Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-08-30
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Americans as Invaders.


that in intervening to force Spain to
leave the Western Hemisphere the
United States has made new and
dangerous departure from the prih-
ciples and policy of the fathers will
find food for reflection in the article
which Professor Albert Bushnell Hart
Of Harvard University contributes to
Harper's Magazine for September upon
the experience of the United States in
foreign military expeditions.
Professor Harris recapitulation of
| our history shows that, SO far from
the expeditions of this year being alb
normal, our records contain more than
60 instances of actual or authorized use
OF force outside our national jurisdic-
ton; in about 40 of these military or
naval force has been used or dis
played; about 30 times there has been
an occupation of territory, longer or
shorter. and in dozen cases some Of
| the territory thus affected has been
eventually annexed to the United
States.
The record begins with expeditions
against Canada, which antedated the
Boston Tea Party, and comes down to
a threat of military action against
Chile in 1892 and actual intervention. in
Hawaii in 1893. In 177S John Paul
Jones landed an armed party within
the United Kingdom, at Whitehaven
and st. Mary's; from 1901 to 1904
American ships repeatedly bombarded
Tripolitan towns and even raised the
American flag over a foreign city; in
1915 Decatur's fleet was sent to bring
the Dey of Algiers to terms; the ces-
sion of Louisiana involved a double
controversy with Mexico, in Texas and
in West Florida, which was adjusted
by military intervention; the War of
1872 was signalized by expeditions
against Canada: in 1875 we sent ships
to operate against robbers and pirates
in the Falkland islands and, in Suma-
ira: the war with Mexico was preceded
and attended by military expeditions
1S49 and 1854 we sent four naval expe-
ditions to exert pressure on Japan;
from 1857 to 1864 the internal revolu-
tons in China and Japan gave rise to
four cases of actual fighting, in one of
which the American commodore, Tat
nall, seeing the British admiral
worsted in an engagement with
Chinese forts. took a hand, on the
simple principle that "blood was thick
were repeated interventions in Central
and South America, and by the time
of the Buchanan administration. 1.-THE
United States was rapidly becoming
the policeman of the Americas and the
terror of the Orientals," and President
Buchanan repeatedly appealed to Con-
gress to give him general powers of
| Intervention without specific congGes-
sional sanction. go, r4
| Professor Harris survey shows re-
| peatel expeditions into British terri
| tory or against British claims. Spain
! and Mexico, as weak and rather dis
| orderly near neighbors. have come in
| for nearly 30 interventions, and the
Isthmus states for six or eight more.
| Samoa has been the object of con-
i trOversy at least four times; Hawaii
| four times; Japan and China five or six
times; Paraguay twice; Chile three
| times; the eastern coasts of Asia seven
| or eight times. The only interventions
in or near European countries have
been the landing of Jones in England
in ITS; the Barbary wars. and the
difficulty with Austria in 1853, in the
KosZta case.
Altogether, this is the record of
nation which, if essentially peaceful
in its policy, has, nevertheless, been
vigilant in protecting the rights of it's
citizens, jealous of it's honor and by no
means slow to interfere with force by
land or sea when the occasion called
for such activity.