The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1900-10-22
AntiImperialist League Issues Its
Warning to Independent
Voters of the Nation.
REPUBLIC IS IN DANGER.
Republican Party Would Depart
From Time HOnOred Principles
of the COnstitution-Sign-
ers of the Address.

Chicago Oct 2t.-The American Anti
Imperialist League issued an address to-
night to all independent voters in the United
States, asking them to support William J.
Bryan for President.
Among the names attached to the docu-
ment are those of George S. Boutwell,. Bos-
ton; d. II. Chamberlain. Massachusetts,.
former Governor of South Carolina; Joseph
s. Fowler. Washington, ID. G.. ex-tnited
States Senator; Edwin l.. Goodkin, New
York; William Lloyd Garrison, Boston;
Jutson Harmon, Cincinnati. ex-Attorney
General; Bishop +. d. Huntington. Syra-
cuse. n Y; Thomas Wentworth Higgins
son. Boston: Congressman Henry L.
Johnson of Indiana: william r. Lord.
Portland. ore: Charles Eliot Norton. Ha--
ward University: Franklin Pierce. New
York: Arthur Latham Perry. Williams Col
lege; Edward NJ. Shepard. New York; Moor
field Storey, Boston; Edwin r. Chl. Grand
Rapids, Mich; John ]. Valentine. president
Wells Fargo Express Company: United
States Senator George l.. Wellington. Mary
land, and ex-Congressman John Dewitt
Warner New York.
The address says:
I'VE regard with profound apprehension
the course of the present administration in
Porto Rico and the Philippines. Our prior
acquisitions were of adjacent territory for
the extension of the arsa of the constitu-
tional Government and the creation of new
States of the Union. We made their few
inhabitants citizens: our people settled
them; we there established the institutions
of freedom.
For the first time I'm our history 1t is
now proposed that the President and Con-
gress shah rule vast territories and mil
lions OF men outside our constitutional sys-
lem Officials sworn to support the Con-
ctltution and deriving all their powers there
from, have acquired colonies and assumed
arbitrary authority to govern their inhab-
i,ants without consent and to tax them
without representation-
InDeriaIi,u Plainly Defined.
This policy offers to the people of Porto
Rico and the Philippines no hope of in
dependence. no prospect OF American citf-
zenship, representation in the Congress
which taxes them. This is the Government
of men by arbitrary power; this is I'M
perialsm.
I'VE believe that it is the first duty of
the American people to stamp with their
disapproval doctrines SO hostile to liberty
and dangerous to constitutional govern
ment. II they are TO remain free and their
government is to continue representative,
their servants must not have or exercise
any but constitutional powers. Between
the claim that frecmen are entitled to equal
rights and the dogma of tyranny that mignt
makes right, there is no fniduie ground.
I've have not. prior to this year. sup
ported the candidacy of MIR. Bryan. We
do not now concur in certain of his views
on minor issues. Yet his position on the
supreme issue of the present campaisn is 50
sound and his advocacy of 1t has been so
able and courageous that We now favor his
election as the most effective way of show
ing disapproval of Mr.. McKinleys course.
Republic i'm Grave Danger.
Without claiming any special political in
fiuence. unite for what our example may
be worth TO our fellow-citizens in this state
ment of proposed action in the presence of
"a greater danger than We have encoun-
tered since the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth
Rock-the danger that We are to be trans
formed from a Republic, founded on the
Declaration of Independence. guided by the
counsels of Washington, into vulgar.
commonplace Empire. founded on physical
force
I'VE invite the cooperation of all in
dependent voters to avert this great and
impending danger"