The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-02-10
Thoughtless Talk on Expansion and
Commerce
From the Baltimore sun. Feb, 5.


tional expansion at the annual dinner of
the Merchants and Manufacturers Associ-
alton Thursday night contained some in
teresting points which are worth further
reference as bearing upon current events
of the greatest Importance. MIR. Lloyd
l.. jackson, president of the association,
made an enthusiasties peeeh, which is de-
scribed as striking the keynote Of the
meeting. He is quoted as saying in
part
want TO congratulate not only Netherlands
and Manufacturers Association ia this city,
but the entire country, upon the prevailing
prosperous conditions which exist and the
bright outlook for the future. As merchants
and manufacturers. we believe IN the open
door policy; as patriotic citizens of the great
est country on earth we believe ia keeping
every foot of land over which the flag of cur
country floats. Dig the Nicaragua canal,
hold and develop the Philippines, and we viii
own the commerce Of the Orient
He added:
We cannot forget, either, our friends across
the sea, who, when during our recent trouble
with another nation certain Continental
powers seemed prepared 10 interfere, sad,
s'No; hands OFF, They are our kith and KIN.
Let us take up the white mans burden ~ the
interests of civilization and of the general vel
fare of mankind.
'sThese sentiments, says the report,
were loudly applauded and the applause
was doubled when Mr. Jackson proposed
that all present drink to the health Of the
President of the United States.
Whatever authority Mr. Jackson may
have to speak for the Merchants and
Manufacturers Association on the subject
Of Imperialism and expansion, we venture
TO express the conviction that he does not
speak for the patriotic citizens OF Mary
land or the country in general in his in
dorsement Of President Mckinley : policy
of conquest and annexation. Neither,
though heretofore accounted good Demo
crat, does he express the sentiments OF
the rank and file Of the Democratic party
Of the State or country. Ga a festive oe-
casion like that on which these remarks
were uttered one naturally expects a good
deal of Loose oratory, and nc one feels
called on to criticise very sharply individual
fights of eloeuence Ii Is a subject,
nevertheless, for eongratulation that while
everybody drank President Mckinley :
health with enthusiasn---as one would re
spond in good vine to toast to the moral
improvement even Of his Satanic majesty
Mr.. Jackson received very Democratic
and Wholesome answers, put with all
courtesy and respect, later in the evening
from Congressman Champ Clark. Of Mis-
sour. and from Mr.. Isaac Lobe Straus, of
Baltimore
In responding to the toast The United
States of America in the Twentieth Cen
fury Mr.. Clark, after declaring that
s'what this country needs most Is a robust,
indefatigable, courageous, ubiquitous fool
killer TO s'craek the empty skulls of pes
simists, announced his emphatic oppcsl-
ton to expansion. He said:
am an American, that's why am opposed
10 expansion Agninaldo may be George
Washington OF should be 10 the peniientiary,
as opposing Republicans have stated, but |
would not give the life Of one honest, noble,
progressive, ambitious American boy tor
Aguinaldo aud all the Filipinos that MAJ exist
now or until the crack Of doom. We have
now 40 States We may have $50 or ,. 500
Il we annex the Philippines, for no one knows
how many islands are in that archipelago, or
within 500. 600 Of how many savages are on
those islands. The annexation Of the Philip
pines means the bringing into competition
with American labor the IS cent labor of
those islands. ] am opposed TO disturbing
the masses for the sake Of few. ! warn
YOU merchants Of the East that the annexa-
ton Of the Philippines means the destruction
of your Eastern cities, for the trade will move
to the cities OF the Pacific Coast.
Eastern and Southern merchants and
manufacturers viii find a suggestion in this
last sentence that they will do well to con-
slider. They may discover ultimately that
the commercial door which they are SO
anxious TO open may divert trade and bust
ness from the East and South to other
sections and that they are engaged in a
policy that viii result in their own undo
ing.
With regard to England Mr.. Clark said :
England our friendl England is our enemy
She was our friend in the war with Spain be-
cause she expected US to stand back aud see
her butcher the Beers latter on. God holds
the Beers in the hollow of his hands. (Ap-
pause.
While it is going too far to say that
England is our enemy, there can be no
doubt that more pure and unadulterated
nonsense has been uttered about what We
owe her for her supposed attitude during
our war with Spain than ON any public
topic except that of duty and destiny.
England's attitude was doubtless friendly
enough, but there is no reason to believe
that it was dictated by mere sentiment,
or that there was any serious danger at
any time of interference by other nations
The reiterated gush about taking up the
s'white man burden 'sin the interests
of civilization and the general welfare of
mankind has ceased even to be funny,
and has become simply insufferably tedious.
Expansion with England is question OF
pounds, shiIlings and pence, and it is safe
to say with the great majority of our i'm
perialists American expansion is largely, if
not wholly, question of dollars. If we
must depart from all our traditions and
principles, let us eschew cant and put the
thing on its real basis-the question of
profit.
This brings us to what Mr.. Isaac Lobe
Straus so ably said on the subject Of i'm
perialism- ultimate value Of which
might be stated in the question-what
shall it profit this Republic to gain the
whole world and lose its own soul, the
soul of liberty breathed into it by the men
of 1776? Mr.. Straus pointed out clearly
and conclusively what the net result will
be Of ali this running after strange gods.
Militarism is the deadliest foe of commerce.
OF all our blessings, none is greater than our
exemption, by reason of our situation, from
the imminence of war. Militarism as a policy
produces race degeneracy. The history of
many nations illustrates this The historians
OF Rome point out that the destruction of the
brave in The Roman wars ultimately reduced
the Romans to race of ''congenital towards. y