The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-08-30
THE CRUSADE AGAINST FREE
GOVERNMENT.

peflallSm ana mllltariSm will be the
basis of its strength instead of the
consent Of the governed and the
support of the people.
The editorial is so excellent that
we make room for it in full as fol-
lows:
Cone OF the arguments to which
imperialists attach great Importance
may be stated briefly as follows:
Every two years a new House OF Rep
resentative is elected by the people.
Every four years a President is
chosen. The political complexion of
the Senate can be changed within a
period of a few years. The govern
ment. therefore. is in the hands of the
people and is controlled by them. If
the people. after a fair trial of an inn
perial policy and large standing ar
my, should conclude that militarism
and imperialism menace their liber-
ties or endanger the national welfare
they should have no difficulty in over
turning the administration and elect
ing a Congress and President who
would restore constitutional govern
ment, reduce the standing army,
abandon imperialism and reassert
and re-establish the principles upon
which the Republic was founded.
The average imperialist processes
to believe that this is an unanswer-
able argument, put the weakness as
well as the danger Of this conten-
ton is palpable. What guarantee
have the people of the United States
| that the standing army which will be
4,I .iDl oil
| lev will not be used to perpetuate
| that policy and prevent a full and free
expression of the popular What the
polls? Some of the ablest and most
/ patriotic men in this country are con-
WINGED that the course which this gov
eminent has pursued in the Philip
pines is in violation of the constitu-
| ton 1t is significant that the gov
eminent has made no effort to secure
| a ruling from the Supreme court upon
the constitutionality of its policy in
| Porto Rico. I'm fact. an opportunity
which was recently afforded in the
case Of a Porto Rican detained at
| New York fer violation of the alien
contract labor law was deliberately
evaded. Ex-senator Edmunds. one of
the most distinguished of the Repub-
lean leaders, prOnounces the Presi-
ednt's use of the army in China with
out the sanction of Congress an un-
constitutional act in a good cause. In
view of the administration usurpa-
ton of power in carrying out its pol
| icy in the Philippines and in China.
what security have the people against
a similar usurpauon at home?
| lie it be assumed that the people,
trusting in their ability TO overthrow
any administration whose policy
might prove harmful, should vote for
the reelection of President McKIn-
ley and Republican Congress. I'm
rerialism is approved and the war of
conquest in the Philippines contin-
ues. IN July /, 1901, the army of the
United States, which now consists of
| 100000 men, must. under the act au-
thOrizing the increase, be reduced to
comparatively small force. Having
| a majority in both branches of Con-
gress. the Republicans can easily en-
act legislation creating another army
! of 100000 men or as many more as
| they can enlist. The Fifty-seventh
| Congress will not expire by limita-
ton until March A. 1903. or nearly
two years from the time the enlarged
army was created. But say the i'm
perialists. the Fifty-eighth Congress
can remedy any abuses which may be
authorized by the Fifty-seventh. Pos
sibly it might be able to do something
| if there were a free and fair expression
of the will of the people at the polls
in the election of that Congress. But
an administration which has done
many unconstitutional things already
and which would have at its command
a powerful army might be tempted
TO use force to prevent the election of
a House of Representative hostile to
its policy. 1t might be as easy for a
President so little averse to usurping
power as Mr.. Mckinley to send troops
to various points in the United States
to influence elections as it has been
| to land an army in China.
| Moreover, there are convincing
reasons for the belief that the Fifty
seventh Congress will, if it is Repub-
| lican. cut down the representation in
| Congress and in the electoral college
of the Democratic States of the South,
| while the representation of Republic
can States of the North and East will
| be increased. If the southern States
| lose Is or 20 members of the House
| of Representatives and an equal num-
| Der of electoral votes, while the Re-
publican States are given additional
| representation in the House and more
| electoral votes. the anti-imperialists
party will find it almost impossible
in the future to gain control of Con-
gress or to elect a President opposed
to imperialism. An administration
| possessing the increased patronage
which the imperial policy will place
at its disposition, backed by a stand
ing army as large as the imperial ma
iority in Congress desires to estab-
lish might so entrench itself in power
that it could not be overthrown with
4 out revolution. In 1876 the people
elected a Democratic President, but
| he was .ot allowed to assume office
The will of the people was thwarted
and there were grave apprehensions
then that if the Democratic party in
sisted upon securing the fruits of its
victory Republican President would
use the army to perpetuate Republi-
| can rule. With an imperialist Presi-
dent in the White House. a Republi-
can majority i'll Congress and a large
standing army ready to carry out the
orders Of the administration. the peo-
pie of the United States would have