Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1896-01-30
D1sMANrLE THE FoRrREssEs.

Sbal6Q IHd6 EHSldilu Was dOOut
despatching flying squadron
consisting of two battle ships,
two first and two second class
cruisers, together with six tor
pedo boat destroyers, to reinforce
the already formidable fleet of
sixteen British men-of-war at
Bermuda. Such a naval demon
stration, if really made, at a
point within six or seven huns
dred miles of our seaboard, could
be regarded only as a menace
which should not be permitted
to go unanswered by our Gov.
eminent. Even if the rumor be
only a canard, the possibility of
such a concentration of hostile
force almost at U doors calls
for serious consideration. How
long must this nation submit to
the presence of menacing aTsen-
ais and fortresses on it's borders?
Halifax, Bermuda, Santa Lucia,
are all SO many threats against
the United States. Let them be
disarmed. It England means to
be friendly with the United
States why does she continue
erecting those engines of de-
struction all around US? No
great nation on earth. save only
this one, would submit to such
an outrage.
Simultaneous with the above
dispatch comes the news that the
authorities of British Guiana
have sent an armed expedition
to the Venezuelan frontier, and
on the heels of that the offer Of
the Canadian ship owners on the
great lakes to turn over their YES
sells to the military service of
Great Britain in case of hostili~
ties with the United States.
American ship wner il con-
vention at Detroit have responds
ed by making a similar offer to
our own Government; but 1t is to
be noted that the first overt act
or offer comes from the other
side.
It is time that Americans
should take the initiative in some
of those acts. Here is the great
est potential military nation in
the world, a power capable of
putting ten million armed men
into the field, submitting to in
suit and menace from a nation
which has not more than a quar-
ter of a million of soldiers at it's
command and is the very weak
est country in the world by rea-
son of it's widespread, helpless
commercial marine. 1t is about
time for the giant to tell the
pygmy to mend his manners.
1t may be said that if England
is so powerless to hurt US, why
should we care for her hostile
demonstrations or preparations?
The question would be pertinent if
we had not before us the memory
of 1861-5, when an unforeseen
crisis left US open to attacks Of
every enemy. Such a crisis is
not likely to occur again; but We
cannot tell.
The position taken by some Of
our colleges and business asso-
Citations shows that the Tory
spirit, though latent, is not life~
less.
The simplest way of check
mating domestic treason is to de-
mand that the enemy shall dis
mantle his menacing forts on our
borders in the vicinity of our
seaboard. If there were no Hal
flax, Bermuda or Santa Lucia at
our doors, England would have
no coign Of vantage whereat to
rendezvous her hostile squad
rons for our Impairment. No
Infringement of the integrity of
Venezuela is onestenth as me-
nacing to American supremacy
as these forts on our borders.
We need a new and stronger
Monroe doctrine-a doctrine
which shall declare that the pres
ence of any hostile fortor feet or
possible rendezvous for either,
in the vicinity of our coast, is a
danger to American rights on
this hemisphere. President
Cleveland is the man to put such
q doctrine into "plain United
States" and when he does so it
will be understood of all the
world, America, in this connec~
ton, may adopt the words of
Robert Burns
ST am naebody's lord,
- Ts1I l.