Rocky Ford enterprise., 1899-07-13
BELL ON IMPERIALISM
HE. OPPOSES 1T ABSOLUTELY
The Congressman From the Second Dis
trie: Speaks His Mind This Impor-
tant Subject.

Boulder Colo, July 1O.-Congress-
man John G. Bell to-day ut 2:3O p. m.
discussed the question, should the
United States Adopt the Colonial Poll
cy Of Great Britain" He said in part:
''The query may be logically para
phrased into the interrogatory, Shall
we abandon the teachings and results
OF the great western republic for more
than a century and return to the gov
ernment from which the Pilgrim faith
ers ted:' The Pilgrim fathers did not
flee from the mother country, but from
her unnatural and unjust laws. The
mother country maintained aristoc-
racy; the new government elevated
the masses. The old government as
sumed to make the individual; the new
one taught that the individual makes
the government. The old placed titles
above men; the new taught the eQuali-
ty Of men and that men are superior to
property.
EARLY in, the life of n nation the
moral sentiment of the people governs
and writes the laws. Later, the prop
erty and commercial spirit supplants
| the moral forces. While men enforce
the laws for the government, the liber-
ties or the people are safe. but when
property writes the laws national de-
cay is at hand
I'VE have had our age of freedom,
our age of glory and are now reveling
IN our age of wealth. vice and corrup-
ton, and it depends on the moral
I stamina of this great race whether we
snail pcrpetuate the salutary princi-
pies of the republic or not.
'As result of the fortunes of war
we are now on pinnacle where we
must either take the West Indies and
tne fhiiippines or permit the inhabi-
tants to. govern themselves They
can't be turned back to Spain, but we
ought not to corct the power to con-
troll the destiny of an alien race against
It's consent. If annexing them insures
benefit to the American people, but is
injurious to the colonies. then we
should not annex them. for cardinal
doctrine of our constitution Is that all
Just government Is maintained only
by the consent Of the governed. But If
annexation Is injurious to THE masses
OF the American people, then charity
begins Mt home 49,
Rome. Spain and England main
tanned theit ,col0pies not primarily for
the benefit of the mother. country, but
to give positions and riches to their
favorites s ~. "a. S-s.seI
we do not need territory. If thc
hundreds of millions of acres owned
by the government in arid regions could
De reclaimed by irrigation they would
make ideal homes for our people. We
couiu take the expenses OF experiment
Ing With these colonies for the wear
1879 and accomplish this.
Our imprcgnable position has beon
!he envy of the world This would no
longer ne the case should we annex
tnese colonies. Lincoln said: This ma
Iion cannot stand half slave. half free
rms may be paraphrascd into This M
tion cannot thrive half American. half
Asiatic.' A'''
Jefferson and Washington believed
thls; ! am old-fashioncd enough to
cilhg to their doctrine. History gives
US me results of nations that have
tried to extend their power over other
races. II IA that Of failure.
Organized labor must see that ,
great danger threatens In the acuuisi
non OF cheap laborers from these is.
lands.
The Monroe doctrne-.Amcricn for
AmericanS'-is n part of the sacred nm.
written law of this land.
DO not the lynchings in the Soutb
day: ''' ~
"our people do not thrive in the
tropics. This has been proved.
""'.iSIhH ms ever cNfermfnat-
eu. rather than civilized other races
we have tried for centuries to cIvilize
the American Indians. and we have
ABOUT purified them and sent them to
mat bourne whence no traveller re-
turns lhis Is the way the Eiliplnos
Will be civilized
A., mere Is no disputlng the fact that
the powers desiring to possess this ter
ritory comprise the great syndicates.
VINO wish to build railroads. develop
mines and invade the great timber
heids' but no kind OF sympathy with
nettering the condition of the natives
rms Is morally wrong to the natives
ana an injury to the good name of the
masses OF the American people.
yes. haul up Old Glory-hut. COM
Iades; take heed that no man shall part
the old flag from the creed"