The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-09-04
AN ovERwoRKED sCARECRow.

schemes In substituting Japan Tor Eng
land as the bugaboo with which to
scare into conniption fits the ignorant
element among our own people. A year
or two ago, whenever it was thought
desirable to frighten this country into
the adoption of some unwise and I'M
justifiable policy, it was Great Britain
eyes as the monstrous ogre that was
about to devour everything in sight,
unless the United States should grab it
first. 1t was English aggression in the
pretext for our unwarranted interfer-
ence there We were told that this
group in the Pacific was absolutely es-
sential to the completion of England's
circle of power about the globe, and
that nothing but the annexation of Ha
wall by the United States could stop
it. That theory was exploded by the
frank admission of the political leaders
of England that they did not care what
steps the United States might take; and
that, in fact, they were inclined to rec
ognize the predominance of American
interests in the Sandwich group.
For years the main support Of the
Nicaragua canal jobbers has been the
threat that. if we did not build a canal.
England would. Time and again we
have been told that English syndicates,
backed by the government itself, were
ready to step in and buy up the canal
concession and plant the British lion
firmly upon the isthmus route. While
jealousy and hatred of Great Britain
were powerful implements with which
to work upon American prejudice, this
scheme did fairly well. Neither the
canal steal nor the annexation fraud
would ever have made such Roadway
but for the plea behind them that their
principal design was to Illustrate the
wicked plans of Great Britain.
This scarecrow, like others of it's
kind, grew after while so bedraggled
and tattered, through exposure to
feet upon jealous minds. Es-
pecially was this true after we had
been taught, by the position of Great
Britain in the Venezuelan affair and on
the general arbitration treaty that she
was not seeking to humble the dignity
and diminish the power of the United
States, but was ready to join hands
with us in establishing a worldwide su-
premacy of the Anglo-Saxon race. At
ter an English premier had conceded
the wide extension and emphatic appli-
cation of the Monroe doctrine made by
President Cleveland and Secretary Oh
ney, and after her foreign office had
gone to the limit of liberality in agree
ing to a general arbitration treaty
which our senate mutilated and reject
ed, England ceased to be available as
a bugaboo.
A bugaboo, however, the lingo
must have. Were his plans for
complications and injudicious expendi-
lures Of money outside of this country
left to stand on their own merits, they
would not have a show of success.
They depend absolutely upon an appeal
to international hatred and a frenzied
fear that some other nation may get
ahead of us in doing an unwise thing
The only available substitute for the
British lion and the Golden club ap-
peared to be the little island empire
recently come into prominence by it's
triumph over China. We may consider
that it has been now elected formally
to the position of scarecrow plenipoten-
tiary and bugaboo extraordinary to
the United States. 1t is Japan that is
going to seize the Hawaiian islands if
we do not steal them, and it is going to
construct the Nicaragua canal if we
turn the jobbers down.
1t was a godsend to the jingoes
that misunderstanding arose be-
tween the Japanese and the Ha-
waiian governments concerning the
exclusion from the Sandwich
islands of emigrants from Japan.
These became first a source of local
difficulty. and then the foundation of a
protest by Japan against the Hawaiian
annexation treaty. The Japanese
do not care rap whether
the United States absorbs Hawaii or
not They do object to bringing the
islands in under arrangements which
would place citizens of Japan, domi-
ciled in the Hawaiian islands, under
the stringent laws of the United States
relating to Asiatic emigration. The
circumstance served just as we'll the
purpose of the jingoes as if it had been
the remonstrance against annexation
itself which they pretended it was,
Forthwith they raised clamor that,
unless we annexed Hawaii without a
part of the empire of Japan. 1t was
that argument that was relied upon to
force the treaty through, and it will
be amplified and extended next winter,
when the corrupt pfCpCSllloH IS ~ nave
its final hearing.
The analogy is made perfectly COM
plete by the later announcement that
japan is trying to obtain rights to
build canal through Nicaragua. This
discloses the whole purpose Of the fan
tasy which is to make that coun-
try the national scarecrow. 1t goes