The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1893-12-22

mingo, Hawaii and the Nicaragua Canal
the Master of Both Oceans.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 81. Especial. i
The Hawaiian episode has served to call
attention to one of the great ambitions of
the late James g. Blaine. Mr.. Blaine was
in favor of the annexation of Hawaii by
the United States. But he saw much
more IN annexation than the mere acqui-
sition of territory and the extension of
American trade. MIR. Blaine was not SO
anxious to build up commerce as he was
to erect an American empire in the west
ern hemisphere which should be wholly
and eternally dominant. Mr.. Blaine had
always contended that for itself Hawaii
was not worth taking; that the trouble it
would cause this government could not be
compensated by the value of the islands,
territorialty considered. It was the stra-
'tegic Importance of Hawaii that appealed
to MIR. Blaine. Not more than a year be-
fore his DEAN Mr.. Blaine sat in thelibrary
of his famous old house on Lafayette
square and spoke as follows to your cor
respondent, at least in substances;
Mr.. Blaine's Words.
"We should have possession of the Ha-
waiian Islands. They are one of the strong
est links in the chain of empire which it is
our manifest destiny to hang about our
selves. England, always keen and con-
structive, always reaching out for new
vantage points'of power, has bristled our
eastern frontier with line of guns and
Notifications. From Halifax to the Ber-
mudas, TO the Bahamas, to British Hon
duras, they have run their line. They
have built a cable from Halifax to the
Bermudas, and now are laying one to
Nassau, New Providence [since completed
AS it is in the Atlantic, so in the Pacific.
The British have a strong naval outfittips;
post at Vancouver, and a clean sweep TO
New Zealand and Australia. We must
meet and echeckmate this effort to draw
lines of naval and military strength about
us. We cannot tell when the moment will
arrive inwhich our future as a nation may
depend upon our ability to protect our
coasts, to maintain that domination which
byrightis ours in the western world.
'tFirst of all, )" continued Mr.. Blaine,
-"we must have the Sandwich Islands.
They are the key to the Pacific. In the
next 80 years the Pacific waters will carry
a commerce equal in bulk and value to
that OF the Atlantic. On this continent
civilization is swinging to the west. In
the old world it is moving eastward.
These mighty forces will meet ON the Pa
ciic. They will swell to the eastern and
western shores of that sea; they will bridge
it with innUmera BILE linesof steamers and
freight carriers. The nation that holds
Hawaii will be master of that ocean.
Without vast expenditures for naval power
it will easily maintain it's supremacy.
There is no such thing as diplomacy with
out guns. Civilization has not yet reach
ed that point of Developments doubt il
it ever will get therein which great ne
gotiation can be carried ON without power
behind the hand that treats. To us Ha-
wall is as good as fleet. With Hawaii
we shall secure an advantage from which
we can never he dislodged.
Marks For the Enemy
'sIn the Atlantic we must also strength
en- our lines, continued Mr.. Blaine. "Our
seacoast cities must be made easily defen-
sible. So long as they are marks for the
enemy, subjects of sacrifice in time OF
war, we shall be weak. There may come
a time when we shall have to choose be-
tween surren dering some principle dear to
our people and the destruction of our sea-
coast cities by the guns of an enemy. II
the principle involves the national honor
and self respect, there can be no doubt as
to what the choice will be. Though the
price will be paid, it is a big price. We
must remove this element of weakness by
making our chief cities impregnable.
Then we must have battleships and coast
: defense cruisers to make sure of our
ground. These things will cost millions
upon millions of money, but it will be
the best investment the people of this
country ever made. A man never regrets
the cost of safe foundations under his
house, nor of strong locks on the doors to
his warehouse.
"Wefmust go still farther. I'M the West
g, Indies we must have a cbeckmate for the
British .strongholds to be found there.
We must have Cuba, San Domingoor some
other territory in that region, or at the
very least naval station therein where
we may coal, repair and outfit our ships,
and where we may erect Notifications.
Along with these comes completion of the
Nicaragua canal under government aus
pices. To finish that great enterprise is a
task worthy the best blood and genius of
our people. 1t should be done through
government assistance, on a basis that
will give the government rightto take pos
q. session in time of war; to close the gates
leading to the Atlantic on the east and to
the Pacific on the west to the ships of hos
tile nations. That would make us as
.. nearly master of both oceans as we should
care to be. 1t would enable us to trans
fer our fleets from one ocean to the other
without loss of time. Thus our smaller
navy could easily be made more effective
than England's greater, could be made
well nigh inyincible. If we add to this a
great naval station in Lake Nicaragua,
where our works would be secure from any
possibility of attack, where we could coal,
--)utfit, repair, clean bottoms and rendez-
yous, the line of defense would be COM
plete. From the West Indies through to
Hawaii we should have the mastery. From
hose points of vantage the world would
% ours.
MIR. BIaine's Dream.
"Commerce follows power the world
wer," continued Mr.. Blaine. "The ma
lions, through the unchanging processes of
luman nature, seek relations commercial
nd other with the holders of power.
,rade depends largely upon guns, as does
ipIomacy. To San Domingo ON the east
nd Hawaii on the west, with the Mica
aqua canal in the center, we should
id railway from the United States to