The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1902-08-01
The NEW ENGLAND DEMOCRATS.
CONTINUED from First Page)

lust for power. The late Secretary of
the Treasury. Mr.. Gage. advocated
our Philippine policy from the double
motive of philanthropy and per
cent. profit. - II Is undoubtedly true
that men have slain their fellows for
the cause of righteousness Ii Is Just
as true that men have done murder for
the purpose Of robbery. But | doubt
whether any man ever killed another
for the love of money and also for the
love of God. The present Secretary
of the Treasury SCOTS at the idea that
we nave entered upon this bloody bust
ness from motives of humanity. He
tells us with brutal frankness that we
are Staying the Filipinos simply TO get
control of their markets. Take away
from this policy the coarse and sordid
idea of gain and there is not enough
humanitarian idea behind it to sustain
il for single hour.
COMMERCE DOESN' T MEAN WAR.
We are told that we must have
colonies to extend our trade. Fellow
citizens, the Democratic party has
been always in sympathy with the true
commercial spirit. We want to see
our products sold IN every market and
our flag floating ON every sea. But we
are not in sympathy with that spurious
commercialism in whose dictionary
buying and selling are synonymous
with killing and stealing. We do not
believe that trade means plumber or
that commerce means war. On the
contrary, we believe that commerce
will move with swifter and surer foot
in the ways of peace than In pains
made slippery with human blood.
The commercial statistics of our own
country utterly refute the doctrine that
we must extend our trade by shooting
our customers and capture market by
bombarding city.
One of the truths which this nation
has taught mankind is that world
wide commerce may go hand in hand
with Christian mercy and the prlncl-
pies of a free republic. l challenge
any man to compare the wealth and
power, the trade and industry OF the
United States with the greatest CO.
lonial nations of the world. Our
wealth and trade have not been In
creased by distant possessions; yet our
exports are greater than those OF any
European nation, while our internal
commerce surpasses anything of which
thew have ever dreamed. European
nations. which for centuries have rid
den with bloody hoof over PROSTATE
nations and marked their every ad-
vance by the slaughter of their brother
man, stand aghast at the conquerlng
strides of American commerce In az
the markets of the world, and for all
this marvellous commercial CROWN no
struggling republics have been toully
murdered, no nations have been snorn
of their liberty, no widows nave
mourned, no orphans wept, no blooo
criea ont against us from the ground
Gentlemen tell us that we must nave
colonies in order to have trade. L an
swer that without colonies we nave
become the greatest industrial nation OF
the world.
THE PHILIPPINE MARKET.
And what of this great market in the
Philippine Islands for which we nave
souandered 80 much blood and tr easure
1t is little difficult to understand ]ost
what conception our imperialist friends
have of the Filipinos. When they
talk about him from the standpolnt OF
government, he is stark naked par
barian, who has not even reached the
breech clout stage OF clvillzatlon'
When they talk of him from the stand
point of trade they want you TO MINK
of him as flooding the American
market with his orders for dress goods,
boots and shoes, bicycles, steam plows
and pianos. One moment he is nude
barbarian, clothed in feathers, req
paint and hot weather. The next
moment he is keeping all the mills ana
factories of the world working double
time to supply the demands Of his re-
fined and luxurious tastes. we are
told in one breath that he IS an lg
norant and illiterate savage and IN the
next that he has been melted to war
by reading the Congressional Record.
I have sometimes thought that COM
posite picture OF the Filipino in accord
ance with the views of our lmperlallst
friends would represent him sitting by
lhe camp f,e reading the scholarly
speeches of Senator Hoar, while waiting
for the missionary to boil.
Why. ladies and gentlemen, II we
could make profit of ten per cent on
ali the goods we sell to the Philippine
Islands 1T would take us thousand
wears to get back what we have already
expended. If we could increase our
present trade thousand per cent. and
make profit of ten per cent. on every
export and import it would just about
defray the cost of maintaining there
three regiments of American soldiers.
Some of our military officers say that
we must keep in the Philippines for an
indefinite time an army of fifty. thous
and men. Such an army kept there for
a single twelve months would consume
the profit on our present trade for one
hundred and fifty years. That Is the
size of the imperial bonanza we nave
found in those distant seas.
EVILS OF WORLD POWER"
But the imperialists tell us, with
vague magnIficence Of language, that
we have suddenly become world
power" and, therefore, we must plunge
into the thick of the European struggle
for world wide empire and dominion.
Instead OF preserving vast but COM
pact and continuous territory, in.
habited by people of our own race and
blood, instead of engaging in pros
.o,,, oo,,,oarra with all nations but