The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1891-07-10
IMPENDING CHANGE IN AMERICAN
FOREIGN POLICY.

1t was until very lately the boast
of those who have been trained in
some of the old political schools,
says the n. Y. Illustrated Aus
stralian and South American" that
the policy of non-lnterference with
the foreign policy of other nations
and the prompt resentment OF any
attempt on their part to interfere
with US, outlined from the very
foundation of our government, had,
until then, been strictly adhered to,
and they are disposed to criticise
sharply the increasing tendency
displayed by our statesmen to con-
Germ themselves with matters of
state in which other countries are
closely interested. The part we
took in the Samoan troubles, the
interference of an American ad-
miral during the bombardment of
Alexandria, our Intervention when
revolution threatened the Hawaii
an Islands and the despatch of our
commissioner to Hayti during the
revolution there, are among the
many evidences of our increasing
readiness to act as peace-maker or
peace-preserver where we are like
Iy to be benefited by such action.
We run no serious risk of error
when we prophesy that this tend
ency is certain to increase. AS long
as we had no interest in the pur-
chasing power of other nations, or
were at most the carriers of their
products, we had no reason to in
terfere with their arrangements.
They might go up or down and
change rulers every week, it was
seldom that there were any Amer
lean interests to be injured. After
the war, when our flag and the yes
sells that bore it had almost wholly
disappeared from foreign harbors,
we were even to greater extent
isolated and sundered from our
neighbors.
Within a few years, however.
things have very materially
changed. With the expansion of
our Industrial operations, there has
been developed an interest in the
prospects of a market abroad for
their productions, and we are no
longer as Indifferent as we were to
the fate of the nations with which
we have established trade relations.
The effect of the reciprocity
policy will naturally be to increase
our solicitude for the welfare of
certain nations. It is hardly rea-
sonable to suppose that we could
regard, with the Indifference that
has characterized our past attitude
towards all foreign nations. the at
tempt of a great commercial and
industrial power eager to extend
it's territory and increase the num-
Der of it's customers, to intimidate
or possibly absorb weaker coun-
try with which we had succeeded
in opening up profitable business.
The opposition that was promptly
developed to the proposition that
France should acquire control of
the Panama isthmus, in further
ance of the DeLesseps canal
scheme, revealed the existence OF
this sentiment, and we can imagine
how strongly it would manifest it.
self should some one of the great
powers attempt to seize upon the
Hawaiian kingdom or any one OF
the Central American republics
that trade literally with us.
A writer in one of the daily
papers, recently called attention to
the fact that the foundations OF
every notable scheme of national
ACKNOWLEDGMENT that was not based
strictly upon military proves,
were laid in the commercial rela-
tons established by the central
power when consolidating it's
smaller and weaker neighbors. 1t
began with an interest in their
markets, led to the offer of en-
couragement to their merchants,
and concluded with the placement
of commercial and the ultimate
obliteration of political barriers.
1t is urged by this writer that a
little reflection must convince us
that under the guidance of Secre-
tary Blaine we have entered on q
course whose fixed and by no
means distant goal is the acquire
ment for the United States of not
only commercial but political
ascendancy throughout the West
ern Hemisphere.
We do not recognize any serious
danger in such programme.
There is hardly any fear of our
ENHANCEMENT with European ma
tons by reason of such policy;
they have all the possessions they
are likely to acquire in the West
ern Hemisphere, and the South
and Central American nations are