The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1898-12-15
sun NEVER SETS.
Exclusive of Colonies This is theLarg-
est Nation on Earth Except
China.
CSt. Louis GIobe-Democrat.1


Like the empire of Charles V, the
United States is now a land on which
the sun never sets. Going westward the
difference in longitude between East
port, Me, and Manila is 175 degrees. To
the jewellers on the Atlantic coast of
the United States Manila is very near
the antipodes. Travelling westward
from the eastern verge of the country
to the western boundary in the far Pa
cific circuit of almost half the globe
is made. Except in midwinter the sun
rises in PASSPORT before it sets in Ma
Mia. In summer, autumn and spring
it is daylight along the eastern coast
of the United States before it is night
on the western boundary. England,
France and Germany also have terrific
nv so WidelN diffuSed that the Sun~ShineS
on some part of it every hour of the
tWenty-four, but, of course, in contin-
uous territory the United States is far
ahead of all of these.
In area, exclusive of colonies, the
United States is the largest nation in
the world except China It far exceeds
in superficial extent the empire of Alex
ander the Great or the Rome Of Caesar
and Trajan. 1t SurpaSSeS the domain
of .Charlemagne or the territory of
Charles V. exclusive of his colonial pos
sessions in America, which were of in
definite extent, and which only tech
nically belonged to Spain, for no Span
lard in Charles time had ever seen any
more than a small fragment of the re-
gion that Spain claimed in the days Of
Charles and his son Philip II. 1t ex-
ceeds the empire of Russia in Europe
In population the United States exceeds
every Christian nation of the globe If
colonial possessions are omitted. In
the case of the United States the area
and population of the colonies are COM
parativeIy Irifling, but in that of the
other great Christian countries which
have been mentioned the area of the
TrT- 7Ty ezT1T
mother country, and in the case Of all of
them except Germany they are exceeded
by their colonies in population. In
wealth and material strength the United
States is far better equipped than any
other country for getting detached ter
ritory If it should ever engage in that
task to any important extent.
Imperial America, which comprises
of one continent, stretches its arms
across to another hemisphere. Its pos
sessions dot the worlds greatest ocean
and extend from the arctic circle down to
a point close to the equator Its colo
MES, from the Alaskan islands of the
north to Hawaii, the Carolines and the
Philippines on the southern tier, are
distributed within easy sailing distance
of each other. They cover all climates,
from the frigid to the torrid- When our
new conquests are occupied the stars
and stripes will be as familiar a sight
on the Islands of the Pacific as is the
union jack of England. Unlike many
of the colonies of England and other ma
tions, the United States new possessions
will all be productive. They will add
largely to the cOuntry's wealth and gen
eral resources. Settlers and capital
from all parts of the world will flow in
to them Immediately after the United
States gets them into its hands.
Through them the country acquires a
new credit and potency, and the advant-
ages of American civilization will
be extended halfway around the globe.