Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1900-09-27
Entered at the Post Office at Laporte, al
second-class mail matter.
(special Correspondence

Especial Correspondence
Harrisburg, Sept. 25.-Reports from
different counties in Pennsylvania,
carefully gathered within the last few
weeks. all show that the cry of "imperi-
alism' is having no effect upon Repub-
lican voters, and that many Democrats
are denouncing Bryan for his course
on this issue, which has been encourag-
ing the insurgents in Luzon to continue
their hostility toward the United
States.
Leading politicians identified with
the state committee of the Democracy
in Pennsylvania have been making
wild boasts about the Democratic gains
that are to be recorded at the coming
election on account of the policy of the
Mckinley administration regarding the
Philippines. The president has put
himself squarely on record on this is
sue, and in his recent letter Of accept
ance of the nomination for vice presi-
dent Col. Roosevelt was equally en-
phatic in expressing himself on this
subject. His letter contained one pass
age which presented Bryan's false "par-
amount issue in a novel aspect, and
made a valuable addition to the liter
ature of the present campaign.
ROOSEVELT TELLS THE STORY.
Col. Roosevelt said:
Properly speaking, the question
IS not whether we shall expand
for we have already eXpanded-but
whether we shall contract. The
Philippines are now part of Amer
lean territory. To surrender them
would be to surrender American
territory"
Bryan's position could not be more
clearly explained nor more forcibly
expressed in five times the space allot-
ted to him in these three sentences.
Bryan is not an anti-imperialist, for
no such thing as Imperialism threatens
the United States, and no American is
an imperialist. Bryan is a contrac-
tionist a contractionist of American
territory, if he has his way. Governor
Roosevelt is an anti-contractionist.
The governors letter effectively sup
plemented McKinley's discussion Of
the Philippine policy with this straight
forward proposition:
'To turn over the islands to Aguinal-
do and his followers would not be to
give self government to the islanders;
under no circumstances would the ma
jority thus gain self government. They
would simply be put at the mercy of
syndicate of Chinese half breeds, un-
der whom corruption would flourish
far more freely than ever it floTished
under Tweed, while tyrannical oppres-
sion would obtain to a degree only
possible under such an oligarchy."
Many Democrats throughout Penn
sylvania and the Union at large have
refused to follow Bryan in the present
canvass on account of his so-called
"anti-imperialistic" campaign.
WANTS COMMERCIAL EXPANSION.
A we'll known Democrat of this city,
who, for years, was prominent in the
councils of the Democracy Of Pennsyl-
vania, in commenting upon the Bryan
plan of campaign yesterday, said:
For years the Democratic party /
has been clamoring for return Of !,
the old commercial prosperity; the j
prosperity which sent the clipper [
ships of the United States into ev-
cry sea on the globe, but now that |;
an ideal opportunity is offered q
whereby the long sought end may
be attained the party turns it's h
back squarely upon it. The Demo-
cratic party is in the position of 1.
Moses viewing the expanse OF
promised land and then dropping g
dead. AS for Bryan, he is simply Y
adding another chapter to his old Z
time fallacy of 16 to 1. /
| believe in expansion for COM
mercial reasons. Trade with the
east was the financial making of
all the ancient nations, and 1t &C
counts for the present prosperity
of many modern ones. Columbus
f,tr n1,1 Ind II to- r1H&1 Ia
searching for an easier'route to the
East Indies than the path then
known, and since the time of Tyre
the east has supplied the CONNER
cial wealth of the most prosperous
nations of Europe. At first 1t was
trade with India only and some OF
the adjacent islands. Later Japan
and China became big factors, and
now, when the United States IS in
a position to practically monopo-
lize, or if not that tU control, a
great part of the eastern COM
merce, the Democratic party
throws up it's hands and protests.
Consider the advantage which
this country has over others. In
the first place our Pacific coast Is
about 1000 miles nearer to the
eastern trading center than any of
the European nations. We have
besides half way station in the
Hawaiian islands, and in tho Phil
2ippines what has rightly been
termed the doorway of the east.
Thus equipped, the United States
is second to no other country in its
ability to carry on q successful
I. trade with China and Japan"
No patriotic and wide awake Amer
lean should support Bryan.
THE DOCTRINE OF CHANCES.