The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1900-02-10
Thoughtless Talk on Expansion and
Commerce.
From the Baltimore Sun, Feb. 8.

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. Mr. Lloyd
L. jackson, president of the association,
made an enthusiastics peech, which is de-
scribed as ''striking the keynote of the
meeting" He is quoted as saying in
part
want to congratulate not only the merchants
and Manufacturers Association in 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; rs patriotic citizens of the great
est country on earth we believe in keeping
every foot of land over which the flag of our
country floats. Dig the Nicaragua canal,
hold and develop the Philippines, and we will
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 u luteileiej salu,
isNo; hands OFF, They are our kith and kin.
Let us take up the white mans burden in the
interests of civilization and of the general well
fare of mankind.
"'These 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 McKinleys policy
of conquest and annexation Neither,
though heretofore accounted a good Demo-
crat, does he express the sentiments of
the rank and file of the Democratic party
of the State or country. On festive oc
casion like that on which these remarks
were uttered one naturally expects good
deal of loose oratory, and no one feels
called on to criticise very sharply individual
flights of eloquence. 1t is subject,
nevertheless, for congratulation that while
everybody drank President McKinley's
health with enthusiasin-as one would re-
spond in good wine to a toast to the moral
improvement even of his Satanic majesty
Mr. jackson received very Democratic
NJ nh all
courtesy and respect, later in the evening
from Congressman Champ Clark, of Mis-
souri,, and from Mr.. Isaac Lobe Straus, of
Baltimore.
In responding to the toast ''The United
States of America in the Twentieth Cen
tury' Mr.. Clark, after declaring that
''what this country needs most is robust,
interchangeable, courageous, ubiquitous fool
killer to ''crack the empty skulls of pes
simists, announced his emphatic opposi-
ton to expansion. He said:
/ am an American, that's why am opposed
to expansion. Aguinaldo may be George
Washington or should be in the penitentiary,
as opposing Republicans have stated, but
would not give the life of one honest, noble,
progressive, ambitious American boy for
Aguinaldo and all the Filipinos that may exist
now or until the crack Of doom. We have
now As States. We may have $50 or $500
if we annex the Philippines, for no one knows
how many islands are in that archipelago, or
within 500, 900 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
al. i, / t. fltpttrr Ia t,fr
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 will 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 SC
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 will 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 and ses
her butcher the Beers latter on. God holds
the Beers in the hollow of his hands. Zap
plause.
While it is going too far to say thai
England is our enemy, there can be nc
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 s'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 a
any time of interference by other nations.
The reiterated gush about taking up the
sswhite mans 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, shillings and pence, and it is saf'
to say with the great majority of our i'm
perialists American expansion is largely, i
not wholly, question of dollars If we
must depart from all our traditions ant
principles, let us eschew cant and put thu
thing on its real basis-the question o
profit.
This brings us to what Nj Isfslc Lob,
Straus so ably said on the SUBJECT of i'm
perialism-the ultimate value 81 which
mioht he stated in the auestinn--wha