The times., 1898-07-27
THE NEW WORLD POWER.
What America Might Do If 1t Were
Forced TO n Bigger Fight
(FrQm 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 maze it up with her quickly. the
Phiippines and the Canaries to boot.
Those l.ho think America will be res
trained by German bluff or by Franco
Russian menace do not understand her
or her people. The seamen on the Ger
man ships 1t appears, are fraternizing
with the Spaniards in Manila. And 1t
may well be that William the Witless
takes it for granted that he can cu-p
Americas onward progress when he
pIeases or at least share in the booty ner
arms may win. But the war lord is
mistaken in this assumption. The Ameri-
cans are not people that can be bullied,
and the slightest attempt on his part 10
bully them would result in a war which
would quickly enighten him 70 the
limits of German power.
In spite of the German superiority in
battleships. 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
dTe ntilntI SdalOIS lp! btaiAACAoI "A'AAS
the Americans have proved themselves
to be both. We believe that the Ameri-
cans would win from the beginning, but
even if superiority in material did give
the Germans a victory or two in the
beginning, the end in any case would
be certain.
America can built ships faster and bet
ter than Germany, and in such a war she
would put forth her utmost strength. Be
sides. America has very large mercan-
tile marine, and thousands of hardy, able
seamen. that most people know nothing
about 1t would surprise a good many
European to learn that the shipping that
passes through a canal connecting TWO
OF the greater North American lakes Is
considerably larger than all the shipping
that passes through the Suez Canal.
America. we say, has tens of thousands
of frst-rate seamen. whereas there are
hundreds of men serving at present on
board German warships who never saw
the sea till a 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
daurted by Franco Russian menace. We
shouldn't even now be afraid of the issue
of a conflict between the United States
navy and that Of France. for the Ameri-
can superiority as gunners would give
them an enormous advantage: but in such
conflict we should probably take a
hand and probability would change 10
certainty if Russia dared 10 support her
ally. The truth is that a new pewer of
the very first rank has pushed Itself
among the nations.
Now. how viii the advent OF this new
power affect the European equilibrium
Even if we do not take al the foot o. the
letter that newborn affection which the
Americans now profess for rs. IL seems
10 be plain enough that the circum-
stances which have brought about the
reconciliation between the two kindred
peoples will go on making Tor a closer
and ever closer union between Great
Britain and the United States. After all.
we have the same blood, the same re-
ligi0n. the same institutions, tha same
democratic government, the same lang
uage and the same tastes. We both love
trade and commerce. and a working mix
ture of freedom and equality before the
law 10 which no other people has at
tanned From the selfish British point
of view, then we hope that he AmeTi-
cans will take both the Canarics and the
Philippines. and if they wished (Which is
likely) for a port on the coast of China
besides. they should have cur help in
getting it.
The weary Titan that Mathew Ar
mold spoke Of. with every muscle strained
by the weight of empire, challenged on
this side and on that by new competitors.
menaced now and then by a combination
of envious enemies, suddenly finds stand
ing by his side straight ana stalwart
son, who though he has his own place
in the world and his own ambitions, vet
seems inclined to say that the old Titan
shall always have at least fair feld.
and. perhaps. if the worst comes ID the
worst. some little favor. And that Is
the way we Britons feel about America.
This fact that the two nations which
stood against each other at the beginning
of the nineteenth century now stand to-
gether as friends. if not allies, will prob
ably turn out to be the most important
fact in the history of the twentieth CEN
tury.