The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-01-21
INVASION AND CONQUEST.

Coalville. Utah. Jan. 1S-Expansion-
Imperialism. These are very expressive
words and the principles involved are now
agitating the minds Of many OF our lead
ing Statesmen and the public generally
Defined according 10 the general accepta-
ton of the words, expansion means en-
laTging. extending. etc. Imperialism.
pertains to empire. hence as applied in the
present agitation. extending OF dominion.
rule. power and acquisition Of territory;
in other words. conquest and subjugatiOn
Of other countries and peoples. The spirit
Of expansion and imperialism. or rather
conquest and invasion, manifested itself
in an early age. when cur prOgenitors. the
Norsmen. who inhabited the bleak and
inhospitable countries bordering on the
Arctic regions-Norway Sweden and
Denmark-under the Vikings. fitted out
expeditions and for hundreds of years
made predatory raids for plumber on their
neighbors of more favored lands and
climes east. west and south. Having
penetrated, in quest OF plumber. some dis
lance into the interior Of Britain and
finding there fertile fields and luxuriant
ard extensive meadow lands and plains,
with saiubrious climate, far surprising
]
their desire and ambition was not salts
fed with merely robbing and plundering
those pastoral Britons. Such a magnifi-
cent country was too good for such
peaceful and contented people to own and
monopolize.
The result was that a large and magnifi-
cent feet was fitted out, manned with a
large army, composed Of those daring ad-
venturous Norsmen who longed for eX-
pansion and Imperialism. or rather in the
more appropriate terms, conquest and in
vas!on. With this powerful armament
/ they crossed the North sea and invaded
the beautiful island Of Britain, conquering
and subjugating its inhabitants and hold
ing dominion over them for over 400
years. Canute the Great, who led that in
vading army. was the elG>r son Of Gorum
den Camel, king of Denmark. and thus
the imperial rule and dominion Of the
NOrthmen was extended over the Britons.
Normandy. in the eleventh century, in
order to extend her empire, sent an in
vineibIe army under William the Con-
/ querer, and sslbjugated the whole Of
England, eonfiseating the landed estates
of the nobility and parceling them out to
/ the officers of his army.
Thus we see the spirit and desire for
expansion. conquest and imperialism Is
inherent in the Anglo-Saxon race
We in the United States, being largely
the descendants Of the Angl0-SaxOn race.
would it be strange. in this age Of ex-
/ pansion ana Imperialism, II our great
American republic should partake Of the
/ spirit of our progenitors, and by degrees
/ begin to feel that expansion and i'm
/ perialism were necessary to our growth
and ambition to be reckoned among the
! great powers OF the world? Can we not
| find some excuse for disregarding the
warning of the great Washington, Jeffer-
son and Lincoln. prompted by that in
herent spirit transmitted by those daring
/ and adventurous Norsmen and Saxons,
some plausible pretext for concluding that
| the policy which prompted our noble
patriot fathers, that the government
/ should not enter into any "entangling al
liances with foreign powers" was short
sighted and non-progressiye? Their ambi-
! ton in having gained the war Of indie
| pendence and establishment Of this great
government was a contamination OF their
most sanguine expectations. They failed
! to look into the future and behold the
glorious prospects that would offer for
expansion, how the opportunity would be
given to acquire new and rich countries
Dy easy conquest that war and recent
victories over Spain would give US in
Euence and Importance with the great
powers.
Extending our borders by the purchase
| of Louisiana and Alaska, the flibusteTing
that resulted in the annexation of Texas,
! the war with Mexico. which gave US the
] vast territory comprising New Mexico
Arizona, part of Colorado and wyoming,
| Utah. Nevada and California; the an
nexatiOn of the Hawaiian islands, and by
treaties, the acquisition Of half the
Samoan group of islands. and the rich
island of Puerto Rico. These additions to
the United States have more than
doubled the original area This added
territory with its vast wealth in the
precious metals and tropical products
seems only to have increased our ambition
for still greater expansion. The Philip
pine group of several hundred islands. a
territory larger in area than the empire
/ Of Japan with three times the population
of Cuba, is a rich prize greatly 70 Dt
desired even at the cost of sending an
army of IL, 600 Of our brave men to invade
and subjugate; the cost Of 500 10000 OF
| $500, coo. 600 and the sacrifice Of the lives OF
Is, coo to 100000 American soldiers
would be nothing as compared 10 the
benefits we would derive in securing them
as a base of operations and maintaining
an open gate to the Chinese empire and
the vast wealth Of the Orient.
Prompted by the spirit of our Anglo
Saxon forefathers and stimulated by the
achievements Of the recent war with
Spain. may We not be led into those en-
! tangling alliances against which our wist
statesmen so timely warned US? II i:
often dangerous for individuals, com
munitfes or nations to depart from the
primitive customs and honest, wholesome
ways and precepts in which they have
been taught and reared. May not our
glorious government. by disregarding the
wise policy Of its founders, be led ints
entangling alliances with ether nations
that will eventually result in disaster and
perhaps ruin?
The present unfortunate war which We
have unwittingly. perhaps, been led into
with the natives Of the Philippine islands
is proving very expensive financially, anC
disastrous to thousands Of our brave and
noble patriotic sons who went there L
defend the honor of our country il
war against Spain, in order to free tn,
oppressed people Of Cuba, and under
solemn declaration and pledge that Il
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