Washington sentinel., 1900-02-17
H,stor, Repeating ITSELF.

as Anti ExpanSionists," Mr.. AL
bert Watkins asserts that it is far
from the part OF wisdom to calcu'
late or contend that opposition to
the annexation or permanent con-
troll of an isolated archipelago
6,ooo miles from our nearest bor-
der will injure the standing or
prospects OF any political party or
it's lea ders. Neither, he maintains,
will any attempt to iasten odium
upon them on that account be sue.
cessful or worth the danger OF the
undertaking.
The most benighted OF all
| prophets, in Mr.. Watkins opinion,
are those who predict disaster 70
the political organization which
denounces and opposes the Philip
pines policy of the Administration
on the ground that parties which
have opposed wars have always
suffered defeat by reason OF this
oppo sition. The denunciation OF
Democrats and Republicans be-
cause OF their antagonism OF the
war in the Philippines is paralleled
by the experiences OF the Wings
at the time of the Mexican war
The Wings were outspoken in their
denunciation of that war. The
treaty Of peace with Mexico was
not signed until February 2, IS48,
but at the Wing convention in
Boston on September 29, IS45
Daniel Webster said:
We are, IN my opinion, in a most
unnecessary and therefore unlustihable
war. l should deprecate any great
extension OF our dominions l do not
know how we can preserve the feeling
of a common country il we extend it to
California, or, for aught | know, to the
South Pole. / sppTehend that in
republican country you must have great
similarity Of character. l hope that the
principles Of liberty, as we have expert
enced them with so much advan-
tage, will spread all over the world but
| am not sure that IL is best for everybody
to receive our reforms, nor am desirous
to impose our forms on any people by
force. l say at once that unless the
President of the United States shall
make out case that the war is prose-
cuted for no purpose of acquisition of
dominion, for no purpose not directly
connected with the fetY OF the Union,
then the Wings ought not TO grant any
further supplies.
Henry Clay was equally en-
phatic in his denunciation Of the
Mexican war. Mr.. Watkins points
out that he emerged from political
retirement in IS47 to make a
speech at Lexington, KY, against
the war. The resolutions drawn
by Clay and adopted by the meet
ing declared that the war had been
brought on by deceit and unright-
eousness. and that Congress ought
to control the President in his
prosecution oft. The resolutions
also declared against any acquisi-
ton OF territory as an object OF the
war. In the TweDty-ninth Con-
gress the Democratic or Admins
tration party had majority in the
House OF Representatives. This
was reversed after the beginning
of the war, and the Wings elected
IIS members OF the House, while
the Democrats had only ITO. A
resolution was PASSED by the
Whig majority that the war had
been Unnecessarily and uncon-
stitutionally begun by the Presi-
dent Of the United States"
The Wing State Convention oi
New Hampshire on November 6,
1s47, asserted it's right to criticise
the Administration in the following
resolution: "As citizens OF free
country, we claim and shall exer-
else the right at all times Of ex-
pressing our opinions of the acts
whether of the State or National
Administration, and whether these
acts relate to war or peace. And
we regard the attempt of the Pres
ident oi the United States IN his
last message to brand as traitors
all citizens of the Republic who do
not yield a blind obedience to his
will and approve his conduct in the
unconstitution i commencement
of the present war with Mexico as
an insult to treemen."
All OF this has a familiar souno
in view OF what is being done So
years later, when the Administra-
tion is waging war of conquest in
the Philippines the object Of which
is territorial aggrandizement. The
President has more than once
sought to make it appear that all
opposition to his policy is unpatri-
otic and those who do not uphold
his Administration are against
the flag" A few days ago a Sen.
ator denounced another Senator
as "traitor," while, as a general
rule, imperialist orators and press