The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-06-22
LOOKING TO THE FUTURE.


Discussion of Hawaiian annexation and
of what course the United States ought to
pursue in regard to the islands soon to be
taken from Spain is being befogged by
some misleading expressions. Imperial
ISM 'colonizatio "our traditional pol
ICY and the Jeffersonian warning against
"entangling alliances are all invoked as
arguments against our improving the oppor-
tunities and accepting the responsibilities
which new conditions compel us to face.
We are told that If we extend our posses
sions into the Eastern hemisphere we can
no longer invoke the Monroe doctrine
against European interference in the Vest
ern. and will thus be deprived of oursmost
effective argument against the incursions
of threatening political neighbors
The trouble with all these arguments is
that they do not touch the real question.
Imperialism" has an alarming sound and
might furnish the basis of a legitimate ar
gument against any further acquisition of
territory if there were any danger that it
would strain the Constitution. but no such
danger exists. A form of government that
pansion from thirteen States to forty-fve.
from a fringe of territory along the At
lantic coast to a continent, is not going
to be endangered by the addition of few
small islands. The anti-colonization ar
gument has no application to govern
ment whose whole history has been one of
successive cooniZations, and whose Terri
tories. a stage through which a majority of
the States have passed, are really nothing
but colonies. The warning against 'en-
tanging alliances" has come down from a
time when the height of American states
manship was deemed to be national isola-
ton, and the Monroe doctrine is an ex-
clusively American weapon which no for
eign power can ever use against us.
Those who are using these arguments
against any further acquisition of territory
fail to take notice of changed conditions.
The world has made wonderful progress
since the policy of isolation was framed
as the height of American craftsmanship.
At that time the modern development of
naval power was not dreamed of, The first
steamship was far in the future and the
first armored war ship still farther. Coal
as a factor in naval power was unknown.
and the term "coaling stations" had not
been coined. The wisest American states
man could not foresee that a time would
ever come when the United States would
need such thing as "a coaling station"
or that the possession of islands in mid
ocean would be of vital Importance for
strategic reasons. The wooden ships or
merchant vessels that moved lazily from
continent to continent, their sails filled or
empty as the winds happened to favor
and occupying many months in making
voyages which are now made in fewer
weeks, could touch anywhere or nowhere
as pleased them, and return with as much
fuel as they had at starting. The Mica
ragua canal had not been dreamed of, nor
of course, it's Importance to our national
development and protection and the neces-
sity of commanding it's approaches in both
oceans. In short the era of modern naval
power was far in the future. The mere
statement of these conditions is enough to
show how completely the situation has
changed and with it the applicability of the
even half century, ago. They have. no
more relation to present conditions than the
scientific appliances the agricultural imple-
ments, the printing presses or the thousand
obsolete mechanical devices of that day
have to those of the present. They should
be discarded and give place to ideas and
policies in harmony with the times in which
xxifb fba NJ
Providence is imposing upon as nation.
Instead of running away from manifest des-
tiny let us advance to meet it and assume
the responsibilities it involves with courage
and confidence.