North Park union., 1900-07-27
Carl Schurz Prefers Bryan

Carl Schurz Prefers Bryan
The following by Carl Sohurz, was
printed Sunday, July 18th. in the
New York Journal
s I am profoundly convinced that the
adoption of the imperialistic policy, a
policy of criminal aggression by forci-
BILE conquest, and Of substantially
arbitrary rule over subjugated popu-
lations, will, no matter what the ppr-
pose may be, involve the subversion
Of the fundamental principles of our
democratic government To avert so
cslamitous a result it is necessary
that the American people should in
the directest and most unequivocal
manner repudiate the undemocratic
policy Of criminal aggression and Of
subjugating foreign population to
American sovereignty; and that can
at present be done only by defeating
Mr. Mckinley in the coming presi-
Dental campaign. +
To accomplish this We may, being
forced to choose between two evils,
have to pay heavy price; but the
stake is so great that we may well
ask ourselves whether any possible
price can be too high; and I say this,
after very mature deliberation, as a
conservative man, great part Of
whose public life has been devoted to
fighting against the financial theories
represented by Mr.. Bryan. II it
were even true that Mr.. Bryan
would lead us into an internal revol-
utlon if elected, it would, in my opin-
ion, be not nearly as serious and
dangerous o revolution as that into
which the policy Of Imperialism is
sure to lead us, and its effects would
be much more easily and speedily
counteracted than the total subyerslon
Of the fundamental principals Of our
democracy which the policy ofimper-
ialism involves. And can you be
blind to the effects which the tenden-
cies of Imperialism are already exercis-
ing among ourselves upon tho pop
ular mind?
Do you not hear the seofflng levity
with which the Declaration of Inde-
pendence and the high ideals Of lib
erty and human rights which so long
have been sacred to our people are
made sport Of; how the teachings Of
Washington and Lincoln are derided
as antiquated nursery rhymes, and
how the constitution, when 1t stands
in the way Of grasping schemes, is
lightly brushed aside with the flippant
word that constitutions are made for
men and not men for constitutions?
1t cannot be repeated too often that
there are things which may be done
by monurchical or aristocratic govern
ments without making them less
strong as monarchies ar aristocracies,
but which cannot be done by de-
mocracy based upon universal suffrage
without fatally demoralizing it as a
democracy; and that one Of those
things is the arbitrary ruling of
foreign populations as subjects. 1
can hardly imagine any kind Of a
government more repellent than de-
mocracy than has ceased to believe
in anything, and in which all ambi-
tions are directed towards 8 selfish
use Of power.
Indeed, there may be some persons
expecting TO make more money out of
the Philippines if We subjugate them
at the cost of ever so much blood
and devastation, and then rule them
by substantial despotic sway. But
who are they? Not the people at
large, especially not the Iaboring
masses, but favored few And
here invite the special attention of
our conservative fellow-citlzens who
are so much alarmed at the possibil-
lty that the political struggles in this
democracy democracy working
through universal sufffage-may de-
velop into struggle of the poor
against the rich. Have they con-
sidered how apt this kind of imper-
ialistic policy will be to incite and
hasten such development.
Nothing can be more dangerous in
a democracy like ours than the prev
Ia