The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-06-28
cAEsARIsM OR ANARcH1sM.

AS an advocate of imperialism Henry
Watterson out-Herods Herod. At one
single bound he clears more ground
than others do first by slow steps and
then leaps and bounds.
He was interviewed recently on the
war and its results and gave his views
in full After saying that we started
out to free Cuba, but that war rarely
ends where it began, and citing the war
for the Union as proving this, especi-
ally in the matter of freeing the slaves.
he continued, in part as follows:
The traditional stay-at-home and
mind-your- own business policy laid
down by Washington was wise for a
weak and struggling nation, and, if it
could be adhered to, would be wise for
every people. But each of the centuries
has its own tale of progress TO tell, each
raises up its own problems to be
solved. The difference between a. scat
tered population, fringing the east
Atlantic seaboard, and SG,c00. 0G0.of peo-
tple, occupying and traversing the CONT
nent from the Atlantic to the Pacific,
is too great to admit of contrast.
AS no preceding cycle the interview
ing century has rexoluti-ized the
world. Another century may witness
the transfer of human ambitions and
activities from Europe and America
to Asia and Africa The Pacific, AID
not the Atlantic, may become the wash
basin of the. universe. Can the Lifted
States stand apart and aside whilst
these momevents of mankind, like a
running stream, pass them by, an
isolated and helpless mass of accumu-
lated and corTupting riches? We could
not if we would and We should not II
we could.
We must adapt ourselves to the
changed order. We must make a new
map. The vista, as it opens to our
sight, is not 90 great as would have
been the vista of Texas and California,
Florida and Alaska to the eye of
Washington. For all his wisdom, the
Father OF His Country could not fore
see electricity, nor estimate the geo
graphic cOhtractiOns il would bring.
Already the old world is receding. An
ether world is coming into view. The
craftsmanship of the Goth century must
address itself to this and will be largely
constructive in its character. The cloth
has been already partly cut out. 1t re-
mains for statesmen to put it together
so that the world may wear it.
The United States from now on is
destined to be a world power. Hence
forth its foreign policy will need to be
who would cling to the traditions of
Washington is as one who would re-
ject the railway and travel by the
stage coach, or, disdaining the high
way, would strike through the woods.
Asked, do you think we should
permanently increase our army and
navy and enter into competition with
the European powers in and across the
Pacific?" he replied:
Undoubtedly. From a nation of
shOpkeeDerS we become a nation of
warriors We escape the menace and
peril of socialism and agrarianism, as
England has escaped them, by a policy
of colonization and conquest. From
provincial huddle of petty sovereign
ties held together by rope of sand
we rise 10 the dignity and proves of
an imperial republic incomparably
greater than Rome.
1t is true that we exchange domestic
dangers for foreign dangers; but in
every direction We multiply the opDor-
tunities of the people. We risk
Caesarism, certainly; but even
Caesarism is preferable to anarchism.
We risk wars; but a man has but one
time to die, and, either IN peace or war;
he is not likely to die until his time
comes. Sufficient unto the day is the
evil thereof. Ia short, anything is
better than the pace we were going
before these present forces were started
into life. Already the young manhood
Of the country is as a goodly brand
snatched from the burning, and given
a perspective replete with noble deeds
and elevating ideas.
Whatever one may think of Mr.
watterson's views he cannot but ad-
mire his frankness, which is very re-
freshing and devoid of all cant and
hypocrisy. He writes much better
than he advises,
He talks about the craftsmanship of
the twentieth century. His idea seems
to be that it win be much what it was
during the middle ages-a statesman
ship where might made right and there
was an absence of all ethics.
BY adopting this new policy which
has so caDtivated him, Mr.. Watterson
says we risk Caesarism but Caesar:sm
is preferable TO anarchism. We GER
tainly run the risk of Caesarism, but
the inevitable sequence of Caesarism
is anarchism. Have things come to
that pass where the American people
must choose between these two evils?
Has popular government become q
failure so soon and is the progress o:
the world only an idle boasting in
stead OF a reality? Are law and order,
peace ard progress to give way tc
chaos and black night? Because man
can die but once and not until his
time comes, is that a license and justi-
fication for him to make his life one
long series of crime and debauchery?
1t would be impossible for man to