The gold leaf., 1898-09-08

on England will not be directly very
great. but it will be appreciable.
Spain before the war was certainly
more friendly than Spain will be after
the war We do not for an instant
regret our outspoken sympathy for
America, but rejoice in it: still, that
sympathy will undoubtedly have to
be paid for. In former times Spain
might always be relied on to refuse
to do lis an unfriendly turn in Mo-
rocco or on the west coast Of Africa
1t will hardly be so in the future,
and we must expect to see certain
preparations made by Spain which
will obviously be of little advantage
to Spain except in case of war with
us. For example, we should be pre-
pared to see Ceuta, under French
expert advice, blossom from con-
vict station into a formidable place
of arms intended to counterbalance
Gibraltar. The possibility Of Portu-
gal being drawn closer to Spain by
recent events, and so passing also
under French influence, we shall not
consider in detail. but it always re-
mains a possibility. The Iberian
Peninsula united under one govern
ment and that government under
French influence, would be a very
formidable fact.
We shall not attempt to dwell
here upon the effects on kurope of
an American occupation Of Cuba,
Porto Rico, and the Philippines. 1t
is, however, not out of place to con-
slider the effects of American sea-
power on Europe. If America sends
over and keeps in European waters Il
large and powerful fleet, it is pretty
certain that America will begin to
exercise direct influence on Euro
pean politics. If America has fleet
in European waters those waters will
be the Mediterranean. But fleets
require base. No doubt our naval
authorities will show the Americans
every courtesy of the sea. and will
treat them at Malta and Gibraltar
not possible rivals. Still, a powerful
American fleet will ultimately de-
mand base Of its own. But. curl
Ously enough, the entrance to the
Mediterranean is one of the few
places where naval base could be
acquired. The dying empire of Mo-
rocco would yield America a naval
base and coaIing station without
much difficulty. The protectorate Of
the whole of Morocco was once volun-
tariv offered to the States by the
Emperor, but, of course, refused.
Nor would such base be without COM
mercial uses. There is at present a
great passenger, and also goods,
trade between America and the
Mediterranean. Thousands of Ameri
cans, and especially those from the
South and Southwest, who want to
winter in Italy prefer to sail there
direct, and not to come via Liver
pool. At present this American traffic
has its entrepot at Gibraltar. An
American port in Morocco would.
however, serve exactly the same pur-
poses. We do not of course. wish
for moment to prophesy that
America will take port on the coast
of Morocco. 1t seems, indeed, on the
face of it most improbable. Our OBJ
ject is rather to use the suggestion
as an illustration of the way in
which Europe may find itself affected
by the war. AS we said when the
war began, the world will be per-
fectly different place after its con-
clusion from what it was when it be-
gan. Think of the results already
achieved or practically certain to be
achieved. America and England have
discovered at last that they are one
kin and that their interests are in
common. America has given up her
continental isolation, and become a
world-power with a great navy.
Spain has passed, or will pass, under
the influence of France, or at any
rate has ceased for the future to be a
potential enemy of the republic.
These are great changes in them
selves, and from them are likely to
be derived other changes even more
momentous. Though he did not
know it, world was affected when
the Cuban insurgent girded on his
machete and took to the woods.