The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-01-18
WHAT MAKES FOR PEACE.

WHAT MAKES FOR PEACE.
There is no sillier argument as ap-
piled to the United States than that
which finds favor with the jingoes and
anneXationists, to the effect that this
country can enjoy peace and security
only when it has gathered in all the
possible outlying territory and
strengthened itself with a navy equal
to that of the most formidable nation
in Europe. This opinion applies not
at all to our country. It is doubtless
Germany and Russia, whose dominious
are either contiguous or in sight Of one
another, must be ready constantly for
offense or defense. No one of them
can with safety, or at least no one of
them thinks that it can, neglect any
precaution or permit itself to be in any
way inferior in men or ships to it's
neighbour This would be construed as
an invitation to attack, and so jealous
are the powers and so strong is their
lust of conquest that a nation might
reasonably deem itself insecure were 1t
clearly unable to maintain it's rights
by force of arms
The geographical argument alone
makes this theory totally inapplicable
to the American continent. No one of
the powers has ever entertained, since
the close Of the civil war, or probably
ever will entertain for the future, the
idea Of subduing or partitioning the
United States. The project is too flu
tile and foolish to recommend itself to
the weakest judgment. There would
be no conceivable gain to any power
from an attack upon us, even were we
not in condition to meet it. The
mighty eXpanse of this country with
its enormous population and material
resources, puts conquest out of the
question. The worst that could be
done would be to spread some devasta-
ton along part of our coast For any
such outrage the offender would paw
the heaviest penalty. The United States
is not to be divided or successfully in
vaded or ravaged without reprisaI that
would put any European nation at the
mercy of its enemies nearer home The
logic of the situation is that the United
States is not a subject for European
attack unless it first becomes the ag-
gressor; and this logic is borne out by
the facts of our history for a century,
during which we have remained with
out the military and naval resources
now declared to be necessary, and have
never found ourselves in the least dan
ger.
The jingoes and annexationists find
a topic beautifully fitted to their hand
in the present situation of China We
note in one Of our contemporaries a
cartoon showing John Chinaman pros
trate and helpless and about to be dis
membered by the powers that encircle
him, armed with various surgical i'm
plements, and the legend underneath is
to the effect that this IS the fate which
befalls a nation unsupplied with ade-
quate means of defense. The intended
Inference is incorrect, and the analogy
supposed to be drawn between China
and the United States is utterly false.
China's weakness today is a weakness
of character and not Of resources. She
was not beaten by Japan because she
lacked either men or munitions of war.
The triumph of the latter nation on the
sea would have been of no supreme
account had it not been accompanied
by a series of unbroken victories on
land. China had plenty Of men and
plenty of money Wherewith to arm
them. Her soldiers simply threw down
their arms and ran whenever the Jap
anese appeared.
This is indicative of the weakness of
China, which is the weakness of old
age. That feature of modern times
which China misses is not the repeat
ing rifle or the Krupp gun or the man
of-war, but is the modern idea. Her
people have stood still for centuries
and are still cropping in an age of COB
Inns and demons, without even a con-
ception of that immaterial thing which
we call progress, and without one Of
the aspirations that make modern ma
lions, Notwithstanding their defects
and their vices, vital powers in the
world. If China lies helpless before
the aggressors of Europe. it is because
she is like child set down among a
group of armed men, or, rather, like
a lettering old man among a knot of
stalwart youths who are struggling
with one another for the palm of physi-
cal superiority. Not her guns, but her
men make the fatal want of strength
that China evinces.
So it is with us and so with every
other nation. The weak man may sur