Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1892-11-17
The American Pacific Opportunity.

III. an accepted truisu', that nations ~
well a. individuals, have their opportunities
and duties, and that the neglect Of them
through indolrnce or eowardiee, surely
briggs their retribution in one form or an
other. Rich aebis In the bands OF the
s.otbfpi bring forth little fruit, or soon psss
under the control of those who have tho in
telligence and force TO improve them " Is
no imitation Of language to ssy that no o'hsf
nation of the world has such opportunities
for prosperity and greatness as the United
States. Our country is Of such vast extern /
.oJ ~ .uclt enormous resources, that cii-
zeas Of the Atlantic states are liable To "
mare or underestimate the importance and
extent Of the Pacific states. Consider
that since the completion of four or fve
transcontinentaI lines Of railroad, tTo-hfths
of the area of the United States outlet on
the Pacific. These states and territories
which outlet on the vast Western ocean'"i
some day have a population of one hun
dred and ffty millions OF souls, and in the
near future will have resources OF men AMI
money equal to what England had, when
uutier the younger Pitt, she was powerful
il not controlling factor IN the struggling
.Iestinies of Europe. This Pacific side OF
the American Republic, stretching from
North Alaska to South California, a coast
line of four thousand miles. without incui-
inn the seventeen hundred miles of shore
line of Puget sound is TO have develop
meat of agricultural, lumber, fisheries
AMI mineral riches out of which
will flow streams of commerce, which |
neither the imagination nor cold figures can I
wen cover at the present time with the
Nicaragua canal constructed and controlled |
A. a part Of our shore line, the two halves |
of the Union would be united by IRON and
water ways, on which the forces Of steam
electricity, and American enterprise can
work their exchanges of products, their
agencies of industry, AMI their transits OF
population. in such stupendous proportions
of which present nations and former ages
present no parallel.
In the trent of these vast Pacific states
extends the immense ocean of the Pacific,
more than twire the dimensions of the
Atlantic, q magnificent plain of water, reach
ing TO China AMI Japan, with
their four hundred millions of peo-
ple, saying nothing of the great
Australian Republic. which already counts
her millions Across this vast Pacific plain
must be for all time the water roads, along
which will move the commerce of many
hundreds of millions of people. Anchored
firmly between the two great oceans, Amer
lea divides with Europe the commerce of
the Atlantic, Europe having the advantage
BY numbers, position and prestige. But on
the great Western ocean America can easily
take the lead aud hold it securely against
all competitors. To do this she must
improve her opportunities. sloth and
cowar,iice never win anything worth
having. Time waits neither for in
divitiuals nor nations. Success ia for
those who dare. In this immense area of
water between America and Asia are inuum-
cradle islands. so needful To the future
commerce between the two great continents.
The most of these islapds are now possessed
by England France and Spain, Germany
but recently forcing her grasping hand into
the arena. Owing to the patriotic fidelity
of the American missionary board and its
faithful agents. and to the watchfulness of
American statesmen. from Daniel Webster
to those Of the present time. the Hawaiian
islands have not passed under a European
flag. Greedy, grasping, and sometimes in
sultins, a. have been our rivals as to
American interests in these islands, they
are not ye, lost to us. and their business
necessities and the sympathies of their
citizens are still with their American neigh
bors. II needs not the naval and the
military expert TO tell the importance of
these islands to the United States. They
front our coasts. They are sufficiently near
the gs,ewass OF our rapidly rising Pacific
cities to feel the pulses of American enter
prise and to contribute to American pros
perity and power. 1t is to repeat the opin-
ion Of the most intelligent commercial naval
and military men, to say that the Hawaiian
Islands are the key to the North Pacific.
Coaling stations, feeding places, are indis-
pensable to American commerce on great
oceans II is the seriest folly to think or