The Monticellonian., 1898-06-03
| New Era Dawning Upon a Nation sud denly Sprung into Power Following the Lines of the Moving and Inexorable Finger of Fate England and America One in Interest.

interest. But. wholly without 1nten- tion on the part of the administration,
 the country is rapidly approaching q | situation where a decision more mo- Iuentous than any for q century
 past must be taken. The results of this decision will affect Euro-
 pean nations hardly less than America
 itself. Upon such matter have been
 unwilling to say a word until con
 vinced it was based upon solid facts.
 l have conversed with almost every
 man, beginning with the highest,
 whose authority will mold the issue, and with many old friends and new acquaintances, representative of all shades of opinion. The inquiry has been like the search for a needle in d haYstaci, and l have now reached the conclusion that in this particular stack there is no needle at all.
 Imean that neither in the White House nor the state department is there any | definite conviction or determination concerning the future direction of the international policy with regard to | the disposal of those oyer-sea posses sions oyer which the American flag will be flying when the war is over. l This may sound ikea hostile criticism. | Nothing is further from my mind. | The United States has drifGed steadily 1 towards it's new fate. If the Maine had not been blown up war would not exist | to-day. The neutrality of England | forced Admiral Dewey's squadron to sea tc smash the Spanish Asiatic squad- ron, and to seize Manila was his only eour8e. This accomplished, 1t became instantly imperative to send Aim rein | forcements, and these had to be strong enough to defeat twenty | spanish regiments and occupy the principal islands. The same is true of the Atlantic When war was declared it was believed that the | insurgents were capable of taking the field against the Spanish if supplied | with arms, ammunition and food. It | is now known they are wholly ineapa. | ble of this, and the military authorities have become deeply ayerse to any cooperation with the insurgents | holding the view that the American army should act with complete inde- | pendence, as to be free to face what ! ChGI O1NdSlOh lAd il Ao0t all LtI lIlH | Spanish are expelled. To President | Mckinley alone is due the escape Of | this country from the fatal blundcr of recognizing the insurgents as beliig- erents, and for this every thinking American to-day is profoundly grate- full Again, there was originally no intention of bombarding or seiziug | P.2to Rico Admiral Sampson's bom- | bar!ment was d failure; it should have beea sooner and final, or not at all | Tha: mistake is not to be repeated, and the oeeond Spanish fleet will not find | base shere.
 Moreover, nobody could have fore seen the extraordinary change of pub | lie opinion after Admiral De*ev's vic tory. Between April 90 and May 1 a revolution took place. Oa one day the idea of keeping the Philippines had not occurred to anybody; on the next, few people thought of giving them up l Now, also, it Is appreciated that it k | impossible to dispose of them to any other power without the grayest com plications, while public sentiment k into1erant of the idea of restoring them to Spanish misrule
 Thus in every direction events have moved, and the administration has fol. lowed. In Ambassador Hays words it l has been d case of the imposition of in visible hands. The moving finger has written, and it cannot be lured back to cancel half line.
 The question is, will the United StataL xybar, TaaAa iS eiopad l,., co. within it's old limits, abide by it's old traditions and resist the temptation of empire; or will 1t accept boldly what the fortunes of war have brought and turn it's face towards new destiny? The struggle will be long and bitter The opponents of annexation urge that the constitution permits no terri tory to be incorporated in the Union which cannot become d state. It is replied that America must no longer let George Washington do it's thinking for it.
 It is declared that the coun- try possesses no class of men capable of administering eastern coun- tries, and that these will merely be- come the prey of professional poIi- tcians. The retort is that the neces- sity of finding such men will compel at last a complete reform of the diplo- matte and consular services, and thus deprive the politicians Of their old spoils.
 Why. ask the ones, should we needlessly entangle ourselves with Eu- ropean powers. and enter the far east ern perilous arena?n
 We are already cntangled, reply the others Our interests are equal to those of England in keeping open | the vast markets of China, and Eng land will be overborne and China seized | piecemeal unless we range ourselves alongside her
 It will take great army and navy, :, say the objectors,
 It is perfectly certain. reply the anneXationists, that the country has already determined to have strong navy, and an army such that never again shall we be caught in this dis graceful state of uupreparedness
 Having these. therefore Why should
 we not use them to advance our ma terial interests and the general civili-