The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-09-26

iiiIiiioVu we nave III last ONCrtINel
our destiny.
The Philippines were only the step
ping stone in the march. Our ships
must Outnumber our factories If we
would be respectable in the rompauy
we keep and our soldiers outnumber
our voters Il We would not have trou-
bic with our republican institutions.
The taxes are burdensOme, the civil
list eXtravagant. the pension list the
most liberal in the world.
Farmer and Worker Injured.
Our army is larger than ever; the
white squadron Is to be seen in every
sea, our flag in every zone. What have
we accomplished for our commerce?
We have added Porto Rico, Cuba, the
Philippine Islands, province or more
IN China, and If it was Russia that sue
cumbed In the conflict we will take
some Of her Siberian territory, or if it
was England we shall add islands in
Australasia, or If 1t was France we
shall take some Of her possessions, pref.
erably In Africa, and should Germany
be the unfortunate one We will despoil
her In the Pacific. This, then, is our
gain for commerce, for our surplus
wheat. cotton. oil. iron and steel and
their manufactures.
But the wheatticl1s of China and 81.
IBERIA are nearer than our great west
ern plains. and they are titled by Asiat-
ic labor, with whose low wages our
IL
ton fields Of China are white with Ash
attic staple. and the cotton of India is
nearer than that of America. and by
the law Of cheaper. products and
cheaper transportation keeps American
cotton out. When you have cut the
Nicaragua canal, Indian cotton is still
cheaper In your new possessions in
China than American.
"The coal and iron of China, deyel.
oped by European and American mon
ey and skill. are supplying the demand
for iron and steel i'm our new domain,
and Russian, Siberian, Sumatran and
Chinese oil is still in the hands of the
old or new Standard Oil company,
who finds it cheaper to plug up Amer-
can wells and supply China from Chi
nese and other nearby wells. And now
for the first time the American farmer.
the American miner and the American
factory hand learn that trade does not
follow the flag. but that capital does,
and leaves dear labor at home to pay
the tax as best it can to fly the flag in
q foreign land.
Where Ii the Imperialists
Where Is the imperialist now? He
has gone where he can practice impe.
rialism. where labor is cheap, raw ma.
terial abundant and men must work,
but shall not vote. The great valley of
the Mississippi Is listless and the plains
or the great west seem bare. But they
will reduce the acreage in wheat and
seed to the sugar beet. For what? To
compete with the contract cody labor
OF tropical Hawaii. Porto Rico, Cuba
and the Philippines. The south may
reduce her acreage Of cotton and sow
to tobacco. For what? TO compete
with Cuban and Philippine tobacco.
What. then. does the balance sheet
show? The total import and export
trade OF China for year does not ex.
ceed $25O.OOO.OO0. Now. if the United
States absorbed every dollar of this
commerce. driving every rival from her
market and every dollar of this trade
was profit. how does the account stand?
For the year 1901 recommended ap.
preparations for our army are $12S,OOO,-
600 and for our navy $75,OOO.OOO, a to-
TAI or S2O3.OOO.OOO, taking no account
OF pensions incident to the Spanish and
Philippine war. Add to this sum the
past cost Of the war. 2J0OOO,OOO, and
allow for the commerce of the Philip
pines and Porto Rico $3O, 100000, which
counts every dollar Of their trade as
profit. and the sheet is balanced against
us by $175.OO0.OOO.
The Old Way and the New.
But the army is to be permanently
increased. and the navy is to be built
to proportions commensurate with the
responsibilities Of our new obligations.
If you double the existing navy, which
will make us then only a fourth rate
naval power, you double at least the
present appropriation and double the
present army. and you at least double
the present appropriation to $4OO,OOO,-
600.
I'm other words. an army and navy
adequate for the requirements. with the
attendant increase OF pensions, civil
government and unforeseen expenses,
will add to the cost Of running this
government $5OO.00OOOO. Or twice what
1t cost us in 1897. before the war with
Spain. or twice us much as the aggre-
gate of all the commerce oc China, the
Philippines. Porto Rico and Hawaii if
every dollar Of their commerce was
with us to the exclusion Of every other
commercial power in the world and if
every dollar Of that commerce went in
to the pockets of American citizens as
profit.
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