The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-09-03
AN IRREPREssIBLE CONFLICT.
We Fought Spain in Obedience to an
Impulse to Fulfill Our
Destiny.

War, said the Greek historian, often
breaks out on trivial occasions, seldom
from trivial causes Now that the war
between the United States and Spain is,
happily, at an end, it may not be I'M
profitable to consider some of its more
deep-seated causes and some of its less
the passionate patriotism Of a great ma
ton to call the destruction of the Maine
trivial occasion. But that catastrophe
has not yet been proved to have been due
to an external agency, nor. if an external
agency be assumed, is there any proof of
completely either on the part OF the
of the Provisional Government of Cuba.
We may say then that, even If the de-
struction of the Maine was the imme-
date occasion of the war, it was GER
the match that fired the mine, but the
mine was laid long before in those re-
ciproeal movements of national progress
and decay which in their mutual reac-
ton constitute the march of humanity.
We get a stage nearer the cause, but
n erowh the sea Is q
of the United States But this cause
again Is not ultimate, nor is it adequate
In itself to explain the effect. The sea
power of the United States is no craftily
prepared instrument of vulgar aggression,
but the natural and largely unconscious
expression of the deeper impulses of a
great nation bent upon fulfilling it's des-
tiny. stretching across a great continent
from ocean to ocean, born of sea power
in her origin, nurtured by sea power in
her infancy, snatching her freedom from
the conflict of sea power, industrial, COM
mercial progressive, and adventurous in
her civilization, the United States has at
last become conscious that sea power is
her appointed heritage, whether foC veal
or for woe. Before that consciousness
had leavened the mass of her people a
generous feeling of humanity, native
love of order and peace, an Unborn hatred
alike of anarchy and Of oppression-not
unmixed perhaps with many less worthy
motives-brought her into sharp antag
onism with a power. In her immediate
neighborhood which had for long gener-
atoms abused the privileges of empire and
morally forfeited its prerogatives. From
this point of view the war was a conflict
inevitable in the long run, between forces
which, on any theory of the moral govern
ment of the world, must be regarded as
good and evil, respectively. Nothing but
miracle or a cosmic catastrophe could
have 'averted the ultimate collision be-
tween the growing sea power of the
United States and the waning empire of
Spain.
BY sea power alone the transmarine en-
pire of Spain has been undone; by sea
POWER alone, by the Spontaneous. and al
most fortuitous return of a maritime race
empire of the United States has been in
powers which either cherish transmarine
ambitions of set purpose, or yield because
| they must. as the people of the United
States have founo, to expansive impulses
! full import of that lesson can hardly be
discerned as yet. The foresight of a
statesman, the insight of philosopher;
be taxed to read 1t Alright; for it can
hardly be that the collapse of the historic
the Hnt e States Of an ns imperial
| foreordained by the genius of her people
| to be expansive, but not aggressive, will
| be unattended by consequences of vital
moment alike to the Old World and the
New.-London Times.