The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1900-07-28
VOICES FROM THE PAST.
rropheuc Utter"nces of Washington
and Webster Concerning
imperialism.

III MS farewell address Washington
warned his people against the tim,
when aggregated wealth should he
come arrogant and tyrannical. Hi,
prophetic spirit foresaw the day o,
McKinleyism and trusts.
NO less clearly did Lincoln forese,
and foretell the very times that hay,
come upon the country. His words O.
warning were:
see IN the near future a crisis ap.
proacnlng that unnerves me and causes
me to tremble for the safety of NV conn.
try. AS result of the war corporations
nave been enthroned, and an era of cor.
rupuon In high places will follow, and
the money power of the country will en-.
ueaVor TO prolong its reign by working
upon the prejudices of the people until
all the wealth is aggregated in a few
hands and the republic DESTROYED. I feel
at thls moment more anxiety for the
satety OF my country than ever before
even In the midst of war. God grant that
my suspicious may prove groundless."
Ills Tears were not groundless. They
have been realized in more terrible
form than ever he imagined possible
His anxiety for his country was we'll
rounded. There remains but one steI
in his prophecy unfulfilled-the de.
struction of the republic. All this is
not past believing, unless the people
Shall rise in their might and overthrow
the tyrant wealth. before it has sub.
Jected them to its power so completely
that there is no relief except through
the frightful method of war.
There was another great American
in his day, now scorned and scoffed
and held in contempt as little Amer.
lean by the Hanna-McKinley quality
His name was Daniel Webster. He
too, with prophetic spirit OWNED the
day of McKinleyism and warned the
people against it. The seeds of i'm.
perialism had been sown in his day
though he wrought nightly to ex-
terminate them. up to the last day
of his life he could not do so:
Arbitrary governments may have ter
ritories and distant possessions, because
arbitrary governments may rule by diff
ferent laws and different systems. We
can do no such things. They must be of
us, part of us, or else strangers | think
l see a course adopted which is likely to
turn the constitution of the land into a
deformed monster, into a curse, rather
than blessing: In fancy, frame of an
unequal government, not founded on pop
ular representation, not founded on equal
ity, but on the grossest inequality; and I
think that this process will go on. or that
there is danger that it will go on, until
this union shall fall to pieces. Resist it
to-day and always! Whoever falters or
whoever flies, l continue to contest"
Either this must become an arbi-
trary government or we must give up
colonial possessions. The genius of the
constitution and law of the United
States is opposed to different forms
of government for different peoples of
the nation. The constitution will be-
come deformed monster if it is made
to mean one thing for part of our peo-
pie and another thing for others. And
once it becomes deformed monster it
may turn and devour its creators.
Webster foresaw that McKinleyism
would come. though he never ceased
resisting the tendency. He foresaw, as
Lincoln did, the ultimate destruction
of the land of liberty, the land both
loved so well, unless there was a radi-
cal change in the tendencies of their
times. Both saw the dire fate in store
for our people, and both had sufficient
ground for predicting it.
Voices from the past warn the voters
of the United States to rouse them
selves before it is too late. The ac-
cumulated dangers foreseen by Wash
ington and Lincoln and Webster are
upon the people of the United States.
Helena Independent.