Omaha daily bee., 1898-08-20

| Within Asia lies the interest and the OPP
portunity that, by its largeness, dwarfs
every other prospect. favor the acquisi-
ton OF Porto Rico, partly because the moral
| purpose Of this war demands that II should
no longer be a political plague spot in the
otherwise purified Caribbean sea, but chiefly
because 1t is at the gateway to the Carib-
| bean-a sea that when the commerce OF
Asia is fully developed and the Nicaragua
| canal opened, will, from both a naval and
| commercial view, become the most i'm
| portant water on the face OF the globe. I
| favored the acquisition OF Hawaii and
| favor the acquisition Of the Philippines. or
| so much OF them as may be needed. solely
| because in the new career OF cominerciai
activity upon which, trust, we are about
| to enter, we need. clear across the Pacific,
o line of naval stations and home ports;
| stations in every sense our own carrying
under the soil the American title and over
| 1t the American flag.
| I favor the retention OF the Philippines,
or at least part Of them, that they may
| stand as a tangible continuing demonstra-
| tion Of the physical presence OF the repub-
| lie In Asiatic waters. The value OF these
| conuuests is not in their territory. nor their
| resources, separately considered, b,rt In the
| fact that as an entirety they constitute
chain precisely adapted to the expanded
sphere in which we are to enter. care
| little for the links. individually, but everv-
thing for the chain that will henceforth,
| hold us to our opportunities In the Tar east.
Futurc of Asin.
After paying notice at great length to OBJ
jections urged by opponents OF annexation,
Judge Grosscup continued:
come now to what Is, in my judgment
the most interesting and important object
Of our future foreign policy. refer. of
course, 10 the immediate future OF Asia. IT
is in that quarter that we will find a situa
tiOu n American entprprfsn a
merce waiting for American venture and
eventually a people and institutions ready
for graft from the tree Of Anglo Saxon
civil liberty. Outside OF these countries that
are already European dependencies the pop
ulatons of Asia numbers already 100000
600 souls.
They have. up to the present time, lived
almost apart from mankind. The breaking
OF the seal upon their ports is to us OF Eu-
rope and America the discovery of new
results must follow. The discovery Of un-
peopled America broke up the deepest
foundations Of European life the opening Of
Africa. peopled only by savages, has stirred
every corner Of European enterprise. But
here in the far east, swinging inward, are
doors that will admit us to one-half of the
desirable territory and one-third Of the pop
ulation of the EARTH 1t is a land without
railroads, without manufactures. without
cities built on modern lines, without fields
cultivated Dy mOQern lmplemeHlS IL DluS
for every character of American enterprise.
1t lies under the temperate zone, the only
strip of our globe that insures health to men
now alive and promises increasing vigor to
men yet to come. Looked at from every ma
terial point Of view the invitation rendered is
one that no enterprising people can afford to
decline. The breakup in the current Of
Asiatic life is at hand. The people of China
are already beginning to compare their
modes Of life with us and to reach out for
some of the physical aids that we are ready
to offer.
Before us in the far cast at this very mo-
ment are opening gates that will in a few
years reveal a market transcending in value
our own and transcending our own i'm
mensely in Its potentialities for the future.
The full magnitude of this opening era has
not yet dawned upon the world. The far
seeing statesmen OF Europe see It, far
seeing America will soon compass 1t. Looked
at from every side-its certainty, its imme-
diate proportions, its immeasurable poten-
tialities for growth-it reveals itself as a
than the discovery of America; an event, in
many respects, without a parallel in the
history OF mankind
Our course seems clear, II we are in
earnest In our purpose to participate in the
development of the east. We need these
islands as an integral part Of the naval
force, without the display of which we can
never obtain a proper share in it's COM
merce, or protect it after it Is obtained; we
need them as strategic points in q naval
contest with any power on the earth; we
need them that we may draw physically
close to that quarter of the globe in which
we wish our influence to be felt and our
commerce to expand; we need them, above
all other considerations, as security toward
pcace--that character of peace--bonds that
all nations respect.
Schurx Speaks.
Mr.. Schurz said In part: ..,
The future policy of the United States
VIII be largely determined by the peace soon
10 be concluded with Spain. We have to
remember that the war with Spain was yir-
tually initiated by the resolution adopted by
congress, which declared that the people of
CUBA should be free and Independent, then
moved by the sense of duty the United
states demanded the withdrawal of the
Spanish forces from Cuba, that the president
should use the army and navy and militia
to the extent as may be necessary to carry
these resolutions into effect'-that is, to
llberate Cuba-and that such liberation and
pacihcation Of Cuba accomplished To.
United States emphatically disclaiming dis.
position Of any intention to annex Cuba
would leave the government of the island
to the people thereof
Now, / ask the advocates of annexation
among us, whether. II this republic under
any pretext annex.S any Of the Spanish
colonies 1t does no really turn this SOL
emnly advertised war Of liberation and hui
manity into war Of self.aggrandlzerent?
ask them what they will have to say when
cur detractors rep AIT against lis their tharge
o. hypocrisy and selfish motives?
III these questions cannot be satisfac-
torily answered this might be the end of
the discussion. But in these days Of ours
1t Is. perhaps well to go on proving that
honesty Is really the best policy What
shall we do with these Spanish colonies IL
we do annex them? Are these colonies or
any OF them such that we could with
safety make states Of our union of them
I challenge the advocates of annexation to
show me single instance of tropical
country In which people Of that kind have
shown themselves able to carry ON demo-
cratic government in a manner fitting it
for statehood in our union.
LET the thought OF annexing these
islands and their population to the United
States either as states or as subject prov
inces be abandoned. Let Cuba and Porto
Rico be occupied by our military forces
under discreet commanders, until they are
thoroughly pacifed and until the people
thereof, with such aid on the part of the
United States as may be necessary. will