The National tribune., 1884-08-14
MANIFEST DESTINY.

nations very strongly, and in many ways.
We are, beyond donbt, far the strongest
member of all the great family of nations, and
every year we are growing stronger and richer,
both actually and relatively. Our 60,00O,0Oo
are more people than are gathered under any
other one flag, except the Russian, Chinese and
British Jndian,-and man for man they count
for more than any other on the face of the
globe
We cannot compress the activity of these
people within our boundaries, far-reaching as
they are. We cannot draw around them a
Chinese wall of exclusion, and put embargo on
all foreign intercourse. We cannot, if we would,
and we certainly should not, if we could.
In the years gone by most of these men
have found enough to do at home. We have
had railroads to build, cattle ranches to estab-
lish, mines to develop, great manufactures to
create, and in every department. of human
effort our country offered abundant employ
ment for all the brains and capital that her
sons might have. There was no temptation to
push any enterprise abroad, because there
were more promising enterprises at home than
there are men and money to develop them.
But If is not always to be so. We must find
/ in other countries markets for the goods which
we produce in excess of the home demand.
American capitalists are even now seeking in
vestments in Mexican mines and railroads;
they are putting money into Costa Rica coffee
! plantations, and in few years may possibly be
owners of large Venezuela logwood forests, Pc
ruyian inter beds, CHILEAN copper mines, and
Pacific guano islands.
As railroad building oyertakes the needs of
the country, the money now absorbed in that
species of enterprise viii probably be turned
toward shipbuilding
This calls for an immediate and radical
change in the indolent and nerveless foreign
policy we have pursued since the war. We
must substitute for il something worthy of the
name something that viii put US abreast OF
the other nations who are competing for the
trade of the world, and making inroads upon
i
chants and investors That is, we must do
precisely what England and France have al
ways done, and and are still doing, and as
Germany is beginning to do. In other words,
we shall have to continually assert ourselves
abroad-that our people may go on in the con-
duct of their enterprises feeling perfect
/ Nfn e
: occasionally have to shell seaport or land q
column of troops, as France and England do
but that is no serious matter As rule their
military operations against imperfectly civil
lied people have been entirely justifable and
resulted in general good.
In short, we cannot escape having "a vigor
Gus foreign policy" and we may as well pre-
pare ourselves for it. 1t makes no difference
in considering this question, who is tn,
next President, or which party shall con
trol the Government in the future. Ou
rapidly advancing commerce will force sucl
a policy on any party that happens to b
in power. We have delayed too long in adopting
shown recently in Mexico. The President o
that country, by the exercise of an arbitrar.
power, levied a very oppressive stamp-tax upoI
> the merchants doing business in the Republic
The German Minister there Immediately sen
/ a notice TO all the German merchants TO refus
: to pay the tax, and the Government woul,
> support them in il. But when delegation @
American merchants called on the amiable oil
: gentleman who represents the United States
he hemmed and hawed, and told them tina
2 they were business men and knew very we
the risks they took when they embarked i
c the Mexican trade, and that they must, there
~ fore, take care Of themselves, etc. The Amer
cans and Germans are eager competitors ft
the profitable Mexican trade. 1t is easy to Sc
which wiz win in very short time, unle
our policy is changed.
The trade not only of Mexico, but of IL
n whole Of South America rightfully belongs
- us, and would be ours if we made the prop
II efforts 10 secure it. Tho people are natural
a inclined to us, and would trade with us rath
than with England, France or Germany, b
we have allowed our people to be intrigued ar
driven out of those profitable markets. En-
be land, who is our chiefcompetitor, has neglect,
e. nothing to kill off the American trade wi
ID South America and build up British cor
ae merce What diplomacy could do has be-
n done, and when there has been necessity {
W the display or an actual use Of force she has
be hesitated an instant Her courseduring the Oh
n ian-Peruyian troubles was marvel of shrey
to diplomacy. On one or two occasions British gu
ne boats were actually set 10 work, and all the tiI
ty they were present to give weight to the Britt
OF Minister'S words. The result has been
y, enormous exaltation of the British presti;
IN an influence which English merchants "
IL coin into very substantial guineas
There is a still higher view than this pure
commercial one. Our enormous physical pow
s,s throws upon US great moral responsibilities.
=. cannot calmly stand by and see an intern
,,s tional injustice perpetrated anywhere On t
continent any more than great, strong N
can permit brutality or injustice commit
er- in his presence on the weak and innoce
hvYl =. 4