The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1900-09-21
WHAT IMPERIALISM REALLY Is
(BY SENATOR n r. pErr1GRBw)

Within1 the past. thirty years the wealth.
OF the United States, which was once far
~ distributed, has been accumulated IN
the hands OF a few, so that, according 70
the last census, 900 men own SiiUOo,-
900 900, or over reefourths OF the
wealth CT this country, while So per cent OF
the population practically have 20 proper
ty at all and do not own their homes
It would naturally be supposed that the
As per cent OF the people who SIN nave
an interest ia the property OF the NATION
would be the governing classes. Recent
events, however, point Enthusiastically 10
the fact that the 100000 people VINO own
nearly all the wealth nave combined win
the 81 per cent OF our population who hdve
no reperty and by gaining control CT a
great and aforotime patriotic political or
glnization have usurped the functions OF
government and established a plutocracy.
Among all monarehies Of the past when
ever all power and all property have gath-
cred into the hands Of the few and dis
content appears among the masses II has
been the policy TO acquire foreign posses
sions. In enlarge the army and the navy,
to employ the disconnected and distract
their attention.
States to acquire foreign territory, com
Ing as 1t does along with an ever-increas'
ing camor for the enlargement OF tho
army and for the creation OF great navy.
is sufficient to alarm patriotic citizens
and lead to an anxious inquiry as to
whittier we are drifting.
Today we have no territory that nav,
is needed TO defend. The United States
l.. At.t ni hNT
she will have peace or war. We possess
no territory that can be acquired or held
by a foreign foe even II we owned moi
one single ship, and no Nation, however
great and strong, can gain any advantage
by war with us.
But the moment we acquire distant p s.
sessions we must build a navy to defend
them, for IN case OF war these possessions
would be first attacked and taken from us.
France, England and Germany have pos
sessions scattered all over the world, and
those nations are consequently compelled
to maintain immense navles to defend
them. These possessions, in case Of war
furnish so many points OF attack, so many
embarr assments, so many opportunities
for National humiliation, that the strut
is to see who can maintain the greatest
feet upon the sen. Shall we enter the
arena OF this contest?
From our earliest history we have in
! sisted that we would engage in no eli,
tangling alliances. We have said that we
would attend to our own affairs and that
our interests demanded that no European
country should gain further foothold upon
/ the Western hemisphere; and so strong
has been our moral position tndl without
a navy we have always been able to on
force this doctrine
Throughout our past we have encOunt-
cred many propositions for the annexation
OF tropical countries and we resoutey put
them behind us until judgment was cir
I cumvented by the machnat ions of cap
italistic combinations and we took forclble
possession OF the Hawaiian islands Thc
same influences are now at work to attach
permanently to the United States the
Philippine islands. still deeper in the
realms OF the blazing sea
Tropical countries produce and maintain
populations much more dense than coun-
tries in the temperate zone because il
takes less to clothe and feed and care 70.
their people, because their demands and
wants are less and because OF the wonder
full foodproduclng power OF the soil OF tho
tropics.
The island OF Java has an area M
larger than the State OF Iowa. and Il
contains $4,000 600 people. 1t Is reason
able to suppose that the Hawaiian and
Philippine islands Will maintain a popula-
ton in proportion to their area equal to
those OF other tropical countries.
~ =
But what kind of population? Tnu
more OF them the worse. There is not
a colony OF European or Anglo Saxon Ia
boreys within % degrees of the equator
anywhere on the globe.
No English, no French. no Germans, no
Scandinavians, no -Russians-none OF the
people whose blood flows iGt the veins OF
our people have colonized any portion OF
; the globe within % degrees of the equa-
tor. American enterprise and Anglo
!. Saxon thrift seek the region in the
Northern hemisphere or the Southern
hemisphere between the 3Oth and 55th do
gree of north or south latitude.
They abide where the frost chills man ;
blood and whore clothing made OF the
WOOL OF the sheep helps to keep him
warm, think it can be established as
proposition which can not be retutcO
tnat self-government and independence
and high civilization are only embraced
4 by people who find 1t necessary to wear
warm clothing and who feel the Jingle OF
No iroSt in their veins during a portion
OF the year.
For century the United States ha.
held position IN relation to the other
e nations OF the world different from that
. OF any other nation that ever existed
So great has been the moral force OF
this grand position that no American
can travel in any Aslatic country without
being constantly reminded OF 1t. n,
American can travel in these countries
5 without being constantly assured that he
e is welcome that his Nation is admired
and when you seek the reason you ar.
told that II is because the Uninrd State.
recognizes and respects the rights o
other nations and is not engaged in .
career OF conquest.
! Tho people OF Chlns and Japan feai
England fear Russia. fear Germany. bu
they love and respect the United States
shall We break down this splendid DO
slton? Where is our longtime boas
that government derives It's Just power!
from the consent of the governed?
~
Some one says that this Is an old fog
notion, l. is motif is new. That idea /
only hundred years old, and while ma
r lions are thousands and thousands Of year.
d Old all az them before we establshe,
that principle enunelated the doctrine tina
e might makes right lis il to be abandoue
r IN It's youth? Is this government to re
a cede from that splendid position and t
take its first step in wrong. in crime, a
people, by oNerturning the doctrine tia