The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-17

III on. Reverdy johnson.
It will not be out of place here to make a
reference to the steady policy of Great Britain
to acquire all over the globe commanding
positions capes, headlands, and harbors,
which may control the commerce of the
world. 1t is true that the wars with Napoleon
led to the requirement of many of them, as
in the case of Malta and Mauritius Thus the
maritime ascendancy of England was only
promoted by those wars, early in this century,
giving cause and opportunity for the seizure
Of important positions.
Without any very thorough search for such
q list, we will name Alden, Singapore, Ceylon,
Hong Kong, Cape of Good Hope, Falkland
Islands, st. Helena, Sierre Leone, Heligo-
land, the Channel Islands, New Zealand,
the West India Islands, Bermuda, Van
couver's Island, Newfoundland, Cape Breton.
To these should be added India, Burmah,
Australia, British Columbia, and the Canadas;
but these acquisitions are continental, and
belong not to the class of commanding mill
tary and naval positions to which we have re-
ferred. 1t is true that in some of these
countries, as in India, it is claimed that
England seeks only commercial ascendancy
and not territorial additions; but the dis
tinction is a very refined one, and, practi-
cally, India is British territory.
Now, however ready we are to rejoice that
the British power, the Anglo-Saxon race, and
the English language should be extended to
such regions as Australia and New Zealand,
yet it will not be wise for statesmen or diplo-
matists to forget or ignore this appetite of
the British Lion to absorb commanding mill
tary positions whenever the chance is offered.
We wish the utmost success to every legiti-
mate scheme for the prosperity of those do
minions. The motherland has an irresistible
claim on our kindred sympathies when she
promotes the spread of civilization and Chris
tianty, upon which subject it was right and
natural for Mr.. Reverdy johnson to descant
Kossuth was in the habit of often saying
''the solidarity of nations, meaning that all
nations are bound together '' with
mutual responsibility, each for all,
with Joint interest and fell
lowship; or are, in sailor phrase, ''all on
the same bottom" to use the expressive
words of DR.. Trench. 1t is true that our
common humanity 'makes the whole world
kin" that the best rivalry and highest ambi-
tion should be to do the utmost to advance
the welfare and improvement of the whole
human family; but while we would freely
admit that we are susceptible to all the en-
kindling emotions which such cosmopolitan
views excite, it is, in practical life, neces-
sary to treat nations and governments as we
find them. There is deep wisdom as well as
great pathos in that passage in the farewell
address of Washington in which he was
forced to like conclusion:-'It will be wor-
thy of free, enlightened, and, at no distant
period, great nation, to give to mankind
the magnanimous and too novel example of
people always guided by an exalted justice
and benevolence. The experiment.
at least, is recommended by every sentiment,
which ennobles human nature. Alas is it
to be rendered impossible by its vices?"
From Mr.. Bancrofts letter of the Goth
March, 1S47, to Mr.. Buchanan, it should
! L.
intimations that the Hudson's Bay Com
pany wished to get some of the islands
in the Archipelago de Haro. The first de-
velopment of the claim occurred when our
tax x-gatherers levied q tax on some sheep of
the Hudson's Bay Company, on San Juan
Island, in 1896. The company intended to
evade the payment of said tax, and hesheriff
of Washington Territory seized some of the
sheep, and sold them to meet the tax.
In 1858, Dickens, in the Household
Words, said that the Government of Great
Britain should ''make of one of these islands
second Cronstadt, thus securing, as with a
paddock, her possessions on the Pacific
coast" 'second Malta" would have been
more appropriate name for San Juan than
second Cronstadt. 1t is a commanding
position, like Malta, but does not COM
mand the channel. Neither Malta nor
Gibraltar command the channels in their
assist In guarding commercial interests. Such
is the situation of San Juan Island, as ably
set forth by General Totten. 1t is not
needed by England, which has Esquimalt
opposite, as we have above explained. Esqui-
malt, indeed, has been for twelve years a
large naval station for the British navy, and
they need no other or better in that region.
B1t we do need San Juan Island and the
Archipelago de Haro as an offset to the pre-
ponderant and threatening vicinity of Van
couver's Island. And the completion of the
Northern Pacific Railroad to Pugets Sound
will make this fact every day more and more
evident to our people.
This brings us to allude to the treaty now
before the Senate, negotiated by Mr. Reverdy
! Johnson, which proposes to submit this ques-
ton to arbitration, the President of the
| Swiss Confederation to be the arbiter. ''All
correspondence, documents, maps, surveys,
etc., relating to the subject, shall be placed
at his disposal within twelve months
after the ratification of the treaty.
| The referee is to endeavor to de-
duce the precise line of boundary
from the words of the treaty of 1916; but,
! if unable to do so, he is at liberty to deter
mine upon some line which will, in his
opinion, furnish an equitable solution of the
difficulty, and be the nearest approximation
that can be made to an accurate construction
thereof" His decision to be final and con-
elusive, and carried into immediate effect"
At the last session of Congress, the Senate,
we think, wisely declined to ratify this treaty.
1t is said that an able speech against it was
made by the Hon. Jacob N. Howard, Senator
from Michigan We hope that, when the
Senate again assemblies, this treaty will be
definitely rejected. We believe that the
whole scope and effect of the provision above