Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1900-09-12
OF MADISON.
True and False Trade Expansion.

True and False Trade Expansion.
Every American is an expsnsionist
as far as the extension of our trade
with foreign countries is concerned.
But trade expansion by Legitimate
methods is quite different thing
from commercial development by
means of wars of conquest, territorial
ACKNOWLEDGMENT and the institution
of q colonial system based upon i'm
perial principles and practices, OBJ
serves the Baltimore Sun.
The export trade of the United
States has been steadily growing for
years and had reached large proper
tons before the war with Spain and
the acquisition of remote territory by
this country. Our manufacturers
and merchants, our farmers and
workingmen have not needed the aid
of the army and navy nor the pur-
chase or conquest of far-off islands to
supply a market for their products.
The surplus output of American
mills and factories and farms has
been in demand for years in Europe
and to some extent in the far East,
because of its superior quality.
In order to promote trade expan-
sion, it is not necessary for the Unit
ed States to acquire territory in the
Far East and to set up colonial sys-
tenn in the uttermost parts of the
world; to maintain an expensive army
of occupation in the islands so that
the prospective purchasers of our pro-
ducts may be kept in submission and
forced to buy goods from us. This
is Aspecies of imperialistic expansion,
which the republican party proposes
TO adopt for the development of our
commerce, for, despite the cant about
duty and destiny, our only purpose
in holding the Philippines is to make
what we can in the way of trade out
of the islands.
The course which we have adopted
in the Philippines is founded upon
the assumption that it is better to
shoot trade into our customers than
to secure their patronage by peaceful
methods. If, after the destruction
of the Spanish fleet, we had present
ed ourselves in the light of liberators
there would have been no war The
Filipinos would have had only a
friendly feeling toward Americans;
we could have acquired such terri
tory as we needed for naval stations,
with the control of Manila perhaps,
and have gained commercial advan-
tsges which would have been of the
greatest value to us. With Ameri-
can assistance and protection the
Filipinos could have set up their
own government and, as they are
an intelligent people, would doubtless
have administered their own affairs
efficiently and successfully. That
would have been the true expansion
policy.
The Administration, however, to
promote trade relations with the
Filipinos, has for 10 months been
waging war on the natives and en-
deavoring to impose American do
minion upon people bent upon en-
joying Independence the sacrifice of
thousands of precious American lives
and expenditure of hundreds of mil
lions of dollars.
The doctrine of expansion by force
and the principle of "might makes
right" lead directly to Imperialism,
the negation of every principle for
which the American Constitution
and the American system of free
government have stood for over
century. The problem must be SOL
we'd upon this basis, and if it is set
tied in favor of the present policy of
the administration the people will
have sanctioned the most radical de-
partue from the American theory of
government that has been attempted
since the creation of this Republic.
Galveston, Texas, was devastigated