Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-03-08
Is the United States Unpopular Abroad?

| Is the United States Unpopular Abroad!
country. so proud of its greatness. ana
so conscious of its power and its re-
| sources, that it does not greatly con-
Germ us how the people of foreign ma
| tions regard the United States. We
can afford to be somewhat independents
| but nevertheless it is natural for us ~
prefer them to look al us with friendly
| eyes and i'll brotherly spirit than
! otherwise. We feel on good terms with
! the rest of the world. except Spain just
now, and we see no reason why i
| should not rcciprocate. But as ma
! ter of fact the other great nations at
/ the world do not love America any
more than they love each other Per
should, but it is not pleasant to reallzr
| that they dislike us. They love our
money, whether they come here for II
or whether our travellers spend II
among them, but they are jealous oi
eur prosperity and happiness, and they
envy us our unlimited agricultural and
manufacturing resources. Our won
dcrful growth and our free institutions
cause them disquieting thoughts. This
condition of things does not mean that
foreign nations are actively hostile L"
us, or would join Spain against us in
case of war, it simply means that they
do not freely respond to our kindly feel
nGs toward them and are not at heart
SO cordial toward us as lovers of peace
and good will among men would wish,
En- Secretary Olney in a recent al
dress at Harvard said that the United
States is isolated, politically and com
| mercially from the rest of the world
and explained why this is 50. y recent
writer in The independent takes up the
question is the United States unpopu-
lar abroad?" and answers it at length
in the affirmative. OF the fact he says,
there can be no doubt-eVery visitor,
more than mere hasty traveller u
Europe will testify to the fact. 1t is
! American countries. at least to the
I south of us. But Americans do not
! travel much on their hemisphere, and
the Monroe doctrine has made Us to ba
! regarded as a kindly elder brother who
| car be called on for help in the last
| emergency. But this writer thinks we
! have not one cordial friend among tn"
nations of Europe. Indeed we are
much in the position of Great Britain,
/ whose isolation is more splendid" than
/ agreeable. The causes of this growing
| unpopularity would make an interest
! ing study. and some Of them are noted.
! II is easy to see why we are unpopu-
| lar in Spain. Spain is unpopular With
/ us a the present time, We naturally
! sympathizc. all Of us. with the Cub3ns
! struggling for their independence, ana
/ the recent de Lone incident ana the
/ destruction of til" Maine has aroused
/ feeling against Spain such as has
| been felt against no foreign nation for
| genera ti"ns. But il * a matter Of the
| intensest pride with the SpauiardS Il
/ hoId their choicest possession. Thu.
/ knoW the Cubans depend on our sym
| tathy. that they smugsI" military
/ stores from our coasts. and that on
/ government has made it clear that " :.
cannot allow the cruel wrong to the Gu
| bans and the injury to our own intcreSs~
| ia go ON Indefinitely. We are intensely
! unpopular in Spain where the people
| are proud aud hot tempered. and the
/ residences of our minister ana conSuis
/ have to he guarded against popular
| attack
| We are not popular in France. not
| withstanding the hereditary friendship
| For years there has been a large
American colony in Paris, but its mem
| bcrs find it difficult to get any entree
| into French society. French ideals dir-
| fer from ours as much as they do from
| the English. Besides. the ma tural sym
/ pathy Of France is with its neighbour
| Spain, which has large colony in
| Paris; and Spanish bonds are held in
! France. and would be almost worthless
| if Cuba We're to secure independence.
| The French believe what the SpaniartS
/ tell them, that the United States is
! hungering to annex Cuba.
| We need not argue the ill+Will of
| Germany; it is too plain to be missed.
| 1t is caused partly by the operation pf
our protective tariff and partly by the
| loss to the United States of so many
! German citizens and possible soldiers
! But still more the cause is in that
/ which is seen all through Europe, the
/ growth and prosperity of this country
/ the development of its manufa cturcs
and commerce which excite general
! apprehension What Germany feels is