that Washington was an
cXpansionist The World Herald seems
10 think that we are in blundering ignor-
ance OF the motives of the father of his
country" Ii we are, let US not blunder
any longer. but consider the World Her
aids" arguments and come at once to the
light.
In the first place, the Nebraska paper
explains:
All The territory which Washington sought to
gather under one government contiguous
territory. II did not contemplate the acquisition
OF remote and detached territory.
We were already aware of this fact. but
il had not occurred to US as an argument
against expansion. If there is any philos-
opher in or out of politics who thinks that
Washington could have gathered in any
territory that was not contiguous" if he
had wanted to, let that man be heard from
without delay. When Washington shaped
the destinies Of our infant Republic it was
all that he could do 10 keep the thirteen
colonies under the sheltering wings of the
Eagle and make them feel that they be-
longed TO one family. There was still some
question whether in time the New England
States might not separate themselves from
their Southern neighbors. II Washington
had wasted any time in thinking about the
Rocky Mountains at that stage of the coun-
trys progress he would not have been a
statesman; he would have been fool.
Such an attempt at that time would have
meant other wars on short notice. with
powers far greater than the United States
Still, even under these circumstances. the
far-seeing mind of Washington appre-
hended that some day the country would
outgrow its first boundaries: and he eau
toned the people against too great haste
TO mix in the affairs of the world at large
even as a father in sending his small son
10 school might warn him not to pick a
quarrel with boys twice his size lest he
repent
The World Herald" next remarks that
the purchase of Alaska will not serve as a
precedent for ''imperialists" 1t does not.
No one has yet seen reason to regret the
purchase of the big peninsula. and there is
no way in which it can ever be a source OF
trouble TO us: on the other hand. il has not
as yet been of much benefit. Alaska may
perhaps be called an argument for expan-
sion, but not a very strong one.
Then our critic says-and this is truly
surprising:
Patriotic men have dreamed OF The time wlicr
iho uitcd States 81 America would embrace all
Tie tcTIijcry in the continent oi North America
made by the choice of the people thereof
llit!e liy httle, comparatively speaking, the Re
public lla- been reaching out in this direction
'liat would he expansion Washington under
stood and practiced expansion.
Does the .'WorId-Herald" seriously mean
to advocate our going to war to annex
Mexico and Central America, and in course
of time the South American Republics
That would be imperialism with ven
seance, but il would be an unpleasant and
not very profitable job.
The renl kernel in the nut whose shell is
breaking the Nebraskan's teeth is this:
Conditions have changed since Washing
toms time, and although it would have
been absurd for the United States, a hun
dred years ago. TO dream of annexing
Hawaii, Porto Rico and the Philippines, il
u uON Perfectly ldtuIdI ana inevitable.
In his time geographical distances counted
- for everything; in our day place is far
away only if It is difficult Of access. Thus
il has come to pass that Hawaii which
may be easily reached by sea. is really
nearer to us than western Ohio was 10
Washington and Jefferson. 1t does not
take as long to go from San Francisco 10
Manila by water as it took to 20 from New
York to San Francisco only fifty years ago
"A generation after washingtons death.
When man is only a few days journey
from ms he becomes our neighbor; when
his home is only 10 be reached by months
of toilsome and perhaps perilous travel he
must remain stranger.
II Washington were alive now he might
think it a little odd that we should care
TO own the Aleutian Islands but he would
Immediately see that since a fortuitous
combination Of circumstances made it pos
sibie for US TO possess the Philippines, IT
is impossible that they should be given up.
He would not be an old fogy now. any
more than he was in 1898.