The times., 1898-05-20
OUR NEW COLONIES.
The ,trp.Paign of 1900 May -, Turn Turn
UpeH Unique Lines.

-
present war, and making predictions as
TO or4howh the great parties will 9be arraysd
against each other when the battle of
1900 is fought. One of the best Informed
men in the Senate yesterday took the
ground that the most prominent question
about to come before the people would
be the disposition of the territory we have
and will still acquire in the present war
with Spain. The question is one fraught
with momentous consequence to the peo-
pie of the United States. .0o .l,nitog 4
II believe, said THE senator "that in
the next campaign the money questions
and all the other issues that have divided
the two great parties will be lost sight
Of atd~-rhat we shIll array ourselves
against each other on entirely new lines.
Already there is rhe evidences 6f a weak
ening Of party lines without regard to
party, some OF us are drifting toward a
species of Imperialism, while others of US
are still clinging TO the policy laid down
by the early statesmen who never
, dreamed of the. glorious future that
awaited the Republic they constructed on
the Western continent
This is a subject in which there should
be no politics but IL IS almost impossible
to avoid it. and the conviction Is be-
coming so strong that the Republican
party Is to become the advocate of what
might be termed Republican imperial
ism. The. platform of the party adopted
at st. Louis bristles all over with il. II
contains the Hawaiian islands, Cuba the
Nicaraguan canal. dips into European af-
fairs in its reference TO Armenia and
lays The foundation for the widest pos
sibie Interpretation of this new policy
which is now beginning TO make itself
manifest in way that was not thought
of when that platform was adopted. The
Democratic party also pledged itself to
the same doctrine in less degreee so that
there, Is not difference so great that men
of both parties cannot rally TO the new
standard. s.. ,,t
at is my belief that the people of the
United States will not agree that one foot
of the territory we may acquire shall be
again given up. 1t may be a somewhat
| difficult matter for us to give il up. even
If we so desired. for the complications are
so marked in the orient that Interested
powers would hardly be able to agree
among themselves as to which should be
permitted TO deal with the United States
for the territory. So 1t may happen. and
very likely Will. that must keep the
Philippines, nolens, yolens. They are we'll
worth every dollar that will be expended
upon them and will return a thousand
fold their cost of capture and protection"
he same views pertain Win respect 10
Hawaii. Cuba and Puerto Rico. That Ha-
wai will be annexed sooner or later is a
foregone conclusion. The President has
not given up hope that this action will be
speedily taken. He Is persistent in his
representations to senator's and members
on the subject and now that il is prac-
tically assured that the House will pass
the bill, the President believes that the
Senate will not be held in check by the
few whose views do not coincide with the
majority. He has discussed the subject
with the opponents OF annexation, and he
has been convinced that after a reasona-
BILE debate the joint resolutions providing
for the annexation of the islands will be
permitted TO come to a vote.
/. Puerto Rico Is prize that under no cir
cumstances will the Senate let slip from
our grasp. We have been too long. lock-
ing for a coaling station in the West In
dies TO now let this rich island almost
| within our grasp. get away from US. The
possession of the island IS assumed by
members of the Foreign Relations Com
mittee, but this does not lessen their de-
sire to have also the Danish island of St
Thomas, which might later on fall into
the hands of some strong power and be-
come another fortified stronghold and
one entirely too close to our own possess
sions to be satisfactory. The ultimate
purchase of the Danish island Is expected
the minds of several prominent senators
at least, the wisdom of the action of the
President in refusing TO recognize the in
dependence of the Cuban republic IL il
should prove to be true that Gomez has
not the large army he was said TO have
had and that the republic is republic in
name only. the Presidents action will be
approved. for in the final settlement of
the question ii will be In the United
States and not the republic of Cuba that
will dictate the terms of peace and the
penalties Spain is to pay. and likewise
the amount of the expense of obtaining
her freedom that Cuba must assume, for
no one admits that the United States will
give Cuba her freedom and not assess
against her any of the enormous expense
which this war has imposed upon the
American Government. - z4
On the other hand, there is a growing
sentiment in the country that the United
States should keep Cuba for itself and
give the ,Cubans nominal home rule. Men
best posted on the subject hardly believe
that a proposition to annex Cuba would
prevail just now, but they do believe that
through favorable treaties this country
will practically dominate the island and
possess it commercially and that later on
its possession politically will follow as a
natural consequence.
The aggressions OF the French still con-
,tinue and the attitude of that power to-
ward the United States in the pending
war give promise of trouble between the
two governments. Much unfavorable
comment was heard at the action of that
government in permitting the Spanish fleet
TO coal at Martinique, and now comes the
news that the Spanish have secured a
coaling station in the North Atlantic from
France ct st. Pierre. Miquelon, near New
Foundland. This is but another evidence
of the bonds existing between France and
Spain, and one or two more incidents OF
this character will undoubtedly cause
such an outbreak in Congress that the
French government will be forced TO take
cognizance of it.
Meanwhile. with France doing all she
can to ALLEVIATE the United States, Great
Britain the stronger power, is quietly
welding together the bonds that will ul-
timately unite the two great English
speaking peoples and create unity of
interests that must dominate the COM
mercial world and change the political
complexion of the map of both hemi-
spheres, In his speech in the Senate yes
terday Mr. Teller gave utterance to the
thoughts. that are running through the
minds of public men when he hinted at
the possibility of war in the near future
compared with which the present war
would pass into insignificance If we are
approaching such a struggle, then public
men look to Great Britain as the natural
ally of the United States, and they be-
lieve that in the presence of such a unity
of interests and such a massing of 4
strength any opposition would be worse
than useless.
Bills FayOrabIy Reported.
Mr. Mcmillan made a favorable report
from, the Senate District Committee IN