Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1900-05-11

IMPERIALISM AMI. LABOR
Bourke Oockran's Opion ON the Great
Question of the Year.
Imperialism has come to be a word
of great significance, and am asked
to state concise!y ana exactly what it
means for American labor. I cannot
do better than refer to a speech which
| delivered to the students of the Uni.
versity of Michigan in February, 1900.
before Imperialism had become, as it is
today, the dominant issue of our poll
tics. and the gravest danger, in my
judgement, that has ever threatened
our republican form of government.
AS I said then. it is necessary to die.
tinguish between Expansion" and
"Imperiahsm. Expansion has always
signi6ed the extension of our institu-
tutions through the enlargements of our
frontiers. Imperialism is not the diffu-
sion Of American constitutionalism
over new lands, but the establishment
in conquered territory by this govern.
ment of another government, radically
lrreconcilable to the spirit of our own
constitution and essentially hostile to
it. Expansion, them, may be defined
as the peaceful development of our
political system through an lncreace in
the area Of the United States, and
imperialism as the forcible exercise by
our government in other countries of
powers denied to it at home.
The marvellous growth of commerce
between the States of the Union is due
to Its absolute freedom from its arti-
fiecial restrictions. The inclusion of
Canada in this free trade area would
stimulate production beyond our pow
ers to conceive.
Exactly opposite results would be
produced by imperialistic conquest
The forcible annexation of Canada
would be an act of imperialism. as un-
profitable as it would be unjustifiable,
and as calamitious as it would be Grim.
inal.
conquered country is always dis.
contented and therefore, disloyal. It
would be impossible to intrust the
rights of statehood to disaffected peo-
pie. Our authority over them could be
maintained only by force, that Is to say
by standing army and military rule.
Aside from its inherent hostltility to
free institutions, a standing army is a
crushing burden on the neck of the
laborer.
The first essential of high wages is
abundance of commodities, and a
standing army is an insuperable OBJ
stacle to extensive production. Every
dollar of surplus product or capital in
vested In implements, in machinery. in
buildings, is fruitful dollar. Com
modties used in production multiply
themselves even while they perish.
Every dollar expended for munitions
of war is a sterile dollar. 1t Is not
used for the purpose of production.
1t is wasted as completely as if it were
thrown into the sea-
/ oppose this novel, unamerican
policy of imperialism because the
grounds on which its advocates sup.
port it are puerile. inconsistant and
dishonest; because st involves the
existence of standing army to menace
liberty and TO oPpresss labor by dimin-
ishlng wages; because.it is cowardly to
invade the rights of the weak while re-
specting those of the strong; because
it would divorce the American flag and
the American Constitution by sending
the one where ths other cannot go; be-
cause 1t Is policy OF inconcsIvable
folly from a material point OF view, and
policy of unspeaka0is infamy fco:n a
moral point of view.
| favor the traditional American
policy of expansion because l Want
this republic TO continue ia the path
which leads TO higher achievements of
peace and progress; because l want
| this country to remain the land where
the patriotic workingman vino produces
is more honored than the paid
| fighting man who destroys. where the
laborer's overalls enjoy equal dignity
with the soldiers uniform. where a
| dinner pail is more highly esteemed
than a knapsack. where spade is
desmed more valuable than musket
hospital than battery. school
than a fortress; where the enduring
glory of justice is pursued and the vain
glory of conquest despised, where the
flag which typihes liberty and the Con-
s;itution which secures it, eoshrined in
the hearts, sustained by the arms.
glorihsd by the memories of free
people. shall remain invincible. inde-
structible. inseparable, forever aud
forever. BoURKE COCHRAN.
Ii there Is ANYTHING that will make