The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1900-09-26

our destiny.
The Philippines wcr" on!:; tic step
ping stone il, :i.c match. cur Slips
must outnunlhtr our factoriaS ii ve
would bc respectable in tie t.oiiiiI:.!!F
| we keep and our soldiers ontnuiAi'cr
our voters if we woald not have irou-
bic with our republican institutions.
The taxes are burlenSonle. the clv1!
| list eXtravaSant. the pension list the
most liberal in the world
Farmer and Worker Injured.
Our army is larger than ever; the
white squadron is TO be seen III every
sea. our flag in every zone. What have
we accomplished for our commerce?
| We have added Porto Rico, Cuba, the
Philippine Islands. a province or more
! in China. and if it was Russia that sue
cu1nbed in the conflict we will take
some of her Siberian territory. or il 1t
was England we shall add islands IN
Australasia. or If it was France we
shall take some of her possessions, pref
erablv in Africa. and should Germany
be the unfortunate one We will despoll
her in the Pacific This, then, Is our
gain for commerce. for our surplus
wheat. cotton. oil. iron and steel and
their manufactures.
But the wheatficldS Of China and ST.
IBERIA are nearer than our great west
ern plains. and they are TILED by Aslat-
ic labor, with whose low wages our
wheat growers would starve. The cot
ton fields of China are white With Asl-
attic staple. and the cotton OF India IS
nearer than that Of America. ana by
the law of cheaper products ana
cheaper transportation keeps American
cotton out. When YOU have cut the
Nicaragua canal. Indian cotton is still
cheaper in your new possessions IN
China than American.
The coal and iron Of China. devel-
oped by European and American mon
ey and skill. are supplying the demand
for iron and steel in our new domain.
and Russian. Siberian, Sumatran and
Chinese oil is still in the LANDS Of the
old or new Standard Oil company.
who finds it cheaper to plug up Amerl-
can wells and supply China from Chi
uese and other nearby wells. And now
for the first time the American farmer,
the American miner and the American
factory hand learn that trade does not
follow the flag. but that capital does,
and leaves dear labor at home to pay
the tax as best it can to fly the flag in
q foreign land.
Where Is the Imperialist:
where is the imperialiSt now: BE
has gone where he can practice impe-
rialism. where labor is cheap, raw ma
terial abundant and men must work,
but shall not vote. The great valley OF
the Mississippi is listless. and the plains
Of the great west seem bare. But they
will reduce the acreage in wheat and
seed to the sugar beet For what? TO
compete with the contract cody labor
Of tropical Hawaii, Porto Rico. Cuba
and the Philippines. The south may
reduce her acreage Of cotton and sew
to tobacco. For what: To compete
with Cuban and Philippine tobacco.
What, then. does the balance sheet
show? The total import and export
trade of China for year does not eX-
ceed $3.50. 100000 Now. if the United
States absorbed every dollar of this
commerce. driving every rival from her
market and every dollar Of this trade
was profit. how does the account stand?
For the year 1901 recommended ap-
propriations for our army are S.0Oo,-
900 and for oar navy S13.0Go,000. to-
tai of S203.G000JM. taking no account
Of pensions incident to the Spanish and
Philippine VIZ Add to tins SUM the
past cost of the War. S25Q. .CG00C0. and
allow, for the commerce Of the Philip
pines ard Porto Rico $4,000. 600. which
counts every dollar OF their trade as
US by $11J.000.1U0.
The olG Way and the New.
''But the army is 70 be permanently
increased and the navy is to be built
to proportions commensurate with the
responsibilities Of our new obligations.
If YOU double the existing navy. which
will make us then only fourth rate
naval power, you double ut least the
present appropriation and double the
present army and you at least double
the present appropriation to $400.0o0.-
600.
In other words. an army and navy
adequate for the requirements. with the
attendant increase OF pensions. civil
government and unforeseen expenses.
will add TO the cost of running this
government $300,000000. Oh twice what
it cost us in 1897. before The war With
Spain. or twice us mitch as the :@Sre-
gate Of a.! the commerce OK China. the
Philippines. Porto Rico and Hawaii If
every dollar of their commerce was
with us to the exclusion Of every other
commercial power in the world and If
every dollar Of that commerce went in
to tho pockets of American citizens as
! profit.
Contrast the old way with tie new.
4 t1,n fr1J Of