The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-08-15
THE WAR AND ITS FRUITS.
From the Philadelphia Press.


History alone can do justice to the
Spanish war In the light Of today calm
appreciation of the results and fruits of
the struggle must sound like extravag-
ance. But no current assertion or esti-
mate is likely to oVerstate the momentous
consequences of one of the shortest one
of the most vigorous and one of the most
supremely successful wars in all history,
Spain retires from the Western Con-
tinent, on which England, our fellow
member of the English-speaking race,
alone of European powers is now left.
France retired with the Louisiana pur-
chase and again retreated from Mexico.
Russia withdrew with the sale OF Alaska
Spain disappears with the cession of
Porto Rico and the surrender of Cuba.
No other European flag but Englands S
stands today over any considerable por-
ton Of the three Americas and England
by her colonial Legislation, by her SUBJ
mission to arbitration of the Venezuela
boundary and by the Canadian-American
commission, now sitting. has expressed
her frank, full and hearty readiness to
leave to the Americas the solution of all
Am erican issues,
Not a century has passed since Jeffer-
son began this swift withdrawal of Euro
pean power ard influence from the West
ern Hemisphere before the work is COM
pleted. The narrow file of colonies along
our Atlantic, which adventured the West
ern wilderness under Washington, under
Mckinley looks out on two continents in
which no power challenges or longer
questions the right, authority and power
of the United States as paramount in
the Western world, within it's limits guar
dian, guide and protector of the broad
array of lesser, Though Independent states.
The United States, on the instant, through
this overarching responsibility, often as
serted before but never before fully oX-
ercised or tested, and sustained by the ar
bitrament of battle, becomes n world
power" Our policy, our politics, our in
ternal development and our external re-
lations are all profoundly altered. Hence
forth on no question can the United
States live for itself alone. The Amerl-
can people, like the English, for the fu-
| ture stand before men laden with the re-
sponsibilty of races weaker and less 6e-
| veloped, charged with the care and guid-
ance of weaker states, called to a high
| part in the work of civilizing and develop
| ing humanity.
| Woe to a land summoned by its own tri.
umphs and victories to this supreme duty
| II it be not equal to the burden laid upon
| II, and does not walk in justice and deal
|
which its feet are set and to which II
has been guided by the light of it's bat
ties. Much in the past has been pardone6
| to our youth, our inexperience, the errors
the faults and even the corruption of g
| new country, This is past. We have
reached our majority. We have taker
our place among the worlds greater pow
| ers. Our acts will henceforth be judge;
and justified in peace by the responsihili
| ties we have chosen 10 assume as the cos
| OF war and claimed as the price of we
tory. 1t Is a time for every American
| solemnly to remember that much of cor
ruption, bcss-rule and maladministratior
| which has hitherto passed as but a mat
| ter of our internal affairs is hencefortl
lifted on the worlds stage and watche;
by world, eEvicus ond unfriendly AnC
| unless these evils of peace are righte
| and remedied, in vain has been the shoci
of battle and the thrill of triumph. No
by war and arms but by righteousness
and purity do ations live,