The Irish standard., 1900-06-02
TYRANNY OF CAPITAL IS A BLIGHT
Trust Barons are the Fathers
Of Imperial Policy
HYPNoTlzED BY GLITTER OF RICHES
Our True Work is Here and Not
in the Philippines.

Right Rev. John Lancaster Spalding,
bishop OF Peoria, ILL.,, devotes chapter
i'll his new book entitled "Opportunity"
to the Mckinley policy Of imperialism.
He says in part:
We have sympathized will, all op-
pressed peoples-witl ireland, Greece,
Armenia, Cuba To emancipatc the
slave we gladly sacrificed the lives OF
hundreds OF thousands of our soldiers
And now the American soldier, who
should never shoulder gun except in
a righteous cause, is sent 10000 miles
across the ocean to shoot men whose
real crime is that they wish to be frcc
wish to govern themselves.
To say that they are unfit for free
dom is to put forth the plea of the tyrant
in all ages and everywhere. The enc
mics of liberty have never lacked for
pretexts to justify their wrongs; but, in
truth, at the root of all wars of conquest
there lies the lust for blood or for gold
If the inhabitants of the Philippines
came gladly to throw themselves into
our arms, we should refuse to do more
than counsel, guide and protect them
until they form themselves into a stable
and independent government. What
then is to be thought of those who
seem resolved either to rule or exter-
inmate them, believing probably that
the only good Filipino is dead Fill
pino?
The argument that our policy has
from the beginning been one of expan
sion has no application to the present
crisis. By the treaty of 1888 the Missis-
sippi river was recognized as the west
crn boundary OF the United States; but
when in 1902 the Spanish civil officers
whom France, having recovered Loui-
siana, left in command, issued procla
nation closing the Mississippi to Amer
ican commerce, it at once became mani
fest that we could not leave the mouth
of the great river which flowed for more
than thousand miles through our ter
ritory in the possession OF a foreign
power. Thomas Jefferson, therefore,
acted i'll the spirit of patriot and a
statesman when, taking advantage of
the embarrassments of Bonapartc, he
purchased the whole region lying west
of the Mississippi and not already occu-
pied by Spain.
Here was natural development, the
gaining possession of vast tracts of un-
settled lands which, if not pcopled by
American citizens would become the
home of powerful rival state, and this
would involve wars, standing armies and
the jeopardy OF free institutions. SINH
lar reasons justified the purchase OF
Florida in 1870. When, in 1845, we
annexed the Republic of Texas, we did
what the Texans themselves wished us
to do. Disputes concerning the west
crn boundary OF Texas led to the war
with Mexico, which, at the close OF the
war sold to the United States New
! Mexico and Upper California, including
Nevada and Utah, most of Arizona and
part of Colorado. These countries were
scarcely inhabited, Upper California
containing not more than 5000 people
In this whole course of expansion we
followed the line OF natural develop
ment.
We entered upon the possession OF
waste regions which we're geographical
ly part of our country, and which we
were certain to fill with populations
similar to those occupying the states al
ready founded. To carry out this work
there could be no need OF standing
army or powerful navy; none of max
ing war to conquer and hold in sub
lection races which, being altogether
unlike ourselves, claimed the right, in
the establishment of government, to
be guided by their own ideas and ira
ditions.
| In purchasing these territories, it may
be said that we bought land and not
human beings-land that was part Of
our inheritance. But now, following
the lead of our great capitalists and
trustlords, we buy at one stroke ten
million human beings; beings who live
in another hemisphere, who differ from
US in every way, who dwell in climate
which is fatal to the white man, who
= can be Of no advantage wh.tsyer to u.