Auburn High School - Bulldog Yearbook (Auburn, NE)

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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,

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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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8 SCARLET AND GREEN we did for a short time, but did not the Democratic president, Polk, in 1847 in New Mexico suppress an insurrection by force of arms? Did not Jefferson, the author of the Declaration of Independence, appoint over the Territory of Louisiana a territorial governor, a territorial judge, and a territorial marshal, without ever stopping to ask the consent of the governed? We have tranquility in the Philippines as Spain never had. We give the Philippino the first chance to enter the civil service. We have been and are educating the Philippino and there we have a sound system of money. We now have absolute religious freedom there. The United States ought to own some territory in that part of Central America where she places the Panama canal. As it is we do not own that but simply have certain rights there. This is and will be the cause of great trouble. For instance, only the other day United States government and the Panama authorities were having disputes as to which should collect the revenue. Should we not own the land on which we are spending and will spend so many millions of dollars? Certainly we should and there is another piece of territory we should annex. Now let us remember certain general facts in regard to expansion. We have greater America and Republicanism; little America and Democracy. It is no new story. In the history of every expanding race its advance has been opposed from within itself. In England there were and are little Englanders, who saw ruin in every forward march of the British Empire, that now circles the world civilization. In Germany there were little Germans who fought the consolidation of the German people. Where are all of them now? History has effaced their names from the chronicles of time. So shall it be in America and the children’s children of those who now declare that so-called imperialism is our death and not our life, will refuse to admit that their fathers advocated such a doctrine and they will refuse successfully, because the world will have forgotten the names of those who at the beginning of the twentieth century resisted the republic’s world advance. You cannot name the men who fought Jefferson’s purchase of Louisiana; they are forgotten. You cannot name the men who declared that the seizure of Texas and California was the republic’s doom; they are forgotten. You cannot name the men who declaimed against the folly of taking Alaska; they are forgotten. Yet when Jefferson’s works shall have grown dim, his capture for the republic of the vast territory which is now the republic’s heart, will be an immortal monument. When Wm. McKinley’s name remains but a beautiful memory, the empire of the Gulf and the Pacific will lift larger and larger his name as one of the few mountian heads of permanent and worldwide American statesmanship. The republic never retreats. Why should it? The republic is the highest form of civilization and civilization must advance. The republic could not retreat if it would, whatever its destiny, it must proceed. The sovereign tendencies of our race are organization and government. We govern so well that we govern ourselves. Organization means growth. Government means administration. When Washington pleaded with the states to form into a consolidated people, he was the advocate of perpetual growth. When Lincoln argued for the indivisibility of the republic, he became the prophet of •the Greater Republic. It is the splendid mission of our race to govern in the name of civilized liberty. It is ours to administer law and order in the name of human progress. It is ours to bear the torch of Christianity where darkest midnight has reigned for years. And now let us remember, as Simms has said: “The true law of the race is progress and development—whenever civilization pauses in the march of conquest—it is overthrown by the barbarian. CL W. K. Fowler, ex-state superintendent of public instruction, gave an interesting address before the High School recently. Rev. W. N. Crozier, formerly a missionary to China showed the High School how the Chinese pupils study, a few days ago. In Porto Rico 1200 public schools are in operation and $700,000 a year is spent upon them. Again we welcome the season when we can play basket ball. A hall was rented, in which we might play, but the weather has been so pleasant that we have used the hall but a few times. We have nearly forgotten, all of the rules, but despite this fact have had a great deal of fun in playing.