Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1900-08-10
THE INHERITANCE OF OUR BOYS.

mADON ". hLLh1,
THOMAS A. POFFENBERGER
THE INHERITANCE OF OUR BOYS.
This lie the centennial anniversary year Of
the first election of Thomas jefferson as
President Of the United States BY sin.
lister coincidence 1t Is the first Presidential
year in which the paramount issue is
whether the American people shall make
. radical departure from the principles of
the Declaration Of Independence and Of the
Constitution framed by the fathers of the
Republic.
This is the paramount ISSUE with or with
CARELESS Of the prominence given to it in
one Of the leading party platforms and de.
MED 10 II 10 the other. The paramount
character Of an issue Is not determined by
The greatest Issue in any national election
Is not created by the fiat Of political mana
gers; 1t is settled by the intrinsic value OF
the issue itself. Whether the people OF this
SOuhhJ noot OOBhu VIC uO" SChsuhy WIN
fundamentally new national policy, i'm
perial instead of republican 10 principle,
European instead Of American in its aims
and methods, 10 q question larger and more
vital to them than any other that can be
presented. Hence it is rightly called "the
paramount issue"
II must not be overlooked that the popu.
lar decision of this question next Novem-
Der 10 not more momentous for us than for
our posterlty. Our children and our chill.
dren's children will rejoice or lament be-
cause of that decision. The imperial policy
is one whose consequences, once they are
invoked, will have TO be borne by succeed.
ing generations. II by their ballots this
year the people indorse the Mckinley pol.
icies we are not merely irrevocably com
United ourselves to the new principles that
governments derive their just powers from
superior armed force; that alien Asiatic
peoples may be irst bought and subjugated
and then held under our flag as subject col
onies and dependencies, to be ruled as Brit.
ain rules India and South Africa, as Ger
many rules Alsace and Lorraine, as France
rules Algiers and Madagascar or as Russia
rules Poland and Finland. 10 committing
ourselves 10 such principles and policies we
cannot avoid committing the rising and fu-
ture generations 10 them also.
There are some national rs there are some
individual errors and follies which, being
recognized and repented OF, may be aban-
doned and their consequences repaired
But no nation has ever deliberately adopted
the imperial policy and entered upon q
course Of foreign adventure, conquest, colo
NAL expansion and that spurious "commer.
cial enterprise" which has armies and navies
for its advance agents and huge war debts
for its accompaniment and been able TO turn
back. There have been statesmen in Eng
land since Pitts time-Gladstone was one
OF them-who would have liked TO turn
their country back from the policy OF mill
tary and naval aggression, by which its EN-
pire building has been carried on from the
days Of Wellington aud Nelson TO the pres
ent time. But the currents of habit, of ira
dition, of apparent trade interests, and
above ell, of the insatiate appetite of the ma
ton for power and glory, were too strong
for them. They were all compelled TO &c
with the stream, so that no English states
man can now get hearing who pleads fol
the abandonment Of q foreign policy thai
keeps the nation In a state Of almost per
petual war, with its never-ending sacrifice
of life and treasure.
Nor can we expect to be exempt from th,
operation OF the same law Ii we choos,
in November next to ratify the Philippine
war and commit ourselves TO the pursuit o.
territorial end commercial ambitions 10 th,
East by armed force no man living is wis'
enough to say 10 what part Of Asia, Airicl
or Europe the rising generation OF Amer
leans may not be summoned by the tens o
thousands to fight and die for the flag which
the fathers of the Republic dedicated to peac,
and Friendship with all nations, entanglinI
cost. II will be useless for our children wheI
they come of age TO do 90. II we COMM
them to the pathway Of "Destiny and Duty
marked out by Mr. Mckinley they will b
bound, by the same motives Of pride, pug
nacity, unwillingness to retreat and CON
mercial greed which keep England chslneC
to the rock Of colonial empire building, Il
continue 10 IT, II we, obeying the counsel
Of ell the great founders Of our Government
bequeath to them country Of continenta
limitations, with the two great oceans for II
frontiers, IL will be for them, as Il has bee
for us, impFegnsble against all possible al
lacks. But II we are lured on by the de
Iuslve dream Of colonial empire 10 Asia b
keep our flag permanently In the Philip
pines we shall bequeath to them a countr
liable 70 be involved in q ssnguinary an,
costly war At any moment whenever fol
eign power or q combination Of loreig
powers choose 10 open hre on Manila. The
will not need to come TO our shores To d.
liver their attacks They will be able ;
make war upon our posterity 81 long rang
and compel them TO go out aud meet thei
enemies with armies and navies on battle
grounds OF the latteT's choosing.
In every American home where there Ut
boys growing up these things are now to b
seriously considered Ten or fifteen year
hence the boys whom fathers and mother
ere now bringing up with such tender car,
and fond hope will be called for by the re
cruiting stations-or il may be the drafting
boo,hs-to be sent to tropical lands, 1t may
be 10 China or India, there 10 suffer and die
OF wounds or disease or at best TO return
home with health shattered and lives short.