Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-08-31


and both silver and gold were at q Pre-
MUM over greenbacks and bank notes. bur
the people could not afford to divide ovel
the money question in the presence of
greater issue. And so to-day we are en-
gagged in controversy which will de
termine whether we are to have re
public In which the government derives |
it's just powers from the consent OF the |
governed. or an empire in which bruts |
force Is the only recognized source OF
power.
In a government where the people rule
every wrong can be righted and every
evil remedfed. but when once the doc.
trine of self-government is impaired and
might is substituted for right, there Il |
no certainty that any question will be |
settled correctly.
1t is not strange that the populists
should oppose militarism and imperialism,
for both are antagonistfc to the princf- |
pies which pOpulists apply to other Ques.
tons. Looking at questions from the
standpoint of the producer of wealth.
rather than from the standpoint of the
SPECTATOR, the populist recognizes in mil
itarism a constant and increasing burden
The army worm which occasionally de
stroys field of wheat is not nearly Sc
dangerous an enemy to the farmer as a
large standing army, which invades every
field Of industry and exacts toll from
every crop.
If 100000 men are withdrawn from the
ranks of the producers and placed as a
main, 1t must mean longer hours, harder
work and greater sacrifices for those
who toll, and the farmer. while he pays
more than his share of the expenses OF
the army, has no part in any contracts
of developing companies, his sons are
less liable to fill the life positions In
the army than the sons of those who. by
reason of wealth or political prominence
exert influence at Washington.
At the present rate we spend annually
upon the army approximately half as
much as we spend for education in the
United States, and this immense sum is
wrung from the taxpayer by systems
Of taxatfonS which overburden the poor
man and under-tax the rich man.
In the presence of such an issue as
militarfsm it is impossible that any pop
ulist should hesitate as to his duty.
But even the menace of militarism Is
but a part Of the question of imperialism.
The policy contemplated by the republic
an party nullifies every principle set
forth in the declaration Of independence,
strikes a blow at popular government
and rObs the nation of it's moral pres
tige. Already the more advanced sup
porters of the colonial idea point to the
economy of system of government
which entrusts all powers to an execu-
tive and does away with the necessity for
legislation. The Army and Navy Journal.
in it's issue of August 4, commends the
English system and declares that as re-
suit of this system fifth Of the worlds
ton, is ruled with an administrative
economy which is administrative mar
vel, and adds:
Zone million, two hundred thousand
dollars spent in London is the price Of
administrative order over colonial rule
whose total budgets aggregated 81, 724,-
354, 896, or so per cent. more than our
total of federal, state, county and viii
lage expenditure for every possible pur-
pose for which taxes are paid. In con-
trast to the results of this system Of
executive administration, the fact is
cited that the American congress has
the tariff, the taxation, the adminiStra-
ton and the personal rights of two little
islands. The English executive is an
imperial executive. The British parliament
is an English legislature. To the same
system we are coming by the decress OF
circumstances as inevitable as that of
fate. If this be Imperialism make the
most of it. So far as citizenship is con-
cerned the British empire is one, but be-
yond the limits of the United Kingdom
the citizens live under a rule essentially
monarchical and not restricted by the
constitutional limitations of the parlia-
mentary system
Thus does imperialism bear out its
supporters backward turning toward the
dark ages. There is no middle ground be-
tween the American policy and the Eu-
ropean policy. If this nation remains
true to it's principles. its traditions and
enters upon a colonial career it must
repudiate the doctrine that governments
derive their just powers from the con-
sent of the governed.
Where the divine rights of kings is
recognized the monarch can grant differ
ent degrees of liberty to different sub
jects. The people OF England can be
ruled in one way. the people of Canada
other, while the people of India may be
governed according to still different
forms. But there can be no variance in
| a republic. The doctrine of republic
differs from the doctrine of a monarchy
as the. day differs from the night, and
between the two doctrines there is, and
ever must be, an irrepressible conflict.
Queen Victoria has recognized this nee.
| essary antagonism between the demo
Gratis and imperial form of government
In proroguing parliament a few days age
she said:
believing that the continued politica
| independence of the republics would be
a constant danger to the peace of South
Africa I authorize the annexation of the
| Orange Free State"
A republic is always menace to &
monarchy, just as tru;n is always a men
ace to error. Self-government, being the
natural government, must necessarily
| create dissatisfaction among the subjects
| of those governments which build upOT
| some other foundation than the consent
| of the governed. What the Orange Free
| State and Transvaal republics are te
| South Africa, our republic is to the world
and only our increasing strength and the
wide Atlantic have protected us from
| the inextinguishable hostility which must
| ever exist between those who support q
| throne and those who recognize the cit
izen as the sovereign.
| Every step taken toward imperialism
| by this nation meets with prompt an(
| effective encouragement from Europe
| Lincoln pointed to the interest which
| European powers have in the abandon
ment here of the doctrine of equal rights
He said:
1.-The principles of Jefferson are thu
definitions and axiomS of free society. Ant
i dxa<l