The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-07-21
SETTING, Up TNRA\rS.

| France has shown the world how Il
! government uses colonies 10 keep the
! publ" mind busy and the public temper
! quiet Al&icFS. Tunquin and MadagiS
car have each served the purpose many
! times. Dissatisfaction with government,
| policies has been stiilrd 10y II timely
forced demand upon national pride. An
expedition. reports Of battles and parlia-
in"niary @iuriucatior over The march of
The ilag To wider frontiers have an
Swrred the purprS,. of q InoIurntary "N
aiIaii"n OF public opinion while The in-
i'r"st i'll reforms at home has time 10
| exhaust itself AMI Die. out.
In most c:t>'S, possibly. This mudr Of
guiding III" popular Impulse in France
has been useful 10 lhH nation. Grant
that much. just as We grant thai Il wise
despntSn might hr the best government
II Il desputi>m's wisdom could he de-
pended upon. The question j. Whet h"r
We in America desire To h- played with
by Il centralized government. Colonies
destitute of the rights of nlanh0od. con-
'F"iird 10y q home government without
constitutional limitations differing from
the sovereign rarr in customs and
Thought, art. readily converted into nests
of disturbance. Th, persons. always
ambitious uf office aud power. who
POSSESS the home government will GER
iaIniy Use this ready instrument To l,lrc
aside or crush ont criticism uf home
affairs
When the American Government he
COMES an unchecked Iyrant in distant
Eih'lS and among alien peoples. The citi
ZenS of America will become the plav-
things of ambitious and cunning lead
ers. IL would soon be- almost impossible
To- force Il reform in domestic affairs
Tor example. in the trusts. i'm the tariff,
In IN" currency or in Federal eNpnndi-
lures against the will of che guvrrIi-
Ing clique or the governing class.
Americans have been free and have
HELD their central government in their
hands because they have. MOI l.-rn ..u-
tangled in foreign alliances and have.
not bur'lened themselves with The
troubled maStership of di>tau. races,
They have concentrated their political
Intelligence upon the problems arising
from their domestic progress
They cannot abandon their princinlc>.
change the foundations al their system
and place military rnnqu.st> above. i'll
ternal justice without paying the penal
~ OF becoming the creatures Of th,
StT'IS governing class which they seal
hFmly in power by the very act Of
change. They will ,caS,. 80 command
and learn the Servii. lesson of oh.di
"nc". They viii begin 20 tr-mhle AT 1h,.
thought of crilicising government and
acquire the habit of facilr turning from
one little diversion to another Is bosses
pull the strings.
The common people cannot gain any
thing from Imperialism. Ii there is
gain at all. ii will be- for "a few syndi-
Gates. AT the very best there, is nothing
for the masses hut the foolish ;h.urLt
that they are in some way partners in
glory. conquest and tyranny. There IS
abundant iu>s-loss OF respect for the
doctrine that all rn-n arr. eI,Iai un,i,r
the iaw. loss of liberty. boss of th, bower
poor men possess a. sovereign voters.
loss of fire." speech. loss of interest in
tie peoples own WRONGS and boss If
ability 10 help themselves.
Imperialism il an issu. upon which
the common people cauno1 wait civ.
IL the Endorsement of popular approval ,
in 1900 and it Will not soun b.. c,irb,tI. !
No man can See how the people. OF the /
niIed States can Restore their system
OF government if they deliberately !
throw 1T AWAY when the question is i,
squar"ly put.