The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1898-08-26
BEWAREOF ALLIANCE

THE UNITED STATES AND THE CON-
CERT OF EUROPE.
Tho Sentiment Of Fraternalism Famed by
the Poisonous Breath Of Commeroialisn,.
No Greater Question Has Arisen In Mod
ern History.
The leading article in The Arena for
August is from the pen OF the editor in
chief, John Clark Ridpath, on the SUBJ
ject of an alliance or union between
Great Britain and the United States. In
his accustomed powerful style DIR. Rid
path shows why such alliance must not
and cannot be made The following
short extract will indicate to the reader
the tenor of The Arena article:
The journalism which prevails, out
of which public information is drawn
within the circle of each metropolis is
totally ignorant of conditions prevalent
west of the Allegheny mountains. To
this journalism the valley of the Mis-
sissippi is no more than the valley of
the Kongo. The metropolitan press is
not infected with even the outlines Of
information relative to the progress of
affairs in the great states of the Amer
lean union. 1t is almost wholly con-
cerned with foreign affairs and interna-
tional contingencies The mass of the
municipal populations read nothing but
their newspapers; they know nothing
else, and the consequence is that the
United States, the people of the United
States, the institutions of the United
States, the hopes and purposes of the
people Of the United States, are forgot
ten and cast away by the municipal
powers. Commercialism, having no coun-
try of it's own, purposely permits and en-
couraRes this baleful ignorance, and the
result has been that as soon as the re-
cent overture from Great Britain was
made known universal clamor arose
for the acceptance of the delusive prof.
fer. The American newspapers immedi-
ately broke out IL a chorus Of jubilation
at the prospect OF an International en-
brace, in the warmth OF which COM
mercialism might get an added coil and
the financial despotism of the world be
strengthened and confirmed. 1t is not
pleasing task in the midst of all this
fraternalism, Of all this "English
speaking race business, of this outburst
and proclamation of an Anglo American
union for the civilization and rectifica-
tion of the world Oh moral principles,
to utter note of warning against it or
to contend with the rushing winds
which have filled all the house where
we are sitting. Nevertheless we shall
do our duty in this great matter. 1t is
OF the utmost Importance that we should
There has not been such historical
crisis Ill our country since the outbreak
OF our civil war. Perhaps there has not
the battle of Waterloo The question is
simply this, Whether the nationality of
the United States, as that nationality
has been defined by our Declaration of
Independence, by our constitution, by
the teachings of the fathers and by all
our national history during the first
three-quarters of the present century
shall survive and be perpetuated and
defended, or whether ali this shall be
surrendered in whole or in part by the
entrance Of the United States into an
AngloA American alliance first and the
concert Of Europe afterward 1t is, as
we said in our article many months
ago, simply a question whether our
country is to be and to remain Ameri-
can, as it has been in the past, or
whether we are to abandon our history,
.hor o<%o ,ick1o II
rOpeaniZed
Than this no greater question has
arisen in modern history. The solution
OF it the one way or the other will per-
haps determine the course of civilization
for centuries to come. If the United
States of America shall continue in the
course prescribed by the fathers Of the
republic and happily pursued into the
present day, this nation must in the
nature Of the case be and become the
conspicuous and singular example of
political liberty and progress to all the
other nations of the world But it, on
the other hand the United States shall
be wrested from the moorings and be
carried over and reincorporated as
part and parcel Of Europe then this ma
ton might as we'll have never been
The distinctive principles and tenden-
cies for which the American republic
has stood and which it has so favora-
bly, exempllfied Tor century and
quarter might as we'll have never been
known. For why should the human race
be Knocked and tantallzed for 1875 years
with the appearance and prospect of
emancipation only to be robbed of its
hopes and sent back into that very past
from winch we escaped with so much
hard shin and of bIood o,1