Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1902-04-03
AS TO IMPERIALISM.
II Does Not Consist In Purchase OF
Foreign Soil Alone.
80, rrponenf Of the syste" w"
g~aer.on-IIis Exampie seems"
Good 90 All sueceedin@
Presidents.
rseeelai washington re'isr'l .a,,ca.

ronectai Washington a,,ca-
sr~rI.EMEN of superior 49,
- ,ional acquiremen 1s III, ron.
- 80 f,rst prerequisite OF ~ -
ah,.,,ld be definition. Men "
I men .dscational requirements hn'e
SEM i.sd time. temper, and the PHtl.nee
"as.e1 ,,.ople. by discussing matters
OF 'n n they would have been SUP
on I'LL. ,s.i1y agreed, IL only their denim
s' - terms had been carefully
studied and understood.
nnring the past three years thou
.a,,ds If columns of newspaper edi-
snr;aI space have been occupied by al
icged discussions of the topic of i'm
perialism." by the use of that one
word, men have entertained widely
divergent ideas, and have reached con-
illusions as eyerlastingly opposite as
the poles.
That the people may have BIRDS
eve view of this government, as ~
really is, we may as well have taik
lust now about this subject, beginning
with the thesis that Imperialism ~
here. and has come to stay. This has
been an imperial republic for more
years than the average editorial writer
has lived; and yet very few Of our peo-
nile know it, even here in the national
capital.
The mere fact that our borders have
expanded by reason of the war WIN
Spain is a trifiing incident in the gen
eral development Of the real imperial-
ism of our government. Much has been
made of IL, but that expansion IL ano
has been small matter, as compared
with the larger facts which have be-
come apparent 10 those who have had
opportunity to study the decline OF
popular self-government, right at the
base Of operations-the seat OF gov
eminent.
The constitution, both by letter and
spirit, proposed that this should be
government of the people, for the peo-
pie and by the people; but the govern
ment was not IS years old before the
president was magnifying his office,
and placing himself above the con
Qress and the supreme court, wherever
practicable. The constitution proyid-
ed that the president, the congress
and the supreme court should forever
be ON a par, neither having power OF
precedence over the other. IL was
violation of the constitution for JEFF
ferson TO begin the use of the power OF
patronage, TO compel and coerce the
senators and representatives TO DO his
will. Jefferson was the first imperial.
list, for he was the first president 20
make use Of his Office in that manner.
President after president magnified
his Office, until In Jackson's time his
secretary of state, speaking Of the Of
fees in the gift Of the president. ut.
tered the remarkable and oft-quoted
expression: "To the yietors belong the
spoils." The republic was not &c
years old when the power Of the pres
ident had been so magnified that the
chief executive was assuming imperial
airs and powers in plain violation Of
the constitution which each president
had solemnly sworn TO obey and up
hold.
The congress should leRislate with.
out influence from any source, and the
supreme court should promulgate its
opinions without influence from any
source. Every president who ba'
used the power OF patronage to force
his will upon the congress or the court
has assumed imperial airs, and has
furthered the progress of Imperialism
in this country; and almost every pres.
ident has been guilty of that sort Of
violation Of the letter and spirit Of
the constitution.
The great and good Lincoln, during
the formation of armies in 1861, '62,