The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1898-07-26
ARE WE TO HAVE EUROPE 'roN

The prOverp says 'h"' ''
sone fire where we see great u''u ~
smoke Ever since we got into this span
a. v.,r there have been mutterinss ana
announcement. coming one after the
other that limited with more or less posi-
,t,.epes Of a European concert 10 interfere
With us before the business was inlS"'"
and dictate 90 ms what our course shou'"
he I'm this matter on that ms the cohciu-
sion neareSi. The administration M
Ivssbirrion has steadily negatived all
,baso suggestions ana this policy ON lts
mart has undoubtedly held down what
would have been very threaleh'hb
storm N II had persucd different course.
Peoplo-1n consequence of the adminis'ra-
Sims course. have very generally come
a. discredn an talk of foreign interier-
.nce though The Times has always be-
1ievea there was much more I'm 1t than
the general public believed.
nut a dispatch ana evidently an inspir-
"a dispatch. sent ont from Washington
on Sunday last. comes very near to being
an admission by our government that the
subject of Interference with ms is now
actually being discussed by European
cabinets with strong probability that
action OF soms,tort is going 20 De agreed
npon.
This is very serious and a very start
tho statement. bsit It s. an the better That
the people should know 1t at once il any
,h,,u Of that sort IS really under cohsid-
Grafton. II continental Europe ls Ie"HE
ro,nr TO attempt 10 coerce ms we want TO
tnow the fact that we may set about
making up our minds what we shall do
about IT,
So far AS Tho Times IS concerned It's
mind Is made up. IL Is definitely made
M and nothing will have the slightest
tendency towards making it change j.
Tho Times saws Mr. Mckinley must
notify Europe that II IT attempt TO inter
fere with us I'm the slightest degree, II
has got to fight us, even If 10 is all com
bincd against us. We want no trouble
with the rest OF the world but we VIII
eight all OF Il before We will allow 1t to
dictate TO us what our conduct shall be
I'm any matter whatever. We have GUST
cd the Spanish colonies from Spain by
force of our arms and we will determine
for ourselves what we will do with them.
The Times hopes most sincerely that the
limited states will not annex any Of
them. but ~ the people Of the United
States determine otherwise. then we Will
annex them whether continental Europe
likes II or not. And n continental Europe
saws we must night in that case then we
will fight.
II would look at first sight like rotten
one sided affair for us TO tackle all OF
continental Europe. But we are not so
sure n would DE so. We are capable OF
enormous exertion n occasion calls upon
rs 10 make ~. ana neither ourselves nor
the rest OF the world has any idea OK
what we really are capable of i'm an emer-
rencv. But I'm addition 10 the enormous
fleets and armies that VIC can equip, we
have I'm our arsenal a weapon that
Europe may well fear We are a free
Democracy and n Europe drives us TO Il
we viii invade her rotten monarchies
with our Democratic tenets.
italy as well as Spain Is ripe tor revo-
luton. Austria Is not lar behind her. the
socialists arc a great power in Germany,
and Russia lies fallow for tho teacher Of
the rights Of man. II we are driven 10
aght al Europe. then we must make tho
most OF our opportunities and We must
spreaa a democratic revolution from the
shores OF the Mediterranean 10 those OF
the Bahic.
France with very little moro OF true
conception Of liberty than tho Philippine
islanders have came near spreading her
revolution. one hundred years ago. over
all continental Europe. General enlight-
enment Is greatly wider IN its spread now
than Il was then and tho task OF the
revolutionist Is proportionately easier
now than 4, was then England alone
stands free and solid and she Is our
friend. 50. n Europe is bent upon fore
ing a quarrel upon us she had better look
we'll TO tho bolts upon her back door be-
fore she enters upon the task. The doors
are rfckety and the bolts are very rusty.
II we must fight her our night will not
he altogether with cannons. muskets and
swords. The schoolmaster will WELD a
most effective weapon in the nght. and