The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-05-30
A FIGHT AGAINST GREED.

Speaking recently to a representative of
the New York World concerning his re-
cent remarkable speech on Cuba in the
senate, Senator Eugene Hale used this
very significant language:
81 have no idea that the president
desires this or is in the scheme to hold
Cuba, but a great many men are in it,
and 1t Will be difficult to get legis.a ton
in the direction of leaving the island of
Cuba to the people of Cuba, but for one
l am bent on bringing about such leg
Il should have felt the same way if
the Scandalous disclosures of corruption
had not appeared, and | am still more in
favor of 1t since their appearance. l am
afraid We have not got to the bottom of
them yet. By and by the same thing will
appear elseWhere-in Hawaii and in the
Philippines and wherever we undertake
the colonial experiment"
Senator Hale is a man who is recog-
nized as knowing what he talks about
He would not commit himself to knowl-
edge of conspiracy to keep the island
of Cuba as colonial possession unless
he was able to substantiate his state
ment. He knows the forces that are at
work, and he has simply set himself to
NND-~ NANASS~SiiA0
tunate circumstance for Senator Hale, as
well as for the Cuban people, that he is a
man of such exceptional ability and in
-fluence, for he has undertaken task
which will test all his resources.
The corruption already begotten of car
pet-bag .coIonialism is a necessary result.
There is not a politician that may. has
been, or may be sent to any Of these
new possessions who will not realize that
the animating purpose of the entire ma
tional policy of Imperialism is money
making; and. SO realizing, there is no
such man who will not set himself to a
like undertaking.
1t is folly to believe that men will
leave their homes in the United States
to reside an such climates as that of en-
ba, Hawaii, the Philippines or Porto
Rico, even temporarily, for the mere sake
of making a living. They will not do so.
They will go into such places however.
if they see a chance to make money.
And when they reach there they will
ordinarily be prepared to go to many ex
tremes rather than have their purpose
defeated or their expectations DESTROYED.
1t is against this spirit of sordid greed
which the opponents of imperialism have
to fight, and the fight must necessarily
remain an uphill one No mere Iegiti-
mate spirit of business energy animates
such persons. The men who are known
to be behind all the schemes of exp1oita-
ton that are coming to the surface in
these torrid regions are not recognized
business men who are seeking to engage
in legitimate business ventures. They are
the spectators and Adventures of bust
ness life, just as their camp followers
like Nicely and his companions, are the
spectators and Adventures of politics.
These are only some of the influences
which Senator Hale has to fight They
are influences which take no account of
the public will or the national honor.
They are the influences to which men
like Mark Hanna resort when it is neces-
sary to carry given state In the interest
OF Jobbery and corruption. And, unfor
tunately, too often such influences are
able to control the backing of legitimate
business men and business undertakings
when such backing can not be dispensed
with.