Evening star., 1898-08-15
Mr.. HAYS SELECTION
1t Would Be Regarded as Signi6-
cant.
INTEREST IN AFFAIRS OF THE EAST
Discussing the Succession to Sec
retary Day.
EXPANSION OF INFLUENCE

EXPANSION OF INFLUENCE
The quite definite understanding that Mr..
| John Hay, American ambassador at Lon
don, is to succeed Mr.. Day as Secretary of
State excites an interest beyond the mere
| question of individual promotion. 1t is be-
| lieved that the selection of Mr.. Hay may
| have an important bearing on the policy of
| this country. Mr. Hay has been ambassa-
dor at London for nearly two years. The
period of his occupancy of the embassy has
| been that fullest of interest in the eastern
| or oriental question The threatened parti-
| tion of China, the assembling of the inter
| ests of other powers in conflict with the
| interests of Great Britain, the friction es-
| pecially between Russia and England and
! the interest, both present and prospective,
which the United States has in the settle
| nent of this problem have been more uni
versally discussed during Mr.. Hays official
| sojourn in London that any other topic of
| international interest. 1t is assumed that
Mr.. Hay is thoroughly familiar with the
whole subject and has, to a greater or less
| extent. become imbued with the British
| view, and probably realizes as clearly as
| any American the great extent of Ameri-
| can interest in the orient and the identity
| of our interests with those of Great Brit
| ain in preventing the partition of China
| and in maintaining open markets in the
| orient.
Expansion of Our influence.
1t is generally held by men who have been
watching the progress of our war with
Spain in the broader aspect of its effect
| upon ciViliZa tiOn and that tho
great test of the strength of Mr.. McKin-
| ieys administration is to come with the
| conclusion of peace and the determination
| OF a rolicy in connection with the devel-
| opment of our commerce and the expan-
sion or our influence among the great COM
| mercial nations. President Mckinley has
| not disclosed himself on this question, and
| public men who believe in a policy of ex-
pansion, not so much in territory as Of in
nuence, have been, and to a great extent
| sun are, in doubt as to how complete a
grasp the President has of this broad ques-
tloH. Inc President has been peculiarly
| reticent with those who broached the oues-
| ton to him, bat the op non seems to prevail
among men who are pretty close to the
administration and comprehend the Presf-
dents ideas generally that he takes broad
view of the situation and realizes fully the
Importance of preserving and developing
our commerce in the Pacific
After the Trade of the Orient
When the suggestion of an alliance be-
tween Great Britain and the United States
to preserve the open markets in the orient
first began to be discussed 1t did not at
once arouse a general interest in Congress
But many of the leading men in both
houses of Congress began to study the
question, and even before war with Spain
was declared and the Philippine question
arose there had developed a very strong
sentiment in Congress in favor OF a CO.
operation on the part of the United States
to prevent the dismemberment of China
ano the consequent erection of a barrier
against our commerce in that quarter This
sentiment has developed more rapidly dur
ing the progress of the war and in real
ization of the immense interest this gov
ernment has in the Pacific The possess
sion of Hawaii, of one of the Ladrone Is
lands and of great naval station at Ma
nilla, if not the possession of the entire
philippine group, and the determined pur-
pose to bring our whole country closer to
the oriental trade by the construction of
the Nicaragua canal are all steps in the
direction of the development cf an i'm
mense trade in the orient. These steps are
regarded as indicating very clearly the de-
Velopment of our national policy and as
showing that this government does not
contemplate being shut out of the Chinese
trade.
Great Britain and America.
The friction between Great Britain and
Russia, developing to acute stage just
at the moment when peace between the
ad Stata nd iS hain
ed, draws attention sharply to the interest
this government has in that important
question. The discussion of formal alli-
ance between the United States and Great
Britain, where it has been indulged in has
proceeded upon false assumption as to
the policy of each government 1t is well
understood in all diplomatic circles and
among those men in public life who have
been students of international questions
that it is no more the policy of Great Britain
than of the United States to make permanent
general alliance, and both are opposed to
such course. A cooperation where inter-
ests coincide is the most that is thought Of
with the possibility of this developing into
a temporary alliance on one subject. 1t is
regarded not improbable that when the
time comes both the United States and
Great Britain will make a formal protest
China, either by a single power or a COM
bination of the powers of Europe.
A Significant Selection.
In the light of this situation the selection
Of Mr. Hay is regarded by some as having
significance beyond that of the Presi-
dents personal regard for our present am
bassador at London. 1t is regarded as a
recognition that in the immediate future
our diplomatic relations with Great Britain
are to become extremely close and that
Mr.. Hays occupancy of the embassy at a
time when these questions have been most
seriously discussed peculiarly fits HIM to
deal as Secretary of State with questions
which are expected to come crowding close
upon the heels of peace with Spain
LONDoN's OPINION OF HAY.
The Afternoon Newspapers Want Him
to Remain Ambassadors
LONDON, August 15.-The afternoon pa-
pers, without exception express regret at
the probable return of Ambassador Hay to
f1an Unit Gfo<o 10