The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-09-06
EUROPE AND IT'S COLONIES.
Valuable Facts and Suggestions Grow
ing Out of the Carolines Affair.
The Territorial and Colonial Policy of the
Leading European Cabinets-Questions
Mercantile and Industrial Extension.

LONDON, Aug 20.-GermanyS ambltion for
colonies has been awakened somewhat late in
her history. But not too late England, France,
Spain and Holland have made their marine
marches of conquest many long years ahead of
her. But she is just in time to take her place
among the great land grabbers of the universe.
If she would be successful she should emulate
the policy of the English. She must OCCUPY"
where she plants her flag and develop the trade
of her new settlements, interfering as little as
possible with native prejudices and religions
The sentimental democrat holds that the whole
notion of this so-caled ambition of colonization is
nothing more than piratical scheme of
land-grabbing, and he is perhaps not
far wrong; but there are scores Of
lovely islands in the Eastern seas where
the natives are played out, where physical and
sanitary laws have been outraged with the final
results, skin disease, smallpox and idiocy. It
seems to be the duty of civilization to rescue
these people from themselves, and if civilized
powers do this with proper recognition of the
territorial and other rights of the aborigines
then they are fulfilling one of the highest and
most serious responsibilities of greatness In
the old days England cannot be said to have full
filled these responsibilities. Her record is a
record of rough, vigorous and often brutal con-
quest; but she was no worse than her rivals
sometimes much better. Different times, different
manners, what we would consider barbarous to-
day, were not barbarous in the days of Eliza
beth, of Cromwell and the Charleses not even in
the later days of the Georges; but England has
made far more rapid strides in the cvizing rules
of subject races than either France, Spain, or
Holland. and to-day the desire to ''be just and
fear not" in the treatment of colonials
and conquered peoples is, in Europe,
almost, regret to say, exclusively our
English sentiment But England is notorious
for running into extremes" Mr.. Gladstone's
emotional sentimentality in this direction has
borne bitter fruit in both South Africa and
Egypt. No English minister ever made more
puerile mistakes in colonial policy than Mr..
Gladstone, not only in respect to the govern
ment OF existing possessions but in his jealousy
OF the colonial ambition of both Germany and
France. In respect to Germany he was clearly
moved by Gogin themanager feeling that was
uncalled for unwise, and, above ALL unstates-
man like. He and Lord Granville were in con-
tinual hot water with Germany; and Lord Derby
varied their trouble by having sQuabbes with
the colonial government themselves. None of
these ministers and none of the Liberal chiefs
have shown capacity for dealing with foreign,
international or colonial questions. They apply
little local insular and domestic tactics to the
great and complicated affairs in which the poll
cies, preiudices and ambition of other nations
and peoples have to be taken into account; and
SO they invariably come to grief and become the
authors of terrible and devastating wars.
GERMANY AND THE CAROLINE ISLANDS.
Not the least of the international difficulties
which Mr.. Gladstone bequeathed to Lord Sails
bury were Germany's claims in eastern Africa
Mr.. Gladstone has had unfortunate misunder-
standings with Vienna and Berlin His latest
intercourse with Germany evinced poor kind
of jealousy in respect of the Bismarckian ambi-
ton to make Germany a colonial power He
should have welcomed Germany into the field of
colonial responsibility; he should have held out
frank, neishborly hands to Bismarck and the
Emperor He did neither, and whatever conces-
sion he made, if he made any, he made it grudg-
ingy Frankness, sincerity and firmness have
been entirely wanting In Mr.. Gadstone's foreign
policy. Whether Lord Salisbury succeeds in
maintaining the peace OF Europe or not his
peace will be honorable, and, should he fail to
keep clear of hostilities his war will be none the
less So The bold, manly, outspoken course is
the best. If Mr.. Gladstone had adopted it in
Egypt there would have been no lombard
ment of Alexandria, and the tragedy of
khartoum would have never blurred the page
of history. But let me not drift into the African
question. I started out to discuss the latest
phase of the colonial ambition of Germany and
its possibilities. Lord Salisbury's influence has
helped Germany to come to satisfactory
understanding with the Sultan of Zanzibar
The French journals, which hate England, are
9TH language of the Russian press. which
afirms that the question of Egypt is internas
tional and that Russia at least will energetically
resist the efforts of England to settle it separ-
while, with the news of Germany's settlement
of her territorial property and position on the
east coast of Africa comes sensational account
Of her occupation of the Canary islands Fresh
Annexations by Germany! Protest by Span
Spanish sWar Ships Ordered to the Pacifc
Reuters kilograms report that the news
created profound sensation in Mad
rid. Before this letter reaches you
the cable will probably explain that
Germany has planted her flag in some unimport-
to exercise & protectorate, and that "the sensa-
ton" is at an end. A German despatch says
the German boats have only gone to the Carolines
in search of laborers for her new possessions in
New Guinea 1t always seems natural enough
in England to hear of British annexations but
when some other power extends her empire En-
glish petticoats rush to their maps with jealous
pangs. In this case of the Carolines Spain is the
offended power, though Spain has bad habit of
claiming islands, over some of which her flag has
not even waved, much less have her soldiers
occupied 1t is time the kind of protectorate
which Spain too often sets up on maps should be
Observation-Disclosures without occupation
past or present In the case of Borneo and the
Sulu Archipelago agreement has been arrived
at between England, Germany and Spain, in
which the two former powers recognize the
sovereignty of Spain the entire Archi-
pelago, comprising the islands between Mndano,
the mainland of Borneo and the island of Pa
ragua. Spain had already obtained the conces-
sion of these territories from the Sultan of Sulu
On her part Spain acknowledges certain other
rights of England and the British North Borneo
Company, and a mutual agreement is made in
regard to freedom of commerce. But the Caro-
line islands (the reputed annexation of which by
Germany reads like joke to those who know
Der. Spain has only occupied few of these,
though she has always included the whole of
them in her possessions The Standard, in
dafansa of Snain saws. mo n%hnr nnt;nr hon &C.