Amador ledger., 1900-09-14
EXPANDED AMERICA.
Imperialism, Militarism and the Monroe
Doctrine.

There has been a deal of din about
imperialism, but no anti-imperialist
OF note has yet ventured to define what
Mr.. Bryan's party means by the term.
Imperialism can mean one or other of
two things or both of them: that it is
the purpose of the Republican party to
enter upon national policy of world
aggression and expansion, the acquisi-
lions to be governed by, but not to be-
come part of, the United States; or it
may mean that the purpose of the Re-
publican party is to overthrow the re-
public and establish a monarchy on its
ruins; or it may mean that both of
these will result from Republican pol
ICY What is meant has not been de-
nned, for in order to make the needful
explanation it would be necessary to
cease, for moment, the Internal din
tnat Is being made to frighten voters
with bogy men of uncouth designs, and
IL Is no part of the Bryan policy to let
up on that din until the votes are all in.
However, those who have followed
this series of articles have clearly seen
that the United States has had more
than century of colonization, annexa-
ton, conquest, militarism and imperial
government without the consent of the
governed, and that it has COM through
1t all without becoming mona - ical in
any particular.
The reader has seen, too, that the
precedents established for this career of
expansion were established by Thomas
Jefferson, and that he borrowed our ter
ritorial system from the British system
of governing her colonial dependencies,
substituting the term territory" for
colony, " but making no essential modi.
fication of the system as borrowed.
1t may be observed in passing that
Great Britain's S career of expansion has
not reacted upon the home government
In the direction of an extension of the
royal prerogative, but on the contrary has
reacted in the direction of making the
home government more liberal and the
home people more free to participate in
governmental affairs until Great Britain
has now become, to all intents, repub-
lie with hereditary executive.
1t is not the policy of the Republican
party to enter upon an expansive sys-
tenn of colonization and conquest, and
such never at any time has been any
part of the policy of that party.
If an expanded commerce and a re-
habilitated merchant marine require
additional naval or coaling stations they
will doubtless be acquired as opportu-
nifty offers and because the highest in
terests of the American people demand
such safeguarding acquisitions, but
whatever territory has come to us, in
addition to these requirements, has come
as the fortuitous consequence of a war
that was entered upon by the Republi-
can administration with extreme reluc-
tance and in the shape of national
obligation that cannot honorably be re-
hnquished.
As for the monarchical tendencies of
Republicanism, such allegations are too
trivial to merit serious consideration.
The political party that wrested the re-
public from the custody Of a slave-hold-
ing oIgarchy and freed and enfranchised
four millions of slaves cannot reason
ably be charged with cherishing fond
ness for monarchical institutions
The hysterscal declamations that are
being delivered against that other bogy,
militarisrn, and Its fearsome attendant,
conscription, justifies the presumption
that the declaimers may at one time in
their history have felt called upon to
hurriedly join an exodus to Canada to
escape the draft. Along in the sixties
there were many, now among the cham
pions of Mr.. Bryan, who fled to Canada
In the firm conviction that it was better
to be a live coward than dead hero.
The Republican party never made a
war and conscription was only once re-
sorted to under its administration of
national affairs, and that was when
Democratic mismanagement and treach-
cry had put the nation in deadly peril
of its life. There will always be volun-
teers enough to fight all battles in any
wars not the result of treason at home
France maintains regular army of
one soldier to each 67 citizens, Germany
and Japan each one regular soldier to
each 100 in population, Russia one SOL
dier to each 125 people, Great Britain
one soldier in its regular army to each
las inhabitants, and the measure for
the reorganization of the army of the
United States favored by the Republi-
can administration provides for one SOL
dier for each 1000 citizens.
And this is the "yast standing army, "
the dread militarism about the proposed
existence of which the Bryan partisans
are striving to alright the people. One
soldier to each thousand citizens to pre-
serve order at home, on the frontier and
in all the outlying territories of our
expanded republicl
There does not live an American citi-
zen, male or female, infant or adult,
not afraid to step out of doors after
dark, whom the bogy of Republican
militarism can frighten after he has
learned the facts as here stated, and the
facts are as here stated.
xx
Mr.. Bryan has demanded that the
Monroe doctrine be extended to include
the Philippine islands and afford them
protection against European interfer.
ence, and he pledges himself, if elected
president, to convene Congress in ex
4raordinary session for that purpose.
Few people understand what the Mon.
roe doctrine signifies, and among the
few who do understand Mr.. Bryan can
not properly be included.
Lord George Canning suggested thi,