The age-herald., 1898-07-31
THE NEW WORLD POWER.
What America Might Do If It Were
 Forced to Bigger Fight.

From the London Saturday Review
 America has already annexed Hawaii She
 will certainly take Cuba and Porto Rico as well. and, if the Spaniards do not make 1t up with her quickly, the Philippines and Canaries to boot. Those who think Amer ica will be restrained by German bluff or bv frahco-Russian menace do rot understand her or her people. The seamen on the Ger man ships, it appears are fraternizing with
 the Spaniards in Manila. And it may well be that William the Witless takes il for granted that he can curb America's on- ward progress when he pleases or at least share in the booty her arms may win. But the war lord is mistaken in this assump- ton. The Americans are not a people that can be bullied, and the slightest attempt on ms part to bully them would result in war which would quickly enlighten him as to the limits of German power.
 In spite of the German superiority in bat tieshfps, it is our settled belief that the navy of America, even as it is at present Is strong enough to beat the navy of the Kaiser, for the Germans are neither sailors nor gunners, while the Americans have proved themselves to be both We believe that the Americans would win from the be. ginning, but even if superiority in material foio SiNc tHc deTndnS a victory in the beginning, the end in any case would be certain.
 America can build ships faster and bet ter than Germany, and in such a war she would put forth her utmost strength. Be- sldes, America has a very large mercantile maEne, and thousands of hardy, able sea- men, that most people know nothing about. II would surprise good many Europeans that the shipping that passes through a canal connecting two of the greater North American lakes is considerably greater than all the shipping that passes through the Suez canal. America, we say, has tens of thousands or first-rate seamen, whereas there are hundreds of men serving at pres ent on board German warships who never saw the sea till year or two ago. And the sailors trade Is the most difficult trade in the world to master
 For these and other reasons we believe that America will not be stopped in her imperial progress by German bluff nor daunted by Franco-Russian menace We shouldn't even now be afraid of the issue or conhict between the United States navy and that of France, for the American su- periority as gunners would give them an enormous advantage; but in such conflict we should probably take hand. and nroh- ability would change to certainty if Rms sa dared to support her ally. The truth Is that new power of the very first ranlr has pushed itself among the nations.
 Now, how will the advent of this power affect the European equilibrium? Even if we do not take at the foot of the letter, that newborn affection which Americans now profess for us, it seems to be plain enough that the circumstances which have brought about the reconciliation between the two kindred peoples will go on making for closer and ever closer union between Great Britain and the United States. After all, we have the same blood the same re- ligion, the same institutions, the same dem- ocratic government. the same language and the same tastes. We both love trade and commerce, and a working mixture of free dom and equality before the law to which no other people has attained From the selfish British point of view, then, we hope