choice of the chief executive and the whole domestic aud foreign policy of the government. The Philippine Islands , with ti popu lation of eight or ten millions , must , un less wo are to vio- PHILU late the organic SENATORS. Qf the huul and hold and govern them perpetually as conquered provinces , bo erected , within a reasonable time , into several states , each with two senators and all to gether having thirty or forty represent atives ; while Cuba , with a population of a million and a half , must also become a state , with two senators , and at least live representatives according to the present ratio. But this is not ah1 we have to apprehend , for if we once inaug urate the policy of conquest and annex ation beyond the boundaries of oiir own continent at what point are wo to stop ? The possession of the Philippine Islands , Cuba , Hawaii , the Caroline Islands , the Ladrone Islands aud Porto Rico will not satisfy the aggressive spirit of imperial ism ; in fact , it will , according to the uniform experience of other nations , stimulate the desire for new acquisi tions , and wo will almost certainly go on unless checked by the armed opposi tion of other powers , until wo have fast ened upon the United States a black and yellow horde of conscript citizens to de bauch the suffrage and sap the founda tions of our free institutions. It is a permanent national policy that wo are asked to inaugurate , not merely a temporary do- NO DEVIATION. course marked out by the statesmen of the past. Visions of a great empire ex tending into every part of the habitable globe , limited only by the measure of our own military power and the bounds of our own ambition , are already begin ning to obscure the popular judgment and silence the voice of sober reason and genuine patriotism. Domestic problems of the gravest character , pressing for settlement , are treated with indifference , while dreams of wealth , of commercial supremacy abroad , martial glory , and autocratic dictation in the great inter national councils of the world , are in flaming the imaginations of the people , and rapidly driving them , without duo consideration , into the endorsement of a policy , which , when once adopted , can never be abandoned without a confession of wealuiess which no administration will ever bo willing to make. Every disappointed politician , every adventur ous speculator , every ambitious soldier of fortune , and every recldess enthusi ast , whatever may bo his calling or station in life , will clamor for now ac quisitions , and the additional patronage which a compliance with his demands would secure will always constitute a persuasive argument in support of his policy. Every extension of our juris diction over inhabited territory acquired from other countries , especially if the inhabitants are ignorant and inex perienced in public affairs , will open a fruitful field for the operations of the unscrupulous politician , which , wo maybe bo sure , ho will promptly occupy and diligently cultivate. It is said that the " " is the Spanish "carpet-bngger" now curse of the Philippine Islands , plunder ing the rich aud the poor , the church and the state , with perfect impartiality , and it is probable that his capacity for extortion and peculation has not been exaggerated ; but if we appropriate the islands it will very soon be demonstrated that the American species of this pest is much more destructive than the Spanish variety , and that ho can easily grow rich and arrogant off the remnants left by his predecessors. We must not delude ourselves with the hope or belief that the era of con quest and annexation will close when the present programme is completed ; it will bo the beginning , not the end. After the first step , public sentiment will bo so perverted aud the public ser vice so demoralized that it will require more than ordinary moral courage upon the part of the conservative element in the country to resist the aggressive movement , urged on , as it will be , by appeals to patriotism , to national pride , aud to commercial avarice. It will take our people a long time to learn , if they ever learn , that the enthusiasm and self- confidence born of successful warfare are not safe guides in matters affecting the permanent policies of the govern ment. The great danger is that they will not learn this truth at all , or learn it too late to save the republic. Hitherto wo have been exempt from the maintenance of largo standing arm ies and great nav- NO STANDINO quently the burden of taxation , while much greater at some periods than the real necessities of the public service reqxiired , has never been so heavy as seriously to impede the growth and prosperity of the country. Our energies have been devoted to the cultivation of the arts of peace , to the construction of great highways , to the development of otir mineral resources , to the improvement of water-ways , to agriculture , mamifactures , and com merce , and to the establishment of char ities and institutions of learning , and all the other interests and objects which most distinguish the civilization of a peaceful American republic from that of the armed and fortified kingdoms and empires of the old world. * * * But if wo are to adopt and successfully main tain an imperial policy , the glory of the achievement will belong principally to the army and navy , and the people at largo will simply enjoy the privilege of paying the cost. Each successful exped ition , each forcible extension of our jur isdiction over an unwilling people , will add to the laurels of the military branches of the government , and the al- most inevitable result will bo that their social and political influence will grow until they overshadow all other callings and professions. Military senators and representatives in congress will enact laws for a military president to execute , and military governors of states will not long perplex themselves with questions of civil law when the soldiery under their command can easily cut the knots with their swords. Wo will bo more fortunate than the people of some other countries if our judicial tribunals , under the elective system , shall escape the in fluence of the military spirit and con tinue to administer justice between pri vate individuals and between the gov ernment and its citizens according to the simple and conservative rules and pro cesses of the common law of the land. When territory is conquered or an nexed , wo must not only govern it , wither or without the consent of its people , but wo must also be prepared at all tiuies to protect it against the possible encroach ments of other powers ; its cities aud towns must bo garrisoned by a sufficient military force , and its coasts must bo fortified aud guarded by a navy strong enough at least to meet any sudden emergency. This involves an enormous addition to our regular army , and siieh a permanent increase of our naval es tablishment as will keep it constantly on a war footing. This drain upon our resources must bo met immediately by exorbitant taxation xipon the property of the people , and , sooner or later , by con scription of their persons ; for great standing armies and navies cannot bo permanently maintained by voluntary enlistment in a country where the op portunities for profitable employment are so great as they are here. The un wholesome climates of our tropical pos sessions will demand now victims every year , and thousands of our young men must bo forcibly withdrawn from the productive industries of the country and sacrificed to the remorseless spirit of im perialism , which has already ruined many nations and impoverished and oppressed - ' pressed may people. Already the most advanced advocates of imperialism , and even some who are opposed to it , are MAKE WAY FOH , ilmi to fore. THE KINO. see the rcsults Qf that policy and to suggest preparations to meet them ; but one of the most seri ous objections to their suggestion is that its adoption would probably provoke at once the very international entanglement which all true Americans desire to avoid. Coupled with the imperial policy , and , in fact , constituting a part of it , an alli ance with Great Britain , it is contended , would make us strong enough to hold whatever we choo.so to take in any part of the world ; but the fact seems to bo overlooked that if Great Britain is to help us take care of our dependencies , wo must help Great Britain take care of hers ; and thus , while our power and # *