The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-02-24
i0FEXP ANSION
ALIsM DEFINED AND CONDEMNED.
Iment Control Of the Levees the Con-
ltion Most Devoutly to be Wished.
sition on the Pending Issues Clearly
Defined.
J FREE COINAGE at THE RATIO of Is to |
ocratic Electors Of The Third Congressional District

= Jefferson, the founder of th
: party, to the end of Buchanan
, administration was distinctivel
) and aggressively expansion. Th
province of Louisiana, purchase
, by Jefferson from France in 1905
embraced more than half the terri
tory west of the Mississippi river
Under the Democratic administra
ton of Monroe, we secured tn
cession Of Florida from Spain il
| 1919. Under the Democratic cd
ministrations of Polk and Pierce
lin 1848 and 1853, we added all tina
territory south OF the Louisian,
purchase and north IF the Rio
Grande, between the Gulf ot
Mexico and the Pacific Ocean.
With the single exception Of
Alaska, every foot Of territory
brought under the flag from the
foundation Of the Government to
the Spanish war, was acquired by
the Statesmen and the Leaders OF
the Democratic party, and this has
always been our boast.
To this, however, it is answered,
that this expansion was by the &C
QUESTION of contiguous territory,
and therefore, not only prudent
but wise, and yet at every step we
have been met by the very same
objections which we now hear. At
first we were told then as now,
that the Constitution did not war
rant it. ''It is not CONSTANT with
the spirit of a republican govern
ment that its territory should be
exceedingly large" objected MIR.
Mr.. Griswold of Connecticut, to
the Louisiana purchase, ''for as you
extend your limits you increase
the difficulties arising from AwANT
OF THAT SIMILARITY OF CUSTOMS,
HABITS, AND MANNERS SO essential
for its support
"Thls Constitution never was,
and never can be, strained to lap
over all THE WILDERNESS OF THE
said Josiah Quincy, OF
Massachusetts.
cit never was intended to form
a covering for the inhabitants of
the Missouri and the Red River
country" Again he objects to
going ''hotch potch with the WILD
MEN ON THE Missouri, nor with
the mixed, though more respect
able, race of Anglo-Hispano-Gallo-
Americans, who bask in the
sands in The mouth of the Mlssis
sissippi. Senator McDuffie Of
South Carolina, said as late as
1913, in discussing the Oregon
Question; ''what will they return
us for this enormous expense, af-
ter we have tempted them by thus
bill to leave their pursuits of
honest industry to 60 upon this
wild and gambling adventure, in
which their blood is to be staked9"
Now hear what Senator Dickerson
of New Jersey had to say: SIS
the territory of Oregon ever to be-
come q State, a member of the
Union 2" Note the prophetic fire
with which he thunders his own
reply: ''Never!, the Union is al
ready too extensive %
We smile us we read these evil
prophecies of the anti-expansion-
lists of the past, of the dire Gu
lamities to come with each step
forward, and muse over the stu
alton we would be in today if their
warnings had been needed. So
will our children smile when they
read the speeches being made to-
day by the "Anti-ImperialistS.
AND NOW A WORD ABOUT IMPER-
IALISM.
As l understand that term, st
denotes a system that holds a num-
Der of States originally separate,
under the forcible dominion of au
autocratic ruler-an Emperor
thus subjugating millions through
out vast provinces, to the rule of
a single despot. This unhappy
condition is, of course, to he
avoided at any sacrifice, but does
extensive empire over widely sep
parate countries tend to imperial
ism as thus defined 2, My reading
of history has not led me to that
conclusion.
However vainly we may at
tempt to read the riddle of the