The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-09-29
DEFINES IMPERIALISM.
Carl Schurz Addresses an Immense
Audience at Cooper Union.

New York Sept. 29.-Cooper Union
was not large enough to hold the crowd
which came last night to its doors to
attend the meeting of the anti-Imperial-
list league of New York
The crowd was a noisy one, and be-
fore the meeting was called to order
cheered for Mckinley, for Bryan, for the
full dinner pail' and for Debs- Carl
Schurz was received with tumult Of
cheers Ernest H. Crosby introduo ed
the first speaker of the evening, Ans on
Phelps Stokes, who said in part:
I'VE are met tonight to protest against
the violation of the constitution and to
dissociate themselves from blood guilt
ness. All of US who have given hostages to
poSterity wish to have the institutions
of our country unimpaired- We are
aroused now when those with brief au-
1hOrity are trying to become pirates and
srnperors of territory The result of for
eign conquest is the gain of a few, and
the degradation of the people. The
harder the laborer works the better
pleased are the mOnopOliStS. The Phil
ippine war is the greatest folly of any
administration We will fail if we should
gain the war. The Fflipinos we can not
make citizens without harm to ourselves
and we can never make them subjects
Carl Schur.z was introduced and was
given another round of applause. He
said in part.
years residence in the country, I became
a citizen of this republic,I took an oath
TO support the constitution of the United
States. I understood that oath to mean
that I would remain faithful to those
principles of free government which are
laid down in the Declaration of Indepen-
dence and form the vital spirit of the
fundamental law of our democracy. I
was happy to feel that my sworn duty
as an American citizen was in perfect
harmony with my own cherished ideals
of civil liberty. right and justice, and
] have endeavored to keep my oath to
the best of my knowledge and ability
Determined to keep it loyalty to the end
of my days, stand here now to defend
those principles against an attack even
more crafty and dangerous than that
which in times gone by was made upon
them by the power of domestic slavery,
and which was beaten back by the cleo
ton of Abraham Lincoln to the presi-
dency- mean the attack now made by
the policy of Imperialism as carried on
by the present administration.
Let me say at the start that I con-
slider the manner in which the imperial
1stic policy is being commended by some
persons to popular approval, tina hug
est confidence game ever pHacticed upon
q free people In my whole long life /
have never known of such systematic
nse Of distortion Of history, hypocritical
cant, garbl1ng or documents and false
pretence- 1 am here to speak a word
for truth and justice; and in doing so I
shall call things by their right names
GU viii pardon me If those names are
not always of the mildest. For / must
confess, when I witnessed some of the
means employed to lure this great re-
public from the path of righteousness.
high principle and glorious destiny, my
old blood boiled with Indignation.
The partisans of the administration
object to the word imperialism calling
1t a mere bugbear having no real exist
ence. They pretend that in extending
our sway over Porto Rico and the Phil
1ppines we merely continue that sort Of
territorial expansion which has been
practiced by this republic from its be
ginning This is a mere juggle with
words amounting to a downright falsi-
ncation of history.
THE truth is that until two years aGo
0his republic did indeed add to its terri
tory but never without the intention