The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1885-02-26

OF his sentences, and his speech was &C
centuated and emphasized by graceful
gestures. Many times was he interrupted
by rounds Of applause ELECTED by his clean
eloquent style OF uttering them AS hi
closed, Senators Edmunds and Sherman
Speaker Carlisle and Representative Lon{
warmly congratulated him, while once morI
the audience testified their appreciation O.
the orators eloquence. After benedictior
by the chaplain of the house, the distin
guished guests departed and the speaker
called the house to order. Adjourned til
Monday.
The Scramble for tho World
From tho Pail Mall Gazette.
What scramble it is, and how hot
it is gettingl England and Russia be-
gan the game, France struck in. and
now Germany is in full cry. The con-
tagion of annexation is spreading every
where. Europe is partitioning the
world. Every power is gasping with
both hands after fresh territory. The
area unappropriated is diminishing
daily, and if the pace is not slackened
there will soon not be single black or
brown man in the whole wide world
who will not be the subject OF one or
the other of the European powers. All
oolored men seem to be regarded
as fair game. The white man
is dividing up the planet. It is
strange and startling process,
but it has become so familiar
as to cease to attract notice. All round
the continents of the dark skins,
Europeans are hoisting flags, and pro-
claiming annexations with the feverish
haste of gold miners who have sudden
ly struck vein of the precious metal,
and who established claims" by the
simple process of sticking in posts
bearing their names. It is whole
sale sequestration of the world, based
upon the principle that no one has
right to any rule or sovereignty in
either hemisphere but men of European
birth or origin. The chosen people
did not appropriate the promised land
with more perfect assurance of right
to dispossess the Canaanites than that
shown by white men in the plumber
raid round the world.
Attention is chiefly directed just now
to the action of Germany. But that &C
ton has been much less sy stematic than
might have been expected from so sci
entific a people. Instead of dispatch
ing DR.. Nachtigal to pick up few sea-
boats here and there along the African
coast, our German kinsfolk should have
set to work in more deliberate and COM
prehensive fashion. But perhaps the
trip of the Moewe is but an experiment
tal cruise, preparing the way for the
real enterprise. If so, we may expect
that before long gunboat will leave
Hamburg, followed by foatilla OF
steamers laden with cargoes of flag
poles and bunting. The commander,
advised by couple of learned pro-
fessors, will take with him a chart of
the world, drawn up, by the in
telligence department at Berlin, show.
ing with the utmost exactitude the
limits of the as yet unappropriated
territories of the world. He will
then proceed to plant q German flag
staff and hoist German flag at inter-
walls of, say, two miles all round the
dark continent, wherever land is to be
found not yet annexed by any European
power. When that gunboat returns to
Hamburg there will be no more unap-
propriated land to quarrel about it will
all have been annexed. Nowhere along
the African littoral will the eve of ad-
venturors De Brazza or flibustering
Italian find nook or corner not over
Swallowed by the German flag. Their
Hamburg poles will girdle the CONT
nent as England's drumbeat is said to
encircle the world. Nothing short of
such business-like program would be
worthy OF the systematic and scientific
spirit of the German people, and it,
would, if intelligently directed, avoid
the blunders 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 al
ready under the British flag. They
will probably not hoist the German
standard over Cape Town; but short
of that these too Jealous captains hard !
~ seem likely to stop.
The action of the German gunboats
is, however, forcing to the front the
question as to what constitutes q valid
act of annexation. International law
refuses to recognize a paper blockade.
What has it to say about paper annex
alton? 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 erects flag staff and
lists his flag to acquire undisputed
right Of sovereignty over all the terri
tory within sight of bis bunting? Or
is the hosting of flag, unaccompanied
by the exercise of the right or the dis
charge of any of the duties of sover-
eighty. 70 be regarded las a meaningless
formality? If the former is the true
doctrine, then the Germans have made
a mistake at Bageida and south of An
gra Pequena. If the latter, then
are they not wasting their tim
by proceedings which are intrinsically
ludicrous? The question is one Of keen
interest to us, not only on account of
recent events on the west coast of Africa, !
but our position in Polynesia. We /
have Just sanctioned paper annexa-
ton of New Guinea by our colonists.
What is it worth?' Nay, are there not
great stretches of Australian coast on
which no Englishmen has ever set foot
and where the English flag is never
seen? Suppose DR.. Nachtigal were to
carry his flag there also. What then?
If the scramble is to 60 on, these mat |
tiers will need very careful looking in
to. Otherwise, in pure ignorance OF
the laws of the game, the powers are !
not unlikely to fall to blows among
themselves. Has not the time come
when an international conference of tho
whites should be held to formulate the
true doctorine governing the scram-
bic, for the colored mans world?
. -.--. i
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Reports to the New England Home
stead from 1926 points, covering the