Auburn High School - Bulldog Yearbook (Auburn, NE)

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6 SCARLET AND GREEN cost to the government, yet they have been of great advantage to the United States commercially. For in 1897 the imports of the Philippines were in round figures $6,000, -000 from Spain, $1,000,000 from England, $1,000,000 from Germany, some from other nations while from the United States, $2,-000,000. In 1903 this was changed to only $700,000 from Spain, $300,000 from England, $150,000 from Germany, while the imports from the United States had increased from $2,000,000 to $12,000,000. Was not the transferring of this great amount of trade from these nations to the United States of great commercial advantage? My opponents spoke of imperialism as a result of taking more territory. Why should not the present generaiton enjoy opportunities similar to those furnished our fahters by the acquisition of Louisiana, Florida, Texas, New Mexico, and California? The suggestion that the acquisition of territory is imperialism is refuted by the fact that neither Jefferson, Monroe, Jackson, Polk, nor any of their associates were ever called imperialists. The imperialism they advanced made homes for liberty-loving and self-governing citizens, whose loyalty to the United States was not exceeded by even that of the thirteen original colonies. If to assist the people of the Philippines to establish self-government after Jefferson’s own plan is imperialism, then Jefferson was the pioneer imperialist. But what is imperialism? It is the soverign rule without law. It is government by personal will. Where law exists imperialism does not and cannot exist. Even the president has no power, except through law. In considering whether to annex a territory we must ascertain if it is geographically, commercially and politically so situated as to be of value to us if annexed. If our interests are vitally concerned; if weare so situated that our commercial relations are as state to state; and we find that a closer relationship will be of advantage to us as a country and a people., then most assuredly we have a right to claim the annexation of such territory. Let us consider what expansion has done for the United States and what we would have been but for expansion. At the time of our independence we were only thitreen small states. Our territory on the west extended only to the Mississippi. Spain had Florida, all west of the Mississippi, and controlled both banks of that river at its mouth. Under these conditions could the United States have become the powerful nation she is today? Would there not have been endless conflicts with Spain over the Mississippi and the adjoining territory? We could not long remain in so small a space. Soon came the great purchase of Louisina in 1803, from France for the trifling sum of $15,000,000. This is less than what one per cent of the agricultural products of that country are now worth in a single year. Out of this vast territory, which is larger than the entire original thirteen colonies at the time of their independence, has been made fourteen grand states, the majority of which stood loyally by the North in the civil wai. These states were of the greatest importance in preserving the Union. They now produce fifty per cent of all the wheat grown in the United States and they abound in live stock, wool, cotton, dairy products, mineral wealth and many other things of great value. The Grecian states performed many remarkable feats of colonization, but each colony, as soon as created became en- , tirely independent of the mother country, and in after years was just as apt to prove its enemy as its friend. Rome took the exact opposite and expanded her rule over the entire civilized world, but gave no room whatever, for local liberty or self-government. Our expansoin over Louisiana not only avoided these errors of both Greece and Rome, but gave the world a new idea. The nations of Europe up to that time had treated their colonies, not as self-governing equals, but as subjects. The United States divided its new territory into states and admitted them on equal rights with the old. Then came the successive acquisitions of Florida from Spain in 1819, Texas in 1845, the territory ceded by Mexico in 1848, in 1853 the Gadsden purchase and the Pacific west in 1846, ’48 and ’53. All indicated that the next step would be the absorption of Canada, but this was for the time delayed by the civil war. Later, in 1867, Alaska was ceded to the United States by Russia. Now Canada is one piece of territory which it would be to the best interests of the people of the United States to annex. It is so situated that the value to us geo-ographically, commercially, and politically. The commercial relations are such as that of one state with that of another. My opponents may tell you that under the Monroe

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SCARLET AND GREEN 5 of the cadet company, President of his class, and represented the A. H. S. in the Inter-High School debate, in which contest the A. H. S. was on the winning side. Since graduating here in 1903, he has been teaching in his home town. He is now at the head of the Johnson public schools. THE FOUNDING OF SCARLET GREEN “I had a dream, That was not all a dream.” The legend of Scarlet and Green has always remained a mystery. Few know the story of the origin of this journal, and those few have now passed from the balcony of school life in which they were then standing into the large auditorium of life. To Walter H. Kiechel, ’03, there came a dream which was not all a dream—the dream of an Auburn High School paper. Having secured the consent of the faculty to establish such an enterprise, Mr. Keichel consulted with his classmate, C. Ray Gates, editor then of ‘‘High School Notes,” and between these THE QUESTION SPEECH OF T. R. Lady President, honorable judges, friends and fellow studentsBefore going to my main debate I must stop to answer a few of my opponents points. They tell you it is morally wrong to take territory. Was it wrong when we took Louisiana or any of the like territories? My opponents learned today in Civics that the United States will be the greatest colonizing nation of the world. They tell us we will have to go to China to get territory to annex. What about Canada right at our own door? They tell us that what has proven so good in the past will not prove so in the future. How else can we judge the future, except by the past? They say England has failed in India. What nation ever did a grander work than England has for India? They tell us that the people we can now annex are an inferior race. Are the Canadians of an inferior race? Then it is not how to annex Canada, but if Canada were annxed would it be for our best interests? They tell us of the extra expense to the govern- two the plans were made and the editorial staff selected. The naming of the new journal was left-to Mr. Gates, who decided that it should be called, “Scarlet and Green”—taking the name from the colors of the school: scarlet signifying fervency, and green, growth. The staff of the paper for the first year consisted of Walter Kiechel as editor-in-chief, with Ray Gates, Carl Riesenberg, Gertrude Tyler and John Hanna as associate editors and E. Fritz Slagle as business manager, who later resigned and was succeeded by Elmer Dovel, through whose efficient management the paper was made a financial success, paying all of its own expenses. The paper has now grown into a healthy youngster of nearly three volumes, having increased in size, circulation and literary merit far beyond the widest expectations of its promoters. May its future success be unbounded; may it ever continue to ride safely over the tempestuous financial sea, upon which so many similar publications are lost—is the wish of its founders. OF EXPANSION P. STOCKER, ’05. ment in having more colonies. My friends, the annexation of Canada would give the United States more revenue than the extra expense to the government could possibly be. Then the commercial advantages would over-balance any expense in the governing of these territories. They tell you Rome fell because of their immense territory. Rome’s fall was caused, not by her immense territory, but by her people degenerating morally. They tell you of the terrible expense in keeping our island colonies. Honorable judges, every island colony United States has taken has paid for the cost. Both Porto Rico and the Hawaiin islands are now self-supporting and the United States has much commerce with them both. Before the war with Spain United States’ vessels carried only ten per cent of the Porto Rican trade, but now they carry eighty per cent of it. Even the Philippines which were taken as the inevitable result of the war with Spain, although they have not as yet paid all the

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SCARLET AND GREEN 7 doctrine we have no right to take furhter territory because we will not allow other nations to take territory in America. The Monroe doctrine had no reference, whatever, to the political combinations that might be made among the nations of America. It was no violation of the Monroe doctrine when we annexed Texas. It was no violation when we made the ‘ ‘ Gadsden Purchase. ’ ’ It was no violation when we purchased Alaska, and it would be no violation if we would annex Canada. There are many reasons for the annexation of Canada. The two peoples are almost homeogenous. In neither country is the population of a single race; but, in both the amalgamation of largely the same elements has been so carried on that the average Canadian and the average American have so many points in common. Both countries would be stronger if united, and manifest destiny has pointed to tTiat result for years. The two countries have very nearly the same form of government, and so there would be no cause for trouble there. In time of war Canada might, and might not, be our friend; and if not, then a formidable enemy. She would be right there on our open frontier for three to four thousand miles where we have little or no protection. But if annexed, we would have no danger to fear from the frozen regions north of Canada. In fact we would have complete control of North America. Now let us consider a few commercial reasons why it would bejo our interests to annex Canada. It woulcropen much land to the immigration of our people. Canada comprises more space on the earth’s surface than every state in the Union combined. It has more than half of the fresh water of the globe, within its-control, and this is of the greatest importance in regard to cheap transportation. Canada has great wealth in her vast areas of paper pulp wood; and with the water power she possesses, she is admirably equipped to prepare the pulp for paper manufacture. The pulp area extends from the interior of Labrador, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia, west and northwest to Alaska and in an immense area north of the St. Lawrence, almost to the Arctic circle. The pulp area is estimated to comprise four hundred and fifty million acres, and is suffi-icent to supply the world with paper stock for ages to come. There are also many mills at the waterfalls run by electricity. Thus at Shawwinegan Falls and at Chambly on the Richeleu River are electric plants producing as high as 75,000 volts and sending this for seventy-five miles around. This is used in all kinds of manufacturs and it will soon be used at other places. Canada also has great agricultural resources. For instance, the area availiable for wheat growing is four times that on which wheat is grown in the United States. Then Canada has almost every mineral and metal known, and a number of them exist there in quantities not to be exceedeed in the world; take for instance, iron, copper, lead, nickel, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, coal, petroleum, natural gas, salt, asbestos, cements, phosphates, slate and others. Rich iron ore abounds all the way from the Atlantic to the Pacific. Canada possesses coal enough to suppy the world; the coal fields extend from Washington state to Alaska, and, in all probability exceed those of the United States. This country has no coal mines on the shores of either ocean, but Canada has coal mines on the shores of both, thus at Nova Scotia on the Atlantic and Vancouver Island on the Pacific. Now let us remember that it would be for our interest to annex Canada to the United States for even the natural forces draw toward the union. Canada will have only two outlets, annexation or independence, and independence means annexation. Race, language, literature, religion, institutions, social sentiment, and habits are the same on both sides of the line. There are a million native-born Canadians in the United States and there is a continual immigration of Americans into western Canada. Canada cannot continue to be half nation and half subject country. The trend of history and precedent, aided in this by the inertia of Democracy, cannot be checked and some day will be a great, proud and welcome addition to the United States. My opponents have asked what about the Philippines or Cuba? Yes, let us see what this country did for Cuba. She freed her from the tyranny of Spain; she stamped out the terrible yellow fever through proper sanitary regulations, and when the Cubans were able, she turned over the government to them and Cuba became a free republic. The United Staes is doing and will do the same for the Pilippines. You have said that we are keeping the Philippines under our control without their consent. Yes,