The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1899-09-02
IMPERIALISM DEFINED.
Views OF nm Old Democrat Who Re.
Iieves 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 feudaNsm dead
and mankind measurably self-govern-
ing, liberty, in the sense that Mira
beau conceived it and Washington
fought for it, is not uppermost in the
worlds mind, but that oyercrowded
populations and labor-saving machin-
cry have revolutionized human condi-
tons, 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 a short cut to the Pacific, the cot
ton states of the south occupy 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 Times-Democrat calls this the
imperial idea" and Gays 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 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,
if it be the idea that led Jefferson, with
out any authority of law, to put his
hand in the treasury, to abstract there
from $15,000,000 of the peoples hard
earned money, and to give this to the
tyrant Bonaparte for the Louisiana
territory, French, Spaniards, Creoles
niggers, and what not, without saying
"by your leave" or blast your eyes
or any other politeness-nor yet forget
ting Jackson's performances in Florida
then we are afraid that we must adj
| nit our esteemed contemporaries dire
impeachment. Ecce signum! Except
for this later circumstance we had
wanted our esteemed contemporary
company around the ample board Of
American journalism; and for that, al
least, let us be thankful and honor the
memory Of Jefferson!
But the Times-Democrat says thai
all this is republicanism. 1t thinks thai
because we follow in the footsteps o.
Jefferson we, are headed hell bent, OF
words to that effect, for the republican
party. Alas! these five and twenty
years the Courier-J ournal has so Otter
had to meet this accusation in its eff
forts to tell the people of the south
the plain, sober, oft-unpalatable truth
that we are used to it and do not mucl
mind it. In the meantime, we woulc
have the democratic party-which, not
withstanding our esteemed contem
porary's ungracious sally, is still the
party of our hope-capture the policy
of expansion, and, having recovered
possession of the government, it could
then regulate the future of the coun
try at home and abroad upon Jetfer.
sonian lines. In casting itself across
the highway of that country's and the
worlds progress it will, we fear, throw
away the substance of all power fol
good merely to grasp at the shadow Of
a barren ideality.-Louisville Courier.
Journal (Dem.).