Marietta daily leader. (Marietta, Ohio) 1895-1906, 1900-09-09

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The Kansas City platform declares
that the paramount issue of the cam
paign is imperialism" What is "im-
perialism," so-called? What do the
creators of this fiction mean by it?
Imperialism is sovereign rule without
law. 1t is the government of people by
personal will Law comes to the peo-
Dle through their representatives.
Where law rules, Imperialism does not
and cannot exist.
The president of the United States
has no power and exercises none ex-
cept by virtue of law. When he exer-
cises the war power, he does it under
law. When he exercises the power to
suppress insurrection against the au-
thority of the United States, he does
it by command of law.
There Is No Imperialism.
Apply these fundamental truths to
the present situation in the Philip
pines. The president exercises no au-
thority there except by virtue of law.
The power urder which he is suppress
ing insurrecti,o is conferred ~ law.
lie power under which he establishes
military government, or creates tenn
porary civil authority pending the ac-
tion of congress, is conferred by law.
He would violate law if he did not use
his power to suppress insurrection.
That is, If he failed to do just what
he is doing now, he would set up his
own will against the command of law,
and to set up individual will without
law or against law, is/ Imperialism.
The very course proposed by those
who profess adherence of Imperialism
would itself be imperialism, while the
action which they condemn as imper-
ialism is itself obedience to law.
The existing conditions in the Phil
ippines will be changed when the in
surrection shall be fully suppressed
and when congress shall determine.
Congress did not pass law for the
government of the Philippines. as it
did for Porto Rico, because the Phil
ippines were not ripe for it. The in
surrection must first be suppressed
and the authority of the United States
fully recognized. Congress did not act
on the subject because the president
was exercising the war power, apd it
wanted him to continue exercising it
until its purpose was accomplished.
The very fact that congress did not
act was equivalent to a declaration
that the existing law under which the
president is proceeding is required for
this emergency and that the time had
not yet come for further law. Tho
essential fact is that every step which
the president has taken is in conform
ity with law. recognized and approved
by congress in session at the time;
and where law rules there can be no
such thing as Imperialism.
Former Experiencs In Expansion.
This lesson is confirmed and made
complete by review of our history.
We have had repeated expansions. We
have from time to time acquired new
territory and new peoples. In every
case our government has dealt with
the new territory and it's inhabitants
precisely as it is dealing with the
Philippines. We are now following
long line of precedents.
When Thomas Jefferson; the author
ofdhe Declaration of Independence and
the first Democratic president, made
the Louisiana purchase. he exercised
American authority exactly as Presi-
dent Mckinley has exercised it over
Porto Rico and the Philippines. Mr.
Jefferson and the congress of his day
provided a local government for Lou
isiana which represented American au-
thority. They created governor and
council. They appointed all the Off
GERS, and defined their duties. They
did all this wholly by virtue of the
national power, and without stopping
to ask the consent of the people over
whom this government was extended
The same course was repeated when
the Florida cession was made, and
1t has been repeated in every subse-
quent acquisition OF territory. Not
only have we extended the flag over
new peoples, but in many cases we
have, for reasons we deemed sufficient,
kept them in dependent position for
more than halfa century. New Mex
leo and Arizona came to us from the
Mexican war, but are still in terri
torial condition. Alaska was pur-
chased from Russia in 1867, and it was
only last winter when the law was
passed which gave it a substantial
civil government.
From the beginning of our govern
ment we have had Indian tribes with
In our domain. We have recognized
that they were not capable of the same
measure of self-government as our
own people, and we have kept them
In a separate and dependent position.
We have not allowed one Indian tribe
to rule over another, and have not per-
mitted them to establish confeder-
acy among themselves. We have held
that they were under our dominion,
and that it was our province to estab-