Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1900-08-23
Cry of Imperialism Old.

spans less than one and one quarter
centuries, yet question seldom enters
political campaign nowadays but that
it has heretofore appeared in some
form within our country's political his
tory, many times. This is true as to
the cry of Imperialism.
Patrick Henry was about the first
great "anti-imperialist" in the sense
that term is now used. After being of
such superb aid to the cause of freedom
after the heroes won he became a pes
simist and thought he could see a ten
dency among the leaders to create a
monarchy. He therefore opposed the
adoption of the constitution and sadly
clouded his former glory. Washington
was accused of favoring a too strong
central government, and some of his
enemies charged him with desiring to
be king. Later many of our presidents
have been .accused of Imperialism under
some form or another. John Adams
was charged with being a sort of royal
ist. James X. Polk was condemned by
many as being led by manifest des-
tiny" to positions threatening the ex-
istence of the republic. During the
war for the preservation of the Union
charges were almost constantly being
made against Lincoln and his chief
officials that they were subverting the
republic. Stanton was condemned as
a dictator, Seward was said to be a
monarchist and Lincoln was accused
of trying to obtain the reins of govern
ment entirely in his hands so he could
overturn the republic and become en-
peror. The great generals by turn,
Halleck, Sherman, Grant, were each
said to be ambitious to wear an imper-
ial crown. Especially in the second
campaign against Lincoln was the cry
intensified. 1t was made not by so
called copperheads only but generally
by the democratic.party. We give the
following extracts from the Indianap-
oils Qnd.) Sentinel, leading demo-
cratic paper, published during the fall
of 1864. They were republished
recently by the Chicago Times
Herald:
"Shall we profit by the teachings of
history, and even by our own exper-
fence, or continue policy that must
end in the overthrow of one of the best
governments that the world ever saw,
and of civil liberty? = Have
not the people daily evidence that
Abraham Lincoln is assuming the pow
er-the despotic power-to enable him
to pay his debts and replenish his over
drawn Golfers exhausted by extrava-
gance and ambitious strife for power?"
Here is another editorial from the
Indianapolis Sentinel, published few
days before election of that year:
Should Mr.. Lincoln be reelected
the revolution will be accomplished
This will be no longer republic of
the United States, but q consolidated
empire. Every safeguard must soon
er or later give way. The limitations
of the executive power will not be in
the constitution, but in the pleasure of
the president. We implore
patriotic and intelligent men to pause
and reflect and give their verdict on
Tuesday next. If the people will not
save their priceless constitution and
union, it is lost"
That is the way the democratic party
regarded the great Lincoln when he
was making his heroic struggle. Many
who are now living are witness to these
facts.
We we'll remember that when Grant
was running for his second term, in
1872, that his political opponents ac-
cused him Of wanting to be king. We
well remember the awful forebodings
of some of them when they said they
thought if Grant was reelected that in
twenty years this country would be
changed into an empire and Grant
would be the emperor.
Thus many times in our brief nation
al history have the dangers of the loss
of our liberties and the destruction of
our constitutional government been
Haunted in the faces of our voters,
and nearly always for PARTISAN pur-
poses only. Designing men and dem
agogues have used it as scare crow
to brighten the imaginations of the cred
ulous, in the hope of stampeding the
crowd to the support of their party.
1t is not given to mortal man to pen
citrate the future very far, but any one
who knows the history of the American
people and who knows their sentiments,
must know that We are in no more
danger of losing our liberties and our
constitution than We are of losing our
right minds. He who says our institu-
tons and our liberties are at stake and
will be lost if Mckinley is.elected, or
will even be endangered, is either
ignorant or is trying to deceive his
fellow citizens for party purposes. We
all know too that in this country upon
public opinion rests every cause and
none can go forward to success without
its support. We all know too that the
love of monarchy, and empires, and
imperial crowns and such things have
no place either in our laws or in our
opinions, but that from the first our
people have been unalterably opposed