Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-06-27
POLITICAL INDIFFERENCE.


of-all-poeHi bls-worlds" political mill.
osophers to make capital for Imperal.
ism out Of the lack OF political aeita.
tion In this country. just see, thew
say, how quietly the Supreme Court
decision was accepted. A little snlut.
tering and muttering. but then calm
and an ignoring Of the whole thing. ia
anybody excited about Cuba? Where
are the mass meetings, tho protests,
tho organized movements which would
surely result II things were as bad a.
you sayS The argument 10 that appar.
ent Indifference means hearty an
proval; and that all assertions that our
new -fanglod colonial policy is, in the
''Herious departure from right nrin.
ciples,' 20 for nothing 10 the absence
Of an Infatuated populace demanding
its abandonment. Now we beg to
obaerye. 10 the first place, that this
reasoning is pure Tammany. 1t is IRE.
cisely the line OF defence taken up by
our robbers and rulers OF the Wigwam
They can scott With the best OF our
Imperialistio optimists at the notion
that anything Is wrong with our CITY
government. ''It,s oil fudge,n they
say, "this talk Of the newspapers about
corruption in New York. Why, il it
were true, the people would rise.
There would be indignation meetings,
vigilance committees, and somebody
would be hung. But you don't see any
signs OF excitement among the people,
do you? The citizens Just 90 quietly
about their business, and show in that
way that they do not believe a word
Of your ISLANDERS. " For our part, wa
think this Tammany defence Ia com.
plete that il, II the Imperialistic de.
fence is Both reason from exactly the
same premises to the same conclusion.
And II We were bsllowiliR optimisls
about what ~ going on in Havana and
Manila, we should never have the Tacs
to lift our voices against what Tam.
many ia doing in New York. Tammany
is just an truly inevitable, y jest as
much an Hegelian world-process, " Is
American expansion is; and II the
latter 10 a great good because it 10
useless" to oppose it 80 is tte
former.
Leaving the optimists to take still
more pessimistic. riew VI Tammany for
thuss asserting ownership OF one of
their own arguments, we have to 70.
member that political indifference has
always been characteristic of time q
RAShh ppibihotpAui hiboPpAitfs n lodTluR
trade browns out for time the still
small voice. Soruples cannot get a
hearing when the land Is filled with
the hum of industry, when the streets
reaound with tfafiiu, and the Stock Tx.
change boils with excitement This ID
perfectly natural, nor is ii wholly an
evil Political duties are not the most
imperative. A man has TO work for
himself and his family before IL is hi
obligation to see that the republic tax
no harm. And in time when oppor
tunities are multiplied and the dali.
demands on strength and thought are
more pressing, comparative indiffer
| ence to what is going on in the politi.
cal world is to be expected. Ii lie, at
any rate, one of the commonest marks
of prosperous period. The misohiev-
Gus aide Of 1t is that it gives intrieuers
and ambitious politicians good chance
to commit the country to IAN adyen-
furious departure on untried paths. 2 as
President Mckinley described in ad-
vance the policy which he denounced
before adopting, But their day Of
reckoning comes later; and an interval
Of inaction and seeming aoquiescence
does not really stay the moving finger
which writes their final Judgment
| Another reason for the prevalent
political Indifference is that there is
nothing at present for excitement TO
wreak itself upon. Exhibitions and
cries, merely fol-. the sake Of filling the
streets and making din, have never
been the Anglo Saxon way, and We
hope never will he We are not Celta
or Gauls, wildly TO desire to make the
coort ring whethor we have any case
or not, or madly to rush about to con
spuer somebody. Our way is to watch
for chance to strike an effective blow
to nurse our wrath, to bide our time,
and to act upon the knowledge that
political results can be reached only by
political means. There Ia really no
occasion for excitement Just now. We
| are four months from the first election
sixteen months from the choice of tho
next Congress, Ii the people are sobarly
and resolutely thinking how they will
vote when the time comes to vote, that
is much better than going about with
| drums and banners and kicking up an
awful but Intellectual row.
Tho truth is that the argument from
Indifference cuts both ways. II we can
point to few indignant outbursts
against imperialism, neither can any
genuine endorsement of IL anywhere be
discovered. IL Is something about
which the people have not Expressed
their minds. The colonial departure
has never yet been put to vote, and we
have the assurance Of a prominent Re.
publican Senator from the West that,
II it were, it would be, as permanent
| policy, voted down yerwhelmingly.
Popular indifference is no proof that
the people are not open to conviction.
all in good time, or that they are NOT
even now keeping up tremendous
thinking. Indifference is, Ia fact, a,
bad sign for an innoyating policy like
TINT OF Imperialism. If there is not
enthusiasm for 1t, its doom is certain.
Proved indifference in republic Is
that which should be most alarming to
those who have undertaken to change
its historic policy. The fair inferenoa
Is that the new way has not found
favor, and that the old tradition will
assert itself again. Burke's great cattle
beneath the shadow of the British oak,
who chew the oud and are silent, seem
very indifferent, politically compared
with the "importunate chink', OF half
q dozen grasshoppers under a fern; hut
his historic reminder Is in point, that
the littls shrivelled, meagre, hopping,
though loud and troublesome insects,
Of the hour are not 70 imagine them
selves 1.-THE only inhahitant OF the
field"
| Blaoisbirds Are Numerous.
d ~