The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-08-17
rnB fAcrr1o an AMERIcAN LAKE
The Nation Awahe to the BoundIess oppor-
tunities Before IL.
From u. CHICAGO T1bus.. &


tunitics Before IL.
From ne chicago Tribune. =
The Tribune hopes and believes that Prcsi-
dent Mckinley will head the grand army Of the
believers In national expansion and progress.
But should he fail to do 20 and should he,
through some evil chance or mallRn influence,
play into the hands OF the MuRwumps and ro-
hctlonlsts. no would wreck himself and his Adj
ministration. but the United States would not
be thrust back into the old restricted and mar
row bounds. The new. iermenting wine OF ma
tlonal aspirations and ambitions cannot DO hold
in those old bottles in which the MuRwumps
would like to put II. Therc will DO no back
ward step AIKEN. The nation has awakened
from It's slumbers and cannot be drugRed to
sleep again.
The American people arc conscious now Of
the inspiring fact that tho republic Ia now by
virtue OF It's developed and developing resources
the mightiest power among the nations, and
should sit nt the head instead OF at the foot Of
their council board. The census Of o o will
start this country of with n population Of
75.000.000. The census OF 1910 will give IL q
population OF moro than 100000. 900. for by
that time IL will extend to the Arctic Seas and
tho pole on the north and rs far south as tho
desires OF the nation for national expansion
may dictate. Holding two Of the Greater An
tilles-Cuba and Porto Rico-Hayti may be
taken In also to round of American possessions
In that quarter.
But In this modern day q nation. to be q ma
ton. must have q navy which is an outward
and visible sign OF It's power. The United
States must have a navy which lie worthy OF II.
Each State should have its frst-class battle
ship. Each leading city should have n cruiser
named after 1t. The warships Of the republic
should be seen on every sea and In every port.
National influence and trade follow the nag. In
the wake Of the cruisers and the battleships
would come the American merchant vessels.
Commerce expands and all industries prosper.
Some statesmen declare that the Pacific can
DO gradually converted into an American lake.
as the Mediterranean was once n Roman lake.
This Is no wild dream. In time the United
States will have the entire American frontage
on the Pacific. It has Hawaii In tho centre. It
will have the Philippines in the far East. II it
chooses to play its cards. the commerce Of the
Pacific will belong to 1t. But this country will
not want any Of China. It has no ambition to
take part with European nations in the parti-
ton OF that country. The interests Of the
United States in the Pacific and the Chinese
trade will be such. however. that It will have to
negative the schemes Of European powers to
divide up China among themselves and exclude
from trade with that vast, populous
region.
Anew era Is beginning for the republic. The
Democratic Mugwumps eye It with fear and
the national expansionists with delight. The
latter are not talking everlastingly about free
institutions" like the former. Nevertheless.
the national expansionists have unbounded
faith in the free institutions OF this country.
and believe they are superior to those OF any
in the world. They believe that fact
will become plain as sunlight after this nation
has come out Of its shell and shown the world
how American institutions are not adapted ex-
c~lusively for the American continent. The ma
tional expansionists are the missionaries who
desire to disseminate far and wide the knowl-
edge Of the fundamental principles OF Ameri-
can government.