The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-06
Some German Comments ON This
Country.

According to a telegram from Germany,
the Hamburger Nachrichten, which for
some time has been the organ of Prince
BISMARCK, has been moved by our rejection
of an arbitration treaty with Great Britain
and by the proposed annexation of Hawaii,
to discuss the relations Of the United
States to Europe. Owing to the possible
source of their inspiration, tho opinions
expressed arc worth reviewing, although
some of them arc not well founded.
We are told by the Nachrichten that fan
sighted European statesmen regard the
growth of our giant Confederacy with
alarm. Why7 Because we are introduc-
ing an unwonted element In European
politics." For this assertion there Is as yet
no ground, nor is there likely to be any for
at least half a century to come. Nowhere
can there be detected among us the first
sign of a disposition to depart from our his
torical policy of abstaining from any par
ticipation in the political alliances, In
trigues, and q~uarrels of Europe. Such SYM
patty, indeed, as must be felt by all Chris
tian nations we avow for the prosecuted
Armenians to-day, as we avowed 1t through
the mouth of HENRY CLAY when the
Greeks were struggling for independence
seventy years ago. Yet, even for q cause so
deserving as that of the Christian subjects
of the Sultan. we should no more break our
rule of non.interference in European af-
fairs to-day than we broke it in 1850 at
the solicitation of KossUTH. 1t is not true.
therefore, that we are introducing any un-
wonted element into European politics.
We stand where we have always stood, and
there is no visible contingency in which we
shall occupy any other position, 80 long as
the European powers refrain on their part
from interference with the New World.
What the Ndchrichten probably means
is that, by the construction Of the Monroe
doctrine, insisted upon by Mr.. OLNEY and
accepted by Lord SALISBURY in the Vene-
zuela affair. we virtually set up a new
principle, the effect of which will be to
debar European States from acquiring terri
tory hereafter, ON any pretext, In the West
ern hemisphere. There Is nothing really new
about this principle what renders 1t unwel-
come at this time is the fact that the earth
hunger of Europe, imperfectly satisfied with
Africa, most of which is unsuited to a
white population, is beginning to turn
toward South America. This Is not the
first time. even within the present cen,
fury, however, that Europe's territorial
greed has taken this direction. In 1928,
the very year in which President MONROE
set forth in his memorable message the
doctrine which bears his name, the four
Continental powers, united by the so-called
Holy Alliance, which had employed an
Austrian army to suppress n Liberal move
ment in Italy, and which had despatched O
French army to Spain for a like purpose
were planning the recovery of SPANS Amer
lean possessions. They undoubtedly would
have recovered them, and doubtless would
have repaid themselves for their outlay by
distributing a part of them amongst them
selves, but for the resistance which theil
project encountered from England and tn,
United States. What we said in 1923 wa
that we should not NEEDLE with the
American possessions then retained by
any European power, but that we coulc
not permit those possessions to be en-
larged at the expense of any American
people which had made good It's In
dependence. The declaration meant theI
what it means now, that the boundarie
of British, Dutch, and French GuianI
must be defined by arbitration and not b,
force, and that the emigration of hundred
of thousands of Italians to Buenos Ayre
or of hundreds of thousands of Germans t.
southern Brazil would not give Italy o
Germany any title, that would be recog
nized by us, to interfere in the internal al
fairs of the Argentine or the Brazilian
commonwealth.
AS for the Nachgichten's prediction tina
the United States will ono day find then