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12 T3be Conservative.
ANTI-IMI'KKIAMST M2AiUK.
Declaration of Principles and Preliminary
Organization.
"A true republic of free men must ,
rest upon the principle that all its citi-
/.ons are equal under the law ; that a
government derives its just powers
from the consent of the governed , and
that there must he no taxation without
representation. These principles aban
doned , a republic exists but in name ,
and its people lose their rights as free
men. *
"Planting itself upon theses lasting
truths , the people of the United States
solemnly declared in their constitution
that the citizens of each state should
have the privilege and immunities of
citizens of the several states ; that all
persons born or naturalized in the
United States and subject to its juris
diction should be citizens of the United
States and the several states , and that
the rights of none should bo abridged on
account of race , color or previous condi
tion of servitude.
"The constitution gives to the United
States no more than to the individual
the right to hold slaves or vassals , and
recognizes no distinction between
classes of citizens , one with full rights
as free men , and another as subjects
governed by military force.
"We are in full sympathy with the
heroic struggle for liberty of the people
of the Spanish islands , and , therefore ,
wo protest against depriving them of
their rights by an exchange of masters.
"Expansion by natural growth in
thinly settled contiguous territory , ac
quired by purchase for the express pur
pose of ultimate statehood , cannot bo
confounded with nor made analogous to
foreign territory conquered by war and
wrested by force from a weak enemy.
A beaten foe has no right to transfer a
people whose consent has not been
asked , ajid a free republic has no right
to hold in subjection a people so trans
ferred.
"No American until today has dis
puted these propositions ; it remains for
the new imperialism to set tip the law
of might , and to place commercial gain
and a false philanthropy above the
sound principles upon which the repub
lic was based. In defence of its posi
tion , it has already urged the fallacy of
the Declaration of Independence and
proclaimed a wisdom superior to that of
the framers of the constitution.
"As solemnly as a people could , we
announced the war to be wholly for hu
manity and freedom , without a thought ,
desire , or purpose of gain to ourselves ;
all that wo sought has been accomplished
in Cuba's liberation. Shall wo now
prove false to our declaration and seize
by force islands thousands of miles
away whoso peoples have not desired
our presence , and whoso will wo have
not asked ?
, "Whatever islands we take must bo
annexed or held in vassalage to the re-
'
public. Either course is dangerous to
the physical and moral safety of the na
tion , inconsistent with our professions ,
and must i-esult in foreign complications ,
which will imperil and delay the settle
ment of pressing financial , labor and ad
ministrative questions at home.
"Impressed with the importance of
these views , and recalling the declara
tion of the president that the war with
Spain could never degenerate into a
war of conquest , wo have deferred ac
tion until it has become apparent that
pressure was being brought upon the
president to convince him that public
opinion demands the inclusion of alien
territory and great masses of alien people
ple into the territory of the United
States.
"We stand by the president's declara
tion , and in order to give evidence of
the opposition to a foreign expansion
policy by a vast body of our people have
organized an anti-imperialist league
upon the following general plan :
"Finit. The centre of the movement
to be at Washington , with a local secre
tary there for executive work.
" . .SVtojHCommittees / of correspon
dence to conduct the work in such a
manner as to bring together the united
efforts of men of repute throughout the
country , without regard to party , to
deal with the subject in all its aspects ,
as follows :
1. "The moral iniquity of converting
a war for humanity into a war of con
quest.
2. "The physical degeneration , the
corruption of the blood , and all the evils
of militarism which will ensue if the
troops are to be kept in the Philippines and
elsewhere longer than absolutely neces
sary to enable a government to be es
tablished which will protect life and
property.
! } . "The political evils and the neces
sity of preserving the Union upon the
principles of its framers.
4. "The clear necessity of large in
crease of taxes for the support of armies
and navies , with a great probability that
voluntary enlistment will have to be
siappleuiented by drafts.
"Committees of correspondence have
begun work under the name of the An
ti-Imperialist League , the first measure
being to organize the moral forces of
the country for the purpose of present
ing the following protest to the presi
dent and to the congress of the United
States :
"To the president and congress of the
United States :
"The undersigned citizens protest
against any extension of the sovereignty
of the United States over the Philip
pine islands , in any event , or over other
foreign territory , without the free con
sent of the people thereof , believing that
such action would bo dangerous to the
republic , wasteful of its resources , in
violation of constitutional principles ,
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and fraught with moral and physical
evils to our people.
"Every citizen believing in the above
is iirged to copy it , obtain immediately
as many signatures as possible , and send
forward the signed protest to the secre
tary of the Anti-Imperialist League ,
Washington , D. C. , where the names
will be enrolled , without liability to as
sessment , as members of the league ,
and the protest presented to the presi
dent and congress.
"Submitted on behalf of the execu
tive committee , of the Anti-Imperial
ist League , of which the Honorable
George S. Boutwell is president.
EKVING WINSLOW , Secretary. "
"Boston , Nov. 19 , 1893.
Mr. Paul Morton , of Chicago , head of
the traffic department of the Atchison ,
Topelm and Santa Fe railway , is a guest
of the Shoreham. He is tall and heav
ily built and there is a good deal about
him to remind one of his noted father ,
J. Sterling Morton , secretary of agricul
ture in the cabinet of Mr. Cleveland.
"Our system , " said Mr. Morton ,
speaking of his railroad , "has lately pur
chased several hundred miles of road
that puts the Atchison and Topeka into
San Francisco and gives us a total of
about 7,800 miles. We are doing a
handsome business in all the country
reached by us. The West and South
west are in magnificent condition. Wo
have 1,000 miles of track in Texas , and
in that state we carried 100,000 more
bales of cotton this year than in 1897.
Texas has close on to 8,000,000 of people
now , and it could easily sustain 30,000-
000 , being an empire in itself.
Out West the people of Kansas and
Nebraska are enjoying solid chunks of
prosperity. They own more and owe
less than at any period in their history.
I think the prosperity of the Western
country has come to stay , and unless
there should bo a series of crop failures
the material development of that region
is going to bo on a scale of tremendous
magnitude. " Washington Post.
Word comes from New York that
Paul Morton and his brothers , who han
dle the sale of the Outer Belt line , Chicago
cage , have realized a profit of from
$500,000 to $1,000,000. Sunday World-
Herald , December 11 , 1898.
THE CONSERVATIVE considers the
above story entirely unreliable. Its
editor frequently belted those gentlemen
on a long line of paternal discipline with
out asking such fabulous profits , and in
fact at bottom figures.
Smallpox is reported as prevailing in
sections of Pennsylvania , Ohio , Illinois ,
Iowa , Missouri , Kansas , Nebraska and
Colorado , and being found on many in
coming passenger boats. Besides the
places mentioned as above in news
papers , there are no doubt many others
where the authorities are stamping out
the disease by the ingenious process of
calling it something else.
