Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-08-28

ting to the taking of nauseous dose
at one time does not imply that he
shall ever after continue taking the
same thing. took the 16 to dose in
1896: found it awful bitter and with
out healing efficacy and l am not go
ing to take it again. And the dose
compounded by Mr.. Bryan's doctors at
Kansas City and deceptively labeled
Anti Imperialism-it should have
been labeled national pusilanimity-
am not going to take at all. 1t is
even worse than 16 to l.
! What the Kansas City platform is
pleased to dub Imperialism is the same
old straw scare crow that was set up
by the New England federalists when
Jefferson purchased the Louisiana
country. Federalist orators pointed
to it and with long drawn, solemn Wis
ages, bewailed the speedy downfall of
the republic. Nevertheless Jefferson
took military possession and gave the
discontinued French and Spanish citi-
zens notice that he intended, by the
shedding of blood, if necessary, to en-
force obedience to the jurisdiction of
the United States government. Jeffer-
son simply asserted and maintained
our treaty rights in and to the newly
acquired territory without asking the
consent of the inhabitants therein.
And the federalist party at once went
into "inocuous desuetude," and the re-
public lived.
Before purchasing Florida Monroe
did not take a poll of the Spanish and
Seminole inhabitants to ascertain if
tbnV would nNnSnnt n 1ric Iiotin
He simply purchased from Spain and
then at once sent Jackson with the
army to take military possession, and
for quite while the government over
the new territory was military, more
arbitrary and relentless than our pres
ent rule over the Philippine Islands.
But the old scare crow of imperialism
was not exploited against Monroe be-
cause at that time practically all the
people being Jeffersonian democrats,
there was no party to rear and eX-
plot it.
But, when it was proposed to admit
Texas to the Union, and it was known
that the admission would bring on war
with Mexico, the old Wing party
brought the old scarecrow from it's
hiding place, touched it with addition
al hideousness and again set it up to
public gaze. The most eloquent men
this or any other country ever had, ell
oquently acclaimed blood-curdling
prognostications of calamities to come
should the hideous monster not at
once be annihilated. But Polk and a
democratic congress were elected
Texas was admitted-we whipped
Mexico in the war that followed, and
in the treaty of peace closing the war,
demanded and received from her with
out the consent of it's inhabitants, the
vast stretch of California country, and
took military possession. And the re-
public still lives. But the whig party
soon followed the federal party into
''inocuous desuetude."
Where is the American who will say
that the purchase of the Louisiana
country, the purchase of Florida, the
admission of Texas, and the annexa-
ton of the California country have not
redounded to the greatness of the re-
public, to the extension of liberty and
the lasting good of mankind? There
expansion did not endanger liberty;
they enlarged her scope and added to
her prowess.
Not an argument has been advanced
by Col Bryan or his co-laborers
against our holding on to permanent
jurisdiction over the Philippines and
our temporary military will over them.
But that was hurled at Mr.. Jefferson
and Mr.. Polk with greater force in
logic and defamation than Col. Bryan
has capacity for.
Territorial expansion, until Col ry-
an and crowd of noisy populists got
control of the machine of the democra-
tic party was the party's proud boast
and has been it's longtime policy.
Jefferson not only purchased the
Louisiana country but in his declin-
ing years favored the acquisition of
Cuba; Polk not only admitted Texas
and annexed the California country,
but tried to buy Cuba. In 1858 Mr..
Marcy, secretary of state for Presi-
dent Pierce, notified England and
France that neither of them nor any
other European power could be allow
ed to control the Hawaiian islands, be-
cause it was inevitable that they must
come under the control of the United
States.
On February -, 1S43, on the subject
VI IeIIiIOIldl ehpduSlOl, GeuoEdl JACK
son said in letter to friend: con
such subject ! thought with the an
cient Romans, that it was right never
to cede any land or boundary, but al
ways to add to it by honorable treaty,
thus extending the area of the repub-
lic."
Stephen A. Douglass was the great
est forensic exposition of democracy
that ever lived. In one of his de-
bates with Lincoln, speaking of his
country, he said: st swarms as Of
ten as hive of bees. and as new
swarms are turned out each year,
there must be hives in which they
can gather and make their honey.
tell you increase and multiply and OK
pand is the law of this nations ex-
istence. You cannot limit that great
republic by mere boundary lines, say
ing. Thus far shalt thou go and no
further Just so far as our interests
require additional territory, in the
north, in the south or on the islands
of the ocean, am for it"
Gentlemen, the whole tenor of Mr..
Bryan's recent speech at Indianapolis
-. Il = II