The herald., 1897-12-12
SUNDAY. DECEMBER l2. 1897.
AMERICAN NEARTH-HUNGER

The opinions of foreigners touching the
wisdom of a further extension of our
territorial domain may have little
weight with our senators, but lose none
of their interest or instructiveness on
that account. The Right Hon. James
Brice, author of THE American Com
monwealth," is one of the few promi-
nent Englishmen who will be followed
with respect by the unbiased inquirer on
this side Of the water. his solicitude for
the welfare of the United States having
ever been conspicuous. He contributes
to the current number of The Forum. in
response to an appeal from the editor,
a paper taking strong ground against
the proposed policy of annexation for
America, and while his position may not
be wholly invunerable, there is yet
much of virile suggestiveness in the
reasons he advances why the United
States should not want Hawaii on the
one side or Cuba on the other. He de-
clares that Great Britain has no desire
to obtain any fresh possession in the
West Indies. having had trouble
enough with the holdings she already
has there, and adds that Hawaii was Of
fered and refused many years ago
Those facts are related to show that his
views can in no way be tinctured by
native self-interest.
AS to the plea that the annexation of
Cuba or Hawaii would strengthen our
strategic position, Mr.. Bryce calls atten-
ton to the exceptionally strong position
which America already holds she and
Russia being the only powers that have
no insular territories to defend. AS at
present constituted, no part of our ter
ritory can be cut off by naval enemy
Invasion of our interior is also improb-
able, owing to the vast dimensions of the
country. Cuba and Hawaii, in the hands
of the United States, would be liable. at
the outbreak of war, to be seized by the
fleet of any enemy stronger a sea, pre-
ventable only by the maintenance Of
powerful fleets on the Pacific and in the
gulf. America is capable of doing this.
but is it worth her while to do so?
Mr. Bryce concludes that unless the
United States desires to undertake
some war of aggression, an improbable
hypothesis, she has no occasion for
such navies as European nations are
compelled to maintain in defense of
insular possessions. In other words.
such navy would be a very costly lux
ury Seeing that the real strength of
the country is to be found in its terrific
rial invulnerability, and in the fact that
no other country can hope to gain any
thing from strife with it, he assumes
that few vessels sufficient to protect
the rights of American citizens in tba
territories Of semi-civilized states would
seem sufficient for any needs that arr.
likely to arise.
Mr.. Bryce thinks it would be propar
for America to see that neither island
falls into the hands Of any possible naval
enemy, but that annexation would be =
source of weakness rather than
strength Neither the one nor +b.
other, he declares, is threatened, but if
the contrary We're the case, an cxnres-
sion of the feelings of the United States
would be sufficient at any time to avert
It, just as dispatch of Mr.. Stewards led
Louis Napoelon to withdraw his troops
from Mexico.
Mr. Bryce denies that either Cuba or
Hawaii is suitable for colonization ly
Americans, and supports his claim
with some very cogent reasons. He
analyzes the population of the islands
showing how unfit the major portion is
1or representative government, and how