The herald., 1893-02-14
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY IA, 1898.
NO ENTANGLING ALLIANCES.

There are times when the most as
founding nonsense is telegraphed from
Washington to this coast. 1t matters
not that the stuff would disgrace the in
ventive powers of chimpanzee, or the
logical faculty of gorilla, on it comes,
and our people are expected to swallow
IL though it should choke them. The
last assinine roorback which reached
this coast was the report that France,
Russia and the United States had for
some time past been engaged in perfect
ing the details of an alliance, offensive
and defensive, and that the lately
amended extradition treaties with those
countries was an outward and visible
sign of this inward and invisible UNDER
standing.
Now this is the merest poppycock.
There ie no statesman and no combination
of statesmen, who could bind the United
States to policy so utterly un-Ameri-
can, and go absolutely opposed to all
American traditions, as such treaty
would involve. When Washington was
laying down his last counsels to his
countrymen he was careful to advise
them to beware OF all entangling alli-
ances. Happily our position is 30 ex-
ceptionally favored of God and nature
that we are not obliged to mingle in the
concerns of European nations and dy-
nasties.
1t required great deal of tact on the
part of Washington to maintain the
neutrality Of the United States during
the first wars of the French revolution.
The French Republicans nHUurany
thought that sister republic, which
Frrnce had virtually created, ought to
have cast in it's fortunes with them in
their struggles against the monarchies
Of the old world. There was indeed
great plausibility in such view Of the
matter. France was represented in the
United States at that time by minister
Of great irascibility, who, both under
Washington's and succeeding admins
trations, caused great annoyance to the
government and people of the United
States. But Washington and his sue
cessors thought that it would be the
height of folly to expose the young
republic to the pariIs of such malign
entangling alliances. The lesson taught
then has been well learned by our peo-
pie. The first Napoleon looked with
great favor on the young republic of the
west, and to save the great Louisiana
territory from falling into the hands of
England he sold it to President Jeffer-
SON for $s,000,000, thus assuring
us the control of the Mississippi
river and of territory which
is intrinaically worth ten times that of
France. But, Notwithstanding his cor
dial goodwill TO US, he told the Count
de las Cases. in one of his conversations
with that gentleman on the island OF
St. Helena, thst he had determined to
make the United States take the side of
either England or France in his last
war. Fortunately for the consistency OF
this country, the unbridled insolence of
England on the high seas led to the
United States plunging into war with
that country in defense of our maritime
rights and national dignity.
The people of the United States want
no entangling alliances Of any descrip-
ton whatsoever. Europe, and the in
trigues of European nations and dynas-
ties, have no attraction for us. All we
should aim at is to rescue the Monroe
doctrine from the desuetude into which
It has been allowed to- fall. Our inter
ests are confined to maintaining the in
dependence of all American nations
There we should be content to stop.