Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1900-02-01
WHAT HISTORY TELLS US.
ans Growth Of the United States an
Absolute Answsr to the "Antls"
Who Are Crylug "impsriai-

Who Are Crying Imperial
ISM and "Mllitarlsm."
One Of the main objections to be
made to the arguments of the anti.
expansionists is the disregard for the
history Of their country. They pre-.
lend to believe that the acquisition Of
the Philippines by the treaty Of Paris,
ratified b. two.thirds vote Of the
United States Senate, is a departure
from previous policy, apparently ex.
pecting the people to swallow their
statement without consideration and
without recalling past events in the
record Of our national life.
It is not the first time the United
States has expanded without asking
or getting the consent Of the inhah-
itants OF the territory 1t is not even
the secol or third time. The growth
OF the country has been a series OF
expansions, only two Of which, Texas
and Hawaii, were made with the con.
sent OF the people, and most Of them
made over their protests And yet,
in every instance, the United States
has given to its unwilling citizens
government freer and better than
they had. and in which they took
part, and one which proved satisfac.
tory after they tried it. In every in.
stance the opponents OF expansion
used the same arguments as those
employed now-'imperiaiism mil.
itsrism" consent of the governed"
80 our new 'antis" need not feel that
they are on new track. In every
case in the past the path OF the anti.
expansicpists went straight " oblv.
ion and the one now being raveled
by the "ants' is pointed in the same
direction.
Louisiana was annexed over the
protest OF its white inhabitants, and
without the consent of its red.
Florida was entered by Andrew
jackson and an American army, and
the Spanish title bought with the
whites objec.ion and the Indians in
open rebellion, which they kept up
for years
California was secured through it's
treaty with Mexico, when its people
we're nearly all Mexicans, and they
kicked like Missouri mules
Whom Alaska was bought from Rus
sia the inhabitants knew nothing
about 1t.
Puerto Rico was added to Uncle
Sans domain and the Puerto Ricans
were told to look pleasant.
During our entire history as a ma.
ton, the United States has pursued
the methods Of expansion laid down
BY International law and common
'ense, and the people who got in the
road Of the band wagon were unfor.
tunately run over.
No President, except Grover Cleve.
land, ev VI hauled down an American
Gag after it was once put up to stay,
and no political party that ever op.
posed expansion. and one OF them al
ways did, ever got over the effect of
Its blunder.
In ! the extensions and expan-
sions over the protests OF the inhabi.
tants, none OF them ever lived iong
but to regret their opposition None
Of them were made slaves or serfs.
and many OF them soon realized that
American citizenship was boon
greater than any other they could
crave.
Every time new territory has been
added, there has been troubIe-war
or threatened war 1t took years OF
warfare TO enforce the authority OF
the government in the Louisiar pur.
chase The bloody Seminole war pre-.
coded the pacifcation OF Florida.
Texas aud the purchases from Mexico
brought their trouble There will be
difficulties and embarrassments in
the Philippines. But the Ulaited
States is not experimenting 1t
knows how to govern territory whose
inhabitants cannot govern themselves,
and 1t knows how to raise the stand.
ard until they are capable Of self gov
eminent. The work it has done from
the Allegheny mountains to the Ha-
waiian and Aleutian Islands will be
repeated in the Philippines and the
selfish, weak and un American argu.
ment against this EXPANSION will he
regarded in the future as are the
same arguments now which were used
against the acquisition of Louisiana,
Kansas, Texas and California
II Can't BE Done.
NNoa al, al Aha ,,,n, ,,,hu la I