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Show NOT DANGEROUS. A contemporary, which is ' perhaps slightly prejudiced, is still afflicted with anti-election tremors. It sees the United States under the impelling im-pelling force of Theodore Roosevelt, about to assume as-sume the role of a great, aggressive, conquering power, fired by an insatiate desire for more dominion do-minion with a land-lust as pronounced as was that of Great Britain, a hundred years ago, with a desire to rule as pronounced as was old Rome's in tho furious days when Rome ruled the world. And all this has come through Theodore Roosevelt, Roose-velt, and worse still, the American people have endorsed him; so to speak have given him a letter of recommendation to go ahead and sma&k the world; to take in Asia and Africa and any little outlying districts that he may desire to file on. This all shows how vivid pictures a lively imagination may call up. We have before us the last great message which the President gave to Congress and the people. It is hard to find anything in It to justify the fears of our contemporary. It Is a plea all the way through for peace, but peace with honor. Would our contemporary have anything loss? Is there anything in it to frighten any power on earth, no matter how weak? It discusses, with a clearer discrimination, the Monroe Doctrine, than any former President ever did. It says in effect that no southern Republic can evade its just obligations to foreign powers; that the United States will not interfere In the business between any of those Republics with foreigners for-eigners or foreign powers, unless an attempt is made to absorb the territory of those states, and that in that event it will be for our country to take a hand on such terms as will bo just Where our contemporary has seen anything which leads it to conclude that the President wants Asiatic or African territory is a profound mystery. It affects to believe that possibly through the absorption of a part of Africa, a place may be found for the colored men of this country. If the colored men of the South desired to emigrate, emi-grate, and the white race of those states also wanted them to go, it would be easy to secure them territory, not by conquest, but by purchase, which would be much cheaper than by war, but the truth is the blacks do not desire to go and the whites do not desire to have them. That time is coming, however, and we think it would be a good thing if the Government in a just way were to bo ready when that time does come. That the President desires to increase the influence in-fluence of the Republic in foreign lands there is no doubt, but the desire is in the Interest of peace, civilization and commerce, not of war. It is true, too, that the American people back the President in this, but no lust of land, no lust for war is behind be-hind this desire; it is that free Instltutir'.. may shed their light on lands which are still darkened by tho shadow of thrones, by the rule of kings and priests. |