The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-08-16

American republic. But Genera Mac
Arthur knows better and says, for he
argues that to trust in any other power
or plan than "a well organized army
and navy is TO surrender all, ito put
in jeopardy the entire future OF Amer
lean possibilities In the archipelago"
The comment on MacArthurs reyela-
tions by the New York Evening Post
is practical and pointed. We quote a
part:
This will be hard reading for the
kindly gentleman at Canton, who was
beginning to think the Filipinos were
now SO grateful to him that he could
call home the army. General Mac
Arthur, however, is very skeptical
about Filipino gratitude and he has
been much nearer to its manifestations
than has the president. Some day, per-
haps, says the military governor, you
may expect the people Of the Philip
pines TO feel affection for the United
States; but we must keep u powder
dry and our guns unlimbered for man.
a year yet. Such are the trials OF a be-
nevolent assimilator."
The Boer war may end before the
war of conquest in the remote Philip
| pines.
1t is a suggestive fact that recruiting
| has very much declined in this country.
1t has been foun impossible to obtain
southern men for Uncle Sans big navy
Then it is also known that men are not
so anxious to go 5000 miles away tc
shoot natives who are not trying tc
conquer the United States. The British
are in some trouble in the same way.
Apropos of expansion, it has beer
often pointed out by the Messenger an6
scores of other newspapers that the ex.
pansion of President Mckinley is no
the expansion favored by Presiden'
Jefferson in the long ago. He is relied
upon by a certain school of politician!
and newspapers for help to sustain
their contention and the course of thu
administration. The expansion of thu
democratic party has been a very diff.
ferent thing from that of the presenr
republican movement. There it a wide
impossible difference between them
Take this. which we opportunity me
with in a brief speech made last weel
by Representative Joseph T. Johnston
Of South Carolina, at the great politi'
cal gathering and two days speech
making at Union, S. C. Mr.. Johnston
said:
Expansion is democracy, but Wher
we acquired Texas, Florida, Louisiana
and Oregon this country was acquiring
territory where American citizens were
willing to go and territory that natur.
ally belonged to his country and PEG.
pie. The Almighty carved this terri.
tory and for this people. When you sc
abroad and take territory more densely
populated than Massachusetts, with E
different n unwilling people, that is
not expansion such as we want, and il
is wrong. Imperialism is a republican
fact, not a democrats prophecy.
'It is pure and simple despotism tC
try to gOvern people against their will
Mckinley has no constitutional au.
thority to govern eight millions of alier
people. Neither was there authority tc
send soldiers n sailors to conquer ar
unwilling people. The imperialism o.
today differs from that of Great Bri'
tain in degree only"
Let us note here that the politica
meeting referred to was n of the mos
remarkable gatherings held in The
some of them particularly good. The
News and Courier says that ex-Repre
sentative John J. Hemphill made {
most elaborate and able argument OF
expansion and subsidies, opposing boil
as undemocratic and corrupt.