Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-02-01

II A0oe3e1a p1cbe Vpyostuaf9.
| fDALr kgxxEEEe JornsAL. Nov II 1892.
II Is an accepted truism. that nations ~
well a. individuals. have their opportunities
and duties and thst the neglect Of them
through, Incidence OF eewsriiee, surely
brings their resribatioa in one form or an
other. Rich fields in the hands Of the
| sIosffni bring forth little fruit. or soon pass
un,,er the control of those who have the in
telligeacc and force TO improve them ], is
ne imitation Of language To say That no other
nation of the world has such opportunities
for prosperity ami greatness as the United
States. Our country Is OF such vast extent
and of such enormoas resources. that citI-
zens of the Atlantic states are liable 10 ik-
more or underestimate the importance and
extent of the Pacific states Consider
that since the completion of four or 1ve
transcontinentai line. Of railroad .two-ffths
OF the area of the L nited States outlet On
the Pacific These states and territories,
- iiich outlet on the vast Western ocean will
some day have population Of one hundred
and fits millions OF souls, and in the near
future will have resources Of men and
money equal to what England had, when,
under the younger Pitt she was Il powerful,
if NOT 4 controlling factor in the struggling
,lestinies OF Europe. This Pacific side Of
the American Republic, stretching from
North Alaska to South California, coast
line of four thousand miles, without includ-
ing the seventeen hundred miles of shore
line Of Puget sound, is 10 have Il Develop
meet of agricultural. lumber, fisheries, and
mineral riches out of which will flow streams
of commerce, " hich neither the Imagination
nor cold figures can we'll cover al tie
present time With the Nicaragua canal
constructed and controlled as part OF our
shore line the two halves of the / nion would
be united by iron and water WAYS. on which
tie forces of steam, electricity and American
enterprise can work their exchanges of
products, their agencies of industry and their
| transits of population, in such stupenllous
proportions, of which present nations and
| former ages present no parallel
| In the front of these vast Pacific states
exten j. the immense ocean of the Pacific.
| more than twice the dimensions of the At
| lanfic, a magnificent plain of water, reach
| ing to China and Japan, with their four
hundred millions of people, 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, America divides with Europe
the commerce Of the Atlantic, Europe hav-
ing the advantage by numbers, position and
prestige. But on the great Western ocean
America can easily take the lead and hold
it securely against all competitors. To do
this she must improve her opportunities.
Sloth and cOwardice never win anything
worth having. fine waits neither for in
diyiluals nor nations. Success is for those
who dare. In this immense area of water
between America and Asia are innumerable
islands, so needful to the future commerce
between the two great continents. The
most of these islands 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 European
| flag. Greedy. grasping, and sometimes in
| sulting, as have been our rivals as to
American interests in these island, they
| are not yet lost to us, and their business
| necessities and the sympathies of their
| citizens are still with their American neigh
| bors. 1t 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 gateways 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, ma
val and military men, TO say that the Ha-
waian islands are the key to the North Pa
| cific. Coaiing stations, feeding places, are
indispensable to American commerce on
great oceans. 1t is the veriest folly to think
or to talk otherwise. The time is near when
we must decide wh) shall hold these islands
as IA part of their national territory. 1t is
not possible for them much longer to re-
main alone. Their people and the United
States will soon be compelled by circum-
stances and events to decide whether the
| Ifaw allan islands will have unity, liberty
and autonomy with the United States, or
become a colonial possession of European
power. What Webster, Clayton, and
| Marcy saw forty years ago, and Seward.
Fish and Blaine, and the administrations
they represented clearly perceived, may
now well be carefully considered by the
American people. The entire area of the
islands is about 5000 square miles. In addi-
ton to sugar which is now much the largest
product, the soil and climate are admirably
adapted to railing rice, bananas, oranges,
coffee. grapes and other crops. Well gov
erned and properly developed, they are ca
pable of sustaining population of 300 900
to 400, 900. There are extensive ranches
for the raising of sheep and cattle, so as to
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