The Goodland republic. [volume] (Goodland, Kan.) 1891-1907, 1900-01-05
PERILS OF EXPANSION.
It Is the Work Of EatsriaIisn, lEammouism,
Capitalism and Speculation.
Arthur n. Wheeler, Professor Of History
in Yale University, says the United
States Has No Rights In the
Philippine Islands.

Lh4AlA-A AA1GAGLa ANGa LQEA " QLllaI
am an expansionist, one Of what /
call the common-sense sort. I believe /
in the kind Of expansion the United
States has had. It has been our pol /
icy to occupy uninhabited territory.
We have grown by accretiOn, not by
annexation. The only exception to
this was the raid on Mexico, and the
Onus for that affair is commonly laid
at the door Of the slave barons be-
cause they wished to extend their
power.
There is q wide difference between
our traditional expansion and that in
vOlved in the Philippine question. I
can see no analogy between the two.
OF course, something depends on
the motive. We declared our motive
to be humanitarianism, at the begin
ing Of our raid on Spain. We have
now left that platform out OF sight.
We justify ourselves by saying that
circumstances have changed That ar
gument viii justify anything.
We have taken Cuba from Spain,
anu ~ SOY G-laG &c Bic ElALk " l4hEAE
that island independent. We are not
going to do anything Of the kind. Our
records covering three-quarters Of
century are full Of instance similar to
this case. Cuba, having been severed
from Spain, viii fall into our hands.
Cuba will never be independent, but
will be incorporated into the United
States in some form or other.
In acquiring Cuba We have a prob
lem before Us which is very similar to
that we had in the negro question.
The gist Of the Spanish trouble in
Cuba is exactly that Of the whites in
the south. do not doubt that today
the whites in the south would slaghter
every man, woman and child rather
than submit to negro domination. In
taking the place Of Spain in Cuba, We
fill the position formerly held in the
south By the slave barOns.
anticipate a riot of materialism, Of
mamomism, of capitalism and speeu-
lation in Cuba and Porto Rico. If We
take Cuba and Porto Rico we must
govern them despOtically. That is the
only way they can be governed by US.
Our men will 90 to Cuba as the sugar
planters went to Hawaii, and, repre-
senting large corporations and combi-
nations Of capital, viii take Cuba under
their political control.
We have no right to the Philippines.
The war did not give them to Us. The
protocol did not give them to US.
"We are to teach the Filipinos self
government" is the latest view. Self
government cannot be taught Where
ever it has appeared in the world it has
been the result Of a long process of
growth, and no nations, other than
those Of Germanic origin, have ever
been able to get it in even that slow
and painful manner.
England has been in Egypt since
1881, but Sir Edward Dicey says that
no progress has been made in teaching
the Egyptians self government.
We have really only single motive
for expansion-greed Of gain and trade
We have the most magnificent domain
the Lord ever allowed any nation to
have, and We should be content to
remain on it.
The worst feature Of the situation is
that We have turned our entire atten-
ton to money getting. I am one Of
those who were so foolish as to believe
that when our territories were filed
We would turn our attention to higher
directions. Before the Civil war We
had our slave barons. We overthrow
that aristoeracy. Since the Civil war
the aristOeracy Of wealth has arisen
This is increasing. Observe the United
States senators worth their miIlionsl
All this tends to the absolute control
Of the money power in politics.
Another phase Of the Philippine
question is this: Why should we go
TO the Philippines for trade when nine
tenths of the trade Of the South Amer
lean nations is with England? It is
said that the European nations are
going to break up China do not be-
lieve it. China has existed 400 years
and she viii be right here IN 700 years
more, whether England is or not The
best thing for China We can do is to
stir her up. That viii awaken her to
composition with the Western nations,
and she viii drive their goods out with
her cheap labor.
One Of the wsightiest arguments for
our keeping out Of the Oriental eoun-
tries is evident from the recent Parlia-
mentary report, which states that fully
% per cent Of the English troops have
to be sent hone infected With syphilitic
diseases. Do We wish TO send out
young men to the Philippines and run