The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-08-20
The Danger
Of Imperialism

From the outlook.
IT HAT THERE is a possible danger Of imperial
ism in America we are not inclined to
deny. That republics have generally given
place to empires, that the people have lost
whatever political power they possessed, and
that government Of the many has become gov,
ernment Of the few Of the one is historically
true. But he who would take warning from his.
tory should examine 1t sufficiently to learn what
its warning is; he should not be content with the
general fact that republics have been short-lyed;
he should consider what is the process by which
they have been transformed into empires
1t would be difficult to name any case in
which absolutism has been a gradual and un'
conscious evolution from democracy. Lower and
simpler forms Of government have sometimes
passed into an imperial form without passing
through democracy; but democracy has rarely II
ever passed into an empire except through an.
archy and revolution. Greece experienced a
long and tragic period OF what we may call
states rights and Of internecine wars between
the various states before the Macedonian empire
was founded upon the ruins Of her free insttu-
tons The wars OF Marius and Sulla devastated
Rome before she accepted in exchange for an.
archy and civil war the strong rule Of Julius
Caesar. The iealousies of the Italian cities and
the rivarics of the Italian families and the no.
oned cup and the hidden stletto," prepared the
way for the reign of the tyTants. In France,
there would have been no Napoleonic empire il
there had been no Red Terror; in England, no
restoration OF the Stuarts il there had been no
long parliament and no factional fights between
rival parties in the commonwealth.
o
These historical events all point in one d..
rection; they all have one meaning; it ought not
H., ,,,,Iop nj tbnir TlN
danger OF imperialism in America is not from a
patry standing army of one hundred thousand
men, it is not from the adoption Of a colonial
policy extending over other free countries the
protection of our hag--protection alike from foes
without and from disorder within; it is not from
gradual usurpation Of power by the president
Of the United States: it is not from centraliza-
tion in any form. The danger is to be looked Tor
in exactly the opposite direction 1t is threat.
cned if at all, by decentralization, by excessive
individualism, by weakness in the government,
by paltering with the mob, by the forces Of pop
ular discomfort, melted sometimes by dema-
gogues, sometimes by honest enthusiasts, into
passion, and united for factional ends. II ever
democracy is overthrown in America, it will be
because the government Is too weak, not because
it is too strong. The way to insure the per-
manence of democracy is to strengthen its gov
ernmental powers.
To illustrate: Recently in the history Of this
country successive mobs have attempted to takC
control of the railroads and determine what
trains might run; to occupy Pittsburg, CHI
cago, Brooklyn, Cleveland and st. Louis and
prevent free carriage in the public streets; and
in countless cases to prevent by force free
Americans from working for such wages and
on such conditions as they were willing to ac-
cept OF all law, mob law is the worst. Any
government is better than no government The
despotsm OF a Russian bureaucracy is prefer
able to that of a Partisan commune. Caesarsm
is not so bad as perpetual civil wars. The Ma
poeonic empire a relief after Robespierre
II democracy has not government strong enough
to put down the mob, the mob will be strong
enough to overthrow democracy. President Cleye,
land in dispensing the mob in Chicago, Gov.
eTnor Roosevelt in dispensing the mob at the
Croton Dam, were defending democracy against
the advance guard OF imperialism; the author-
ties in Missouri in leaving ST. Louis so long
under mobocracy were promoting the cause Of
imperialism in the heart Of the republic. II
the time should ever come when the people OF
the United States have to choose between the
strong rule Of an emperor and the kind OF rule
furnished by the anarchists Of Paterson, who sent
one of their number TO assassnate King Hum.
bert, they will prefer the despot, and they will
be wise TO do so.
We are nti.imperialistsi we are therefore in
favor Of a strong goyernment-strong in the CITY,
strong in the state, strong in the nation. The
chief danger Of imperialism comes from those
who would weaken the power of government In
land where faction is so strong and where not
inirequently the mob is rampant.
To say that the lawess and the discontented
are generally supporters Of Mr.. Bryan is not the
same as to say that the supporters of Mr. Bryan
bn nd tho "a
The latter would be false. The majority of those
who support Mr.. Bryan and will vote for him
next fall are self,respecting citizens who love
their country and their iellow.men, and mean by
their action to render II the best service they
can. But the former statement is true. The
men who are discontented, who think that they
have nothing TO lose by revolution and imagine
that they have much TO gain by it, who are
ready to overturn our present commercial and In
dustrial system and take their chances, who are
without the talents and the industry TO acquire
property, who desire TO control the conditions
OF labor In America by means of secret organi.
zRtions neither known to the law nor regulated
by it, who both practice lynch law and glory
In doing, who repudiate free speech and a
free press in the Southern states and would re-
pudiate free labor in Northern cities il they
could who are impatient Of law and wish TO
limit II not abolish the Supreme court because
It is a hindrance to the seliwill Of democracy
these men are, with comparatively few eXoep.
tions, Bry antics.
o
We repeat, emphatically, that Bryanites are
not, with few exceptions, such men. We do
not identify the Bryanite with the revolutionist
in saying that most reyoutionsts are Bryanites.
| But we ask those thoughtful citizens who hon
| cstly fear imperalstic tendencies in this eoun.
cry, and who are thinking Of voting for Mr,
| Bryan in order to check those tendencies to
consider carefully the question whether a vote
| for Mr.. Bryan will strengthen them. II would
not be fair to say that Mr., Bryan has been
| nominated by the reyolutionists, but they have
accepted him as their candidate and they were