The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1884-11-11
The SCRAMBLE FOR THE WORLD.

struck in. and now Germany is in
full cry. The contagion of anneXa-
ton is spreading everywhere. Europe
is partitioning the world. Every
Power is grasping with both hands
after fresh territory. The area I'M
appropriated is diminishing daily,
and if the pace is not slackcncd there
will soon not he II single black or
brown man in the whole wide world
who will not be the subject of one
or other of the European Powers.
All colored men seem to he regard
ed rs fair game. The white man is
dividing up the planet. 1t is 81
strange and startling process, but it
has become so familiar rs to cease TO
attract notice. All round the con-
tinents of the dark skins. Europeans
are hosting flags and proclaiming
annexations with the feverish haste
of gold miners who have suddenly
struck vein of the precious metal,
and who establish "clams' by the
simple process of sticking in posts
bearing their names. 1t is 4 whole
sale sequestration of the world, based
upon the principle that no one has
a right to any rule or sovereignty in
either hemisphere but men of Europ-
can birth or origin. The Chosen
People did not appropriate the
Promised Land with more perfect
assurance of right to disposscs, the
Canaanites than that shown by the
white men in the plumber raid round
the world.
Attention is chiefly directed Just
now to the action of Germany. But
that action has been much less
systematic than might have been
expected from so scientific n people.
Instead of despatching DR.. Nachtigal
to pick up few seaports here and
there along the African coast, our
German kinsfolk should have set to
work in more deliberate and compre-
hensive fashion. But perhaps the
trip of the MTwc is but an expert
mental cruise, preparing the way for
the real enterprise. If so, we may
expect that before long gunboat
will leave Hamburg, followed by n
ilotilla of steamers laden with cargoes
of flag poles and bunting. The
commander, advised by n couple of
learned professors, will take with
him Il chart of the world, drawn up
by the Intelligence Department ut
Berlin, showing with the utmost
exactitude the limits of the us yet
unappropriated territories of the
world. He will then proceed to
plant German flagstaff and hoist
the German flag at intervals Of, say,
two miles all round the Dark Con-
tinent, wherever land is to be found
not yet annexed by any European
Power. When that gunboat returns
to Hamburg there will be no more
unappropriated land to quarrel
about; it will all have been annexed.
Nowhere along the African littoral
will the eye of adventurous De Braz-
Zas or flibustering Italian find II
nook or corner not overshadowed by
the German flag. Their Hamburg
poles will girdle the Continent as
England's drumbeat is said to encir-
Gle the world. Nothing short Of such
businesslille programme would be
worthy Of the systematic and scientiss
lic spirit of the German people, and
it would, if intelligently directed,
avoid the plumbers that have recently
been made on the coast of Africa,
where, both near Quittah and near
Angra Pequena, the Germans have
annexed by proclamation territory
that was already under the British
flag. They will probably not hoist
the German standard over Cape
Town; but short of that these too
Jealous captains hardly seem likely
TO stop.
The action of the German gun
boats is, however, forcing to the
front the question as to what constl-
tutes n valid act of annexation. In
ternational law refuses to recognize
paper blockade. What has it to
say about paper annexation? If
the lands of the dark races are to be
publicly scrambled for, what are to
be the laws of the game? Is the
first man who crects II flagstaff and
hoists his flag to acquire undisputed
right of sovereignty over all the
territory within sight of his bunting
Or is the hosting of flag, unaccom-
panied by the exercise of the rights
or the discharges of any of the duties
of overeignty, to be regarded as 4
meaningless formality; If the for
mer is the true doctrine, then the
Germans have made II mistake nj
Bageida and south of Angra Pequena.
If the latter, then are they not vast
, ing their time by proceedings which
are intrinsically ludicrous? The
ouaStiOn is ono of xnnn intornst to ne