The morning call., 1894-12-11
ONLY ONE MASTER.

When James G. Blaine was Secretary of
State under President Garfield he wrote
letter TO Lord Granville, which was de-
livered to the British Minister by the
American hi ister. Lowell, from which the
following extract is taken:
The ates aud Territories appurtenant to
the Pacific Ocean and dependent upon it for
commercial outlet aud hence directly IN
teresied in the canal comprise an area of
nearly 100000 square miles, larger In extent
than the German empire and The four Latin
countries OF Europe combined.
II hostile movement should at any time be
made against the Pacific Coast. threat ening
danger to Its people and destruction TO Its
property, the Government of the United States
would feel that it had been unIaithful TO its
duty and uegleclful toward its own citizens IL it
had permitted itself to be b6und by treaty
which gave the same right through The canal to
a warship bent on an errand of destruction
that is reserved 10 Its own navy, sailing for the
defense of our coast and the protection of the
lives of our peope. And as England insists by
the might Of her power that mr. enemies In war
shall strike hr Indian possessions only by
doubling the Cape Of Good Hope, so the Gov
eminent of the United States will equally in
sist that the INTERIOR more speedy. and safer
route Of the canal shall be reserved for our
selves. while cur enemies, If we shall ever be
so unfortunate as to have any, shall be re-
manded 10 the voyage round Cape Horn.
A consideration OF controlling influence In
this question is the welsetIled conviction on
the part of this Government that only by the
United States exercising supervision can the
isthmus canals be definitely aud al all times Sc
cured against tie interference and obstruction
incident TO war. A mere agreement of neu-
trality OH paper between the great powers of
Europe might prove Intellectual TO preserve the
canal in time of hostilities. The first sound of
a cannon in a general European war would In
all probability annul the treaty OF neutrality,
and the stra egc position OF the canal, COM
mandlng both oceans, might be held by the first
naval power that could SeiZ- il. If this should
be done The United States would suffer such
grave Inconvenience and loss in her domes lie
commerce as would enforce the duty of de-
fensiye and protective war on her part. for the
mere purpose of gaining that control which In
advance she insists is due TO her position and
demanded by her necessities.
Il is wei that Mr.. Blaine's ringing Ian
guage should rig again ia the public ear.
Almost fourteen years have passed since
the position of the United States on the
canal project was thus forcibly defined.
The analogy of the case of England and
her Indian possessions and that of the
United States with its thousands of miles
of coast line on each ocean is broken only
by the fact in one case it is possessions
that are 20 be defended and in the other it
is an integral part of the nation itself.
At the present time, when Great Britain
is invoking the aid of an obsolete treaty
to give color Of right to seize command
ing position near the canal route, the
people of the United States may well ex-
claim, 'Oh, for an hour of Blainev