Kansas agitator. [volume] (Garnett, Kan.) 1890-1905, 1901-08-30
GOSPEL OF GREED.
HOW 1T IS F06TERED BY THE
ADMINISTRATION.
Republicans of the Lincoln Persuasion
Being Driven Out of the Party
This Falls Elections VIII BE
Straw.

Stretching the Constitution and de-
riding the Declaration Of Independence
is now the settled policy Of the leaders
OF the Republican party. The scheme
of Imperialism, evolved by them could
not be carried through without doing
so and the old Hamiltonian policy that
was killed by Jefferson has never
dared to again show its mead until
Republicans who revere the memory of
their greatest apostle, Lincoln. are SAD
at heart as they see this new gospel
of greed practiced in place of the equal
rights to all which is now discarded
theory of their party and as the Wash
ington Times says: 1T Is impossible
to avoid the conclusion that the great
body of Republicans think more OF
their party and it's ephemeral plans
and purposes than they do Of the or
ganic law of the land. 1t may be SAID
nay, it is said-that there is partisan
feeling on both sides. This doubtless
is true. Many Democrats who know
nothing of the fundamental principles
involved, oppose the Administrators
policy in a strictly party spirit. Still,
the fact remains that in their present
Interpretation of the Constitution the
Popu!ist press and party leaders have
been entirely consistent. They take the
same position now that the party has
always taken, and what Is even more
important at this juncture, the Popu-
lists of today take the identical view
of the great constitutional question
now before the country that the Re-
publicans themselves always took until
it became necessary for them either to
change or to condemn their own Ad-
ministration.
The present attitude of the Republic.
can party is not only absolutely new in
our political history, but ut is an atti-
tude that is full of danger to the Re-
public. If the Constitution can be
strained or stretched in one particular,
so it can in any other There can be
no exceptions. All Of it is absolutely
binding or none of 1t is. Every branch
of the government is controlled and
limited by it, or no branch of 1t
is. The question now before the coun-
try is not one of a strict or liberal in
depreciation of the Constitution. The
opponents of the Administrator pol
icy are not invoking the rule Of strict
or narrow Interpretation. They con-
cede to the Federal Government every
power that is either expressly granted
or fairly to be implied from what Is
so granted. But they object to any
branch of the Government exercising
power anywhere outside and indepen,
dent of the great charter from which
every vestige of Federal authority is
derived. &
THE doctrine that Congress may
govern the new possessions without re-
gard to the Constitution is fraught with
infinite danger If we should continue
to expand, the time might easily come
when Congress, or perhaps the Presl1
dent alone. would be governing more
people outside of the Constitution than
live under it. In such case the Presl-
dent would be the dominant force, and
the danger of lodging such power In
the hands of an ambitious man should
be clear to the most ordinary intellect.
1t is not going too far to say that 1t
might arm him with the means of sub
verting free government even within
the limits of the present states He
could, at all events, make strong eff
fort in that direction, for his power IN
the outlying territories would enable
MIN to command great resource in men
and money. True, the intelligent and
patriotic spirit of the American peo-
pie might reassert themselves in time
to save the Republic, but how much
better it is to apply every safeguard In
time, and thus prevent approach OF an
actual crisis.
Perhaps the strongest argument
against this new doctrine is that there
is nothing whatever in the present sit
uation which gives even colorado
excuse for departure from not only the
time-honored traditions of the Repub-
lie, but from the plain letter and spirit
of the Constitution as well. Men talk
as il the country were menaced by
some grave danger from which it could
only be saved by giving the Constitu-
ton an elastic Interpretation, and in
yesting the President and Congress
with imperial powers, when in truth
and fact it is the creation of these i'm
perial powers that constitutes the only
real danger in sight"