Close Reading: What is the second argument of those who defend imperialism according to William Jennings Bryan? Close Reading: What is William Jennings Bryan’s response to this argument? Close Reading: According to Bryan, what happens when trade is secured by force?
The second argument of those who defend imperialism is the commercial argument - that our commercial interests in the Philippine Islands and in the Orient make it necessary for us to hold the islands permanently... It is based upon the theory that war can be rightly waged for pecuniary advantage and that it is profitable to purchase trade by force and violence...It is not necessary to own people in order to trade with them. We carry on trade today with every part of the world, and our commerce has expanded more rapidly than the commerce of any European empire. We do not own Japan or China, but we trade with their people. We have not absorbed the republics of Central and South America, but we trade with them. Trade cannot be permanently profitable unless it is voluntary.
When trade is secured by force, the cost of securing it and retaining it must be taken out of the profits, and the profits are never large enough to cover the expense. Such a system would never be defended but for the fact that the expense is borne by all the people while the profits are enjoyed by a few.
- Close Reading: What is the second argument of those who defend imperialism according to William Jennings Bryan?
- Close Reading: What is William Jennings Bryan’s response to this argument? Close Reading: According to Bryan, what happens when trade is secured by force?
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