Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-09-09

mated by the Republican party to be
the successor of Theodore Roosevelt
and to carry the banner of patriotism,
righteousness and prosperity to higher
levels than have been attained in all
our past. William Fl. Taft oil Ohio.
Finally the question is. are we to
maintain our present prosperity at
home and Orr exalted position among
the nations Of the earth?
Candidate Bryan answers. mo"
He stands upon the Anti Expansion
plank Of the Democratic platform. and
true to his destructive rather than
constructive policy, he cries Bring
back the flag. call home those Ameri-
can institutions which are working for
the regeneration of a down trodden peo-
pie. and let us live as our fathers did,
within the limits of our immediate
national area, and let us not forget
that George Washington advised us to
beware of entangling alliances with
the Old World
But I cannot see how anyone who
believes in American history can pos
sibly oppose the principle of expan.
sion
True. Georg sc Washington advised us
against "entangling alliances" but
that was in our infancy, at q time
when we were limited in numbers and
resources. and when the experiment
OF Democracy was trembling in the
balance.
But since then we have gone stead
lily forward In 1903. under the father
of Democracy, Thomas jefferson, we
secured the Louisiana Purchase and
expanded until we about doubled our
size. In 1914. under Madison. we took
in Florida and under Madison and
Monroe W" acquired Oregon and
Washington. the great Northwest ter
ritories. Then under that high priest
of Democracy. Andrew Jackson. we
took Texas. a vast empire within it
self; in 1SiS California and the Pacific
coast We're taken by Polk; in 1869 we
picked up Alaska. under Grant.
With such history we ought not
to get dyspepsia over the Hawaiian
Islands, Porto Rico, the Samoan Is
lands or the Philippines.
All this hue and cry about expansion
is the result of an expansion forced
upon us by Providence.
ono night Spain planted magazine
under the Maine and then we were
expanded without being consulted
upon the question I'VE went up into
the air, and came down everywhere
to stay"
Spain expanded us and we disband-
ed Spain. There We're those who said
that the Republican administration
would not resent the insult of Spain
Indeed it was urged by certain critics
that Mr.. Mckinley was the plant tool
of Wall Street and that he lacked
spinal column. Mr.. Mckinley, however.
remembered the advice of Nestor to
the Greek generals, when he coun-
selled attack upon Troy. "The secret of
victory is in getting a good ready"
1t took us q few months to get started
Our navy was weak and our army
lacked compact organization. The
man in the White House was getting
a good ready" Finally when he was
ready, he seized the navy with one hand
and the army with the other and swing
ing them UP and around he landed
such .. blow between the eyes of
Spain that Spain saw nothing but
stars stripes, and the world has
since had a larger vision of our flag
flag which is no holiday banner but
n solemn signal. the symbol of national
power and authority.
That victory over Spain in the inter-
ests of humanity marked new era in
our national history. Prior to that we
had been a national hermit. living
within ourselves and for ourselves.
George Washington had placed that
little Anti Expansion bib upon us,
that is. his monition fitted us like
bib He said keep in the middle Of
the lot or the boys on the other side
of the lot will throw mud on your
bib
SO we Rugged the corner of our lot
and kept in the middle of our lot and
stuck to our bib until we outgrew the
lot In the meantime. as we grew
larger our bib looked like a cotton
natch on the front of our blue uniform
We grew from three millions scattered
along a. part of the Atlantic coast to
seventy-ivc millions filling the CONT
nent from sea to sea.
Then our bib was too small for rs
and yet we held on to it; we staid in
our western Atlantic waters perfectly
content. never wanting to go any
where else: we expected to stay there
forever. but when the Maine went up
our bib flew off and we were enlarged
by order of Providence-for the in
evitable sequence of that explosion are
parts of the explosion itself Today
where Uncle Sam sits is the head of
the table!
He Is the international McGreggor
His foot is on the call hell and his
hand srasps the carver. There can be