The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1900-03-08
THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 1900.
There Can Be No Imperialism.


1T. So that there is universal abhor-
renee for it and unanimous opposition
to it. Our only difference is that those
who do not agree with us have no con-
3dence in the virtue or capacity or high
purpose or good faith of this free peo-
pie as civilizing agency, while we be-
.aieve that the century of free govern
ment which the Americans have en-
joYed has not rendered them fa1thless
or irresolute, but has fitted them for
the great task of lifting up and assist
ing to better conditions those people OF
distant countries who, through the for
tunes of battle, became our wards. x g
The 1iberatOrS will never become the
s8DDressors. A self-gOverned people
will never permit despotism in any
government which they foster and de-
fend. -President Mckinley at the Ohio
dinner in New York.
In these words of simple common
sense the President has gone right to
the heart of the whole matter. Hehas
land bare the silly pretense upon which
the 1uminaries of Democracy are de-
pending 10 fool the people into confid-
ing the reins of government into their
hands. He has laid his finger upon the
line of cleavage between those who are
endeavoring to perform "the task of
lifting up and assisting to better con-
ditions" the peoples for whom the
events of the last two years have made
us responsible, and those who are do
ing eli in their power to hamper the
fE1611ulent of this task and to befog
the conscience of the nation. On the
one side are "those who have faith in
the republic and on the other are
these who, day in and day out, brand
their fellow-countrymen directly or by
necessary implication, as devoid of ali
VIRTUE or capacity, or high purpose
and good faith,'' nation of misers
and hypocrites, who would out-Spain
Spain in the exploitation of those
'wEf1om Providence had committed to
theig charge.
There can be no question to which
side the nation will incline. No
amount of sonorous rhetoric can make
1T forget that the war with Spain was
OF its own making; that it was by
Democratic as we'll as by Republican
votes that war was declared, and that
when President Mckinley was trying
10 restrain the nation in the vain hope !
OF finding a peaceful solution of the
it was the Democratic e1e-
rnent'i n Congress that cried out loud
est against delay. No amount of clap
trap can obscure the fact that the
treaty of peace by which the nation
became responsible for the Philippines
was ratified by Democratic votes, and
Ceuld not have been ratified without
them. The people know that it was
uot of intent, but only because of the
of war that the Philippines
fell into their keeping. They know
that Dewey could not have avoided
the destruction of Spain's power
all the consequences. They know
that by all the laws of human
itE and righteousness, Spain's
psmer having been destroyed the
maintenance of order and authority
v-as imposed upon their government,
S7zsd that there has not been a moment
a5nce then when those islands could
have beer abandoned without the GER
taiuty of anarchy or d tyranny tenfo1d /
ElzG gre dire than that of Spain. They |
zosaow that if it were merely question
OF commercial advantage they would
a3t2t tolerate the retention of the islands
for a single day. They know that they
are capable of giving to the innabit-
as2ts a stable, orderly government and |
able to impart to them some of the
blessings which they themselves enjoy |
and that in the performance of task
which opportunity has made duty
they will err, if they err at all, on the
side of granting too much rather than
500 little freedom. They have, in short, |
faith in themselves and faith in the
republic, are not to be frightened by
talk of imperialism or any other mean
1ngIess phrase, and will make short
shrift of those who question either
their purposes or their capacity.
Nor will the attempt to make capital
@gs9 of the Republican claim that the
constitution does not limit the powers
of congress to frame such laws as will
best conduce to the welfare of the
islands serve to cozen them. They
Know that congress would not dare to
decay to the islands single privilege
or immunity that the constitution
guarantees, and that if it were denied
4he wrong would soon be righted at the
polls. When it is generally under
stood that the Democratic doctrine
means the extension to the Phillip
pines of a tariff law, bankruptcy law,
and certain other institutions which,
however admirable thew NAV he for