The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1897-02-20

REIMBURSEMENT CT the frontler posts Wy
British garrisons, the northeastern boun-
dairy, the partition Of the Oregon terri
tory, the questions concerning the New
foundland. fisheries, the navigation OF the
great lakes, the catching OF seals III
Behring sea, 1.-The difference of OPINION
over the San Juan boundary.
"On the whole" he says, there
seems to be sma II likelihood OF any dis
pute arising between this country and
Great Britain which cannot be nmlcaGly
settled, with reasonable promptness, I'M
der the provisions Of this new arbitration
treaty."
| Prof. Fiske reokons on much closer
union hereafter in sentiment between
Great Britain and the United States than
| now exists On the point he says
"Psople who prefer civilized and gentle
manlike methods Of settling disputes to
the savage and ruffianliks business OF
burning and slaughtering are sometimes
stigmatizsd by silly writers as 'senti-
men tallsts.
lin the deliberate public opinion which
has come to be so strong force in pre-
venting WAR between the United States
and Great Britain, sen timent has as yet
probably no great place; hut 1t Ia hoped
and believed that il will by and by have
much more. In the days of Alexander
Hamilton there was very little love for
the federal union in any part of this
country. When Webster made his reply
to Hayne, there was growing Sc ointment
of union for him to appeal to, and 1t was
stronger at the north than at the south.
Wren the civil war came, at the north it
had waxedsso powerful that men were
ready to die for it,, as the mussulman
for his prophet or the cavalier for his
king. Thus sentiment can quickly and
sturdiIy grow when 1t Is favored by
habits of thought originally dictated by
self interest.
"Obviously state of things in favor of
whiohsa strong sentiment is once enlisted
has its chances of parmanence greatly
increased. / therefore hopo and believe
that in the deliberate public opinion
above menti toned, sentiment will by and
by have a lnrger place than it has at
present. The abiding sentiment of
Scotchmen toward England was for
many centuries UNNECESSARILY moreran-
corous than any Yankee schoolboy ever
gave vent to OIL the Fourth of July.
There is no reason why the advent of the
21st century should. not find 1.-THE friend
ship between the United States and GIelt
Britain quite as strong as that between
Scotland and England today. Toward so
desirable contamination permanent
policy of arbitration must surely tend"
Elm arbitration as great principle, Prof.
Fiske has profound confidencs. He
points out the many grave differences
that have been settled by arbitrat inn
since the Geneva settlement in 1879. In
fact his large interest in the present
| treaty 'Iios not SO much in the fact that
it aiInsssat making arbitration the regular
| and permanent method of settling inter-
national disputes. y
He expresses the belief that in due time
arbitration may become so thoroughly
esta blished az to give the European gov
ernmenIs the occasion they would well
come to disarm. No event of praoIical
kind has happened for long period that
Prof. Fiske regards of as far-reaohinQ
and beneficent consequences as this
treaty may prove to he.
Concerning the changed relations of
| the United States to the world. he in
sistsSthat we have reached now sera AMI
different condition. He says 'the policy
of isolation which cur country has wisely
pursued for the century past cannot be
Notwithstanding. When Washing
ton wrote his farewell address the danger
of our getting dragged into the mighty
struggls then raging in Europe was a
real ard serious danger, against which
, we needed to be solemnly warned. Since
then times have changed, and they ars
changing Stlll. FfO-l "a ndblOu Scarcely
| stronger than Portugal we have become
equal to the st ongas'. Railways, teli-
graphs and international industries are
making every part of the world the
neig b bor of every other cart.
TO preserve policy Of. isolation will
not always be possible nor will it be de-
sirable. Situations will arise tif they
have not already arisenl in which such
moral weight as the United States can
exert will he called for The modification
of Europe, therefore, is not an ffair.that
is foreign to our interests. In that, as in
every other aspect Of the Christian policy
of spaace on earth and good will to
men, we are most deeply concerned, and
every incident like the present arbitra-
tion treaty, that promises to advance
us, even by cne step, toward the sublime
result, it is our solemn duty to welcome
and encourage by all the meanss within
our power.
.1OHN ETSKE
Boston, Feb. 10, 1897.