Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1900-10-23
EX-GOVERNOR ALTGELD.

watered stock. They surely have a
full dinner pail. This trust question is
not partisan question; it is an Ameri-
can question.
What is imperialism The republi-
caus call it expansion. 1t is not expan-
sion. We have expanded several times;
and thus, at different periods of our
history, acquired Florida, Louisiana,
Texas, all the territory west OF the
Mississippi, and then Alaska. But in
all these cases the constitution has fol-
lowed the flag, the inhabitants Of the
new territory, in each case, have be-
come citizens of the United States, and
our flag has meant TO them liberty,
self-government, and everything it
means to citizen. The policy of the
present administration, as TO Porto
Rico, and the Philippines, is not that
old policy of expansion of the constitu :
ton, and declaration of independence.
1t is policy of colonization; of having
subjects. not citizens. 1t is policy be-
fore unknown here, since the revolu
ton; it is not an American policy; it is
an European policy. 1t is a policy full
of danger to republican government at
home. To maintain it will require a
large standing army. An army of
"a, 600 men was ample for us in time OF
peace. We are told that this is time
of peace; that insurrection in the Phil
ippines has been put down; yet we haye
an army of 100000, and we are told he
secretary of war has announced that he
will ask the next congress to increase
it to 10000 This is only the begin
ming. Our annual government outlay
now exceeds by S40O, 100000 what it
was before the Spanish war. There is
nothing to account for this increase ex-
ccpt the increase in our arn;r and navy.
We are told that we are doing Al. this
in order to get trade in the Orient. Our
net profits on trade with the Orient
can not amount to as much in a hun
dred years as this is now costing us in
one year. Besides we can have trade
with China and the Philippines without
large army and navy. Trade with
those countries is carried on upon the
''open door" policy, which means that
all nations trade there upon equal
terms, and so, to be successful in that
trade, will not depend upon large
armies and navies, for that trade will
go to the nation that can make the
goods most in demand there, and make
them the best, or sell them the cheap
est. 1t is, more likely, that American
syndicates and trusts are looking tow
ard China and the Philippine islands
for cheap labor wherewith to break the
back of American labor.
Every argument now urged in favor
of imperialism was urged by King
George against the revolutionary fore
fathers; and was urged by the slave
holders in support of slavery. Lincoln
was Il believer in all that the democrats
believe in n,today. He was an admirer
aud follower of Thomas Jefferson, the
father of the democratic party. In Lin
coins time the republican party was a
party of high moral ideas. Now its
party machinery is fully controlled by
the trusts. An example of this we have
in the Porto Rican tariff law. General
Miles issued proclamation to the Por-
to Ricans promising them American
citizenship. The President implicitly
approved of that proclamation, by a
message to Congress in which he de-
clared it to be "our plain duty" to give
the Porto Ricans free trade with the
United States A republican congress
man then prepared bill for free trade
with Porto Rico. No opposition -ap-
peared to it from either republicans or
democrats. AT this juncture trust mag
nate 0xnard hurried from New York
to Washington, seized republican con-
gress with one hand and a vascillating