Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1886-09-24


re ssatsmenl skaa ne British fsSs-
sFnmens has rasolvsd 10 ezhaass ne
skili q iss enainefss q a. eEsEs % naAhs
- hasbor q Esqsinasi impreen1eis
and % sosafs fbers ens % the moss "a
tenaIss deDots q niliialy and naval
ssosez 10 ths Knpsre. eotsine g 8 dos
frsn An et1car keh II ihs fmpsrial
nsrxiss, should sos Anesisans % thiak-
Ing sskio1aly q its asslvity 81 he Brit
fsk 0ossFnmsnt IL fhs Nsrth PssiAe
and 81 sha absolnls isdiasrenss e fhsig
own osvsrnmsnf % Is interests ln ne
aams diraeiion. Nc more aiarina To-
stanee can Be found than thAf adorasd
81 ne present eonditfon q PuRsl seuaa.
Of ne suipabls nszlsas Of tha GoTern-
meat 81 TIE Uniisd States 70 alosd Cd.
eqnafs rfoisoiion - 81 citizsns VIA
dwell npon shs asa board. PuRst b0und
u e. defsnsaisss tsday 81 - was when
yansoavsr ssiied inis Pueet BouDd. ard
tho present jewellers % he sound Noald
b 81 anable % o1or : sasosssfui resist
anes 70 Ne appFoaoh sf . British iron
clad as the sayages Of q csaiary ago
w0nld hays been 70 prayant tbs entrances
Of 8 lins q battle snip into their pine
iFinesd waters
This lee siIona statement, bat e 3
trua. A feet Of ironelaas could enter
ne SQUAD tomorrow with ~ liitls ap.
prsbension o. q fofmldabla Feaistancs,
e. ne spanish Armada uoaid hass bad,
II & had sailed amonR the Indian
canoes 81 ths Northwest. There b ak-
eolatsly no psoieetion afforded 70 -
mIlIlens 81 dollars worth 81 property
looated % Puaei Sound. Il h 90 e.
aanaEatlon 70 ny thni within shEse dAys
aftsx . declaration Of var bstussn
Ne Uniisd States and Great Britain,
ever city, town and mill-poEt located
immsdiatsly upon ths Sound could b
laid il ruins and that within = month
lheBsafssR ths snliFs western portlon a
Waahington Territory Woala b IN ths
hands 81 ne British, 70 remain thsrs,
perhaps. foEeves. Thoaah ne Sound i
absolutely unprotected b land fortlaoa.
lions. 4 a Afforded 20 nasai profession,
Thers ere half-Rrown boys IN Seattle
Whe havs lived a. the edes 81 ths zee
from The day of thsiE birth and VIA
havs nevsr seen an Analioan naval
vessel. Yet there hes scarcely besa q
dag ia the past Ten yeaEa when thsrs
has not been from one 20 ten powerful
British var vessels Ia the waters 81
British Colnmbia. How long after 8
declaration Of var would Il take thoss
voassls 70 eFsss he Straits Of Fuua and
beain the work Of devastating the ailles
Of Washington TeFFltoryf
There mas = time and Il IL not 90 long
ago-when every AmsEican hoped and
believed thai The United States Wonld
eventually dominate ihe North Pacific
Ocean. With Alaska and the Alaskan
islands On the north. and Che Pacific
Coast States and Territories on the
south, Il was looked upon aa merely q
question Of time until british Columbia
would Be thoroughly AmeFioanizod.
Far seeing statesmen regarded the
Northwestern Caast Of America as the
basis for American commercial opera
lions Ia the Orient. They foreaAw a.
American dominance Of the North Pa
eiao aa oempleio ss the English demi-
nance Of ths British Channel. An that
is over nov, hsweyer, and she question
is not whether The unlsed States viii
eventually control The antlre Pacific
Coast Of North America. bat rather
whether Il viii always be able 10 retain
What 4 nov possesses. The Washing.
ton Government has utterly failed to
strengthen is position in the Nofth Pa.
oinc, while ths British Government has
been uncsaaing Ia is Efforts ts
strengthen lie hold on British oolam-
bia, and % build up between Alaska
and Washington Territory not only q
great English commercial metropolis,
but an important British military and
naval station as well. II has done
everything that oar own 0overnnent
ahoald have done and has failed 70 do.
The British drum beat no longer fol-
lows The san aFoand The earth. Il pre-.
eedss Il and leads Il. II message Of
var we're carried from London on che
wings Of electricity tomogrow, the roIl
Of British drums would sncirole the
weird as quickly Aa TIE Ugh ming EiAsh.
Remote a. the possibility Of a var BE-.
tween Great Britain aud the unitad
States IA, thsFe is always snoh q posi-.
bllisy. British Columbia viii aooa be
strongly defended, and washlaeson
Territory viii BE-, as il has been. thor.
oughly defenssloss. Il is folly 10 Fsfuse
70 piek up q weapon while ono IL faciae
aman with 8 club Ia bis hand.