The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1899-06-01
Humbuggery.

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publican leader has full hand which
he plays for all there is out, but accord
ing to Lincoln, you can fool some peo-
pie all the time, and all people some
times, but you can't fool all the people
all the time.
We are told there is no intention to
imperialize our government, when the
thing is actually going on. OF course
no one expects our republican govern
ment destroyed and the imperial sub
stituted by sudden and violent revolu-
ton such as France and Spain OCCASION
ally indulgein. The imperialists know
too much to attempt that with the
American people; they know they must
proceed gradually, and in such away
as that the people are not alarmed un-
til the thing is done and only an armed
revolution would undo it, For this
latter contingency the large standing
army must be built up and placed un-
der the immediate command of the
president, as he acts through the war
department. Perhaps nothing indi-
Gates our progress toward Imperialism
more clearly than the ignoring of
Miles, the actual head of the army, of
which the president by long republican
custom is only the nominal head.
Lincoln furnished the army with rein
forcements and supplies, and occasion
ally removed commanding generals,
but did not usurp their authority as
Mckinley haspersistently done through
the war department and strategy board
since first the Spanish war began.
This may be a small matter now, but at
some future time it might make all the
difference in the world whether the
army obeyed the president or the COM
manding general. 1t is a dangerous
concentration Of power in the executive
department which the imperialists and
some future president might use to per-
petuate himself in different form. Of
course the republican voter and one
horse politician have no such evil pur-
poses, but they know as little about the
workings of the inner chamber of the
republican temple as the man in the
moon, They simply obey orders, and
a more docile set we have not seen un-
less silver democrats again submit to
gold bug control. If silver demo
Gratis do that they may have the cake.
And we may readily conceive that Nc
Kinley has no such evil policy, for
perchance he has no policy at all, and
for that reason serves we'll in the hands
of imperialists as the transition stage
from republican to imperial govern
ment while the people are lulled into
false sense of security by his professed
Difference to public sentiment.
/ If republican government is based
on any thing it is on the consent of the
governed, any thing else is imperial
ism. If the executive department may
govern the Cuban, Porto Rican and
Filipino without consent and by force
of arms, why not this people? I'm
perialism toward other people revolu-
tionizes or imperializes our govern
ment which may turn on this people at
its leisure if backed by direct control
of large standing army. The claim
that this imperial government is best
for the Cuban and Filipino is wholly
aside the question, and may be
legltmately followed by the claim that
imperial government would be best for
us, Personally we are already con
vinced that an emperor governing in
the interests Of the whole people would
be preferable to a so-called republican
government by and in the interests Of
few small wealthy classes. But who
will undertake to insure that the en-
peror and his progeny would do this?
Hence we shall continue to insist that
we be not governed without our con
sent until it becomes Seze Magiste or
treason to insist on any thing.
But Humbuggery says the Cuban
and Filipino want us to govern them,
only they have not had a chance to
give formal consent; beside we must
govern them awhile so that they may
see how they like it as far as they've
got, and whether they want any more
of it. But, like we as to the emperor,
they would like some assurance to our
good behavior, and that we will let go
when they are tired. They have as
little disposition to lay down the arms
of their defense as we to lay down the
votes Of our defense. The claim that
the majority of these people want an
nexation, on our government in any
form, is simply buncombe. OF course
wealthy Cubans and Filipinos do. But
if you concede that these small classes
in Cuba and the Philippines may say
what government the people want the
same small classes in this country may
say, and our government is revolution
lied some more by knocking not only
black and brown trash, but "poor white
trash as well, plum out of the ring.
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Arrest
disease by the timely use of
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