Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1901-01-10


The Closing Passages of ex.President
Harrison's Article.
North American Review. ~
But we are now having IL dinned into
our ears that expansion is the law of
life, ard that expansion Is not prac-
ticable IL the Constitution is to go with
the flag. Lord Salisbury, some years
ago, stated this supposed law Of
national life. In arecent address, Mr..
james Bryce says, by way OF comment:
He thinks it like bicycle. which must
fall when it comes to n standstiil. It Is an
awkward result of this doctrine that when
there is no more room for expansion, and
q time must come, perhaps soon, when
there will be no more room, the empire will
begin to decline.
II Great Britain, with her accented
problem OF growth by expansion in
oreasingly hard, it will lie harder for
US for we are fettered by our traditions
as to popular rights, at ieast--if not by
our Constitution.
healthy sort; it may be dropsical. II
judgment Is passed now, the attempted
conquest of the Beer republics has not
trengthenedi. Great Britain. She has
not gained esteem. She has not in
creased her loyal population. She has
created need for m0Ie outlying gairI-
sons--already too numerous. She has
strained her military and financial re-
sources, and has had revelation OF the
need of larger armies and stronger
coast defenoes at home. The recent
appeal of Lord Salisbury at the Lord
Mayors banquet for more complete
island defepoes ia most significant. Did
the South African war furnish a truer
measure of the empires land strength
than the familiar campaigning against
half. savage peoples had done? The old
coach, with Its power to stand as we'll
as to move, may after all be safer
carriage for the hopes and interests of
o great people than the bicycle. ss
Some one will say increasing years
and rstiremment and introspeetion have
broken your touch with practical affairs
and left you out of sympathy with the
glowing prospect Of territorial expan.
sion that now opens before us that it
has always been SO; the Louisiana and
the Alaskan purchases we're opposed by
some fearful souls. I But have been
making no argument against expan-
sion. The recent acquisitions from
Spain must present, widely different con-
ditions from all previous acquisitions
OF territory, sinoeoit seems to be ad-
mitted that they cannot. be allowed to
become part offthe United States
without loss that overbalanoes the
gain; that we can only safely acquire
them upon the condition that we can
govern them without any constitutional
restraint. 3.4liae
One who has retired from the service,
but not from the love OF his country,
must be pardoned IL he finds himself
unable to rejoice 10 the acquisition Of
lands and forests and mines and COM
merce, at the cost of the abandonment
of the old American idea that GOV
ernment OF absolute powers is an in
tolerable thing, and, under the Consti-
tuition of the unied States, an impoa-
sible thing, The view of the Constitu-
tion l have suggested will not limit the
plowei of territorial expansion; but it
will lead us to limit the use Of that
power to regions that may safely be-
come part of the United States, and
to people whose American citizenship
may be allowed. 1t has been said that
the flash of Dewey's guns in Manila
Bay revealed to the American people
new mission. like rather to think of
them as revealing the same old mission
that We read in the fash OF Washing
toms guns at Yorktown.
God forbid that the day should ever
come when, in the American mind, the
thought OF man as a '.consumer" shall
submerge the old American thought of
man as creature of God, endowed
with unalIenable rights" ri