Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-09-16
This Country Now the Greatest
Factor in the Pacific.
COULD NOT RETIRE If We WOULD
We Have Too Many Vital Interests
at Stake.
a NEW EASTERN QUESTION

z. Benjamin Andrews in tho Independent.
The eminent gentlemen daily arguing on
the Philippine question. whether pro or
con, seem mostly to ignore one capital as
pect of the case. the great disturbances on
our part of certain dominance in the Pa
ciic in order to the protection of the inter-
ests in and on that ocean which we have
already acquired. Men apparently forget
that. whether we like 1t or not and quite
apart from the results Of the Spanish war,
the United States Is q Pacific ocean power
nay, at present the Pacific ocean power.
having far longer Pacific coast line than
any other nation a line longer than that
of all other considerable nations together.
No one proposes that retire from the
Pacific: cannot do If would. Is
| 1t not then a very serious problem whether
in the present crisis we shall act 50 as TO
strengthen our Pacific front, or so as to
weaken it?
Wars in future are more likely than here
tofore to partake mainly of a naval char
acter. This is partly owing to the vast
growth in modern times of commerce. the
manning and destruction of which, for the
other, each antagonist Will desire Then.
too. all powerful nations now either have
outlying possessions vulnerable by sea or
seek to obtain such. There IS a third rea-
son why naval warfare is likely in future
to constitute larger proportion than here
tofore of all warfare. 1t is that naval
battle, in itself considered. Is surer to be
decisive than land battle.
AT any rate, any which we may ever
need to wage for the defense of our Pa
ciffc frontier against Russia, Japan, the
future possessor or possessors of China or
of Central or South America, Is certain TO
be largely naval
Success I'm Naval War.
Success in naval war depends in a very
great measure upon owning points here
and there in the ocean on which your ship
commanders and companies may securely
depend as bases for coal and provision sup
plies and for repairs. Without such
a strong navy may be easily peateh
by a weak one; your war be loss
your foes. some such bases of supplies
in the Pacific must have and We cannot
have too many. .
never be in any danger of attack upon or
off our western coast. This is among tho
| master Authorizations of our time EVERY
foremost nation on earth Will soon be rep
resented by possessions in or on the "a
cifc All will be our neighbors there. 10
protect coast, to escape insult ana 1858.
| we must be able to hold our own. MOI 10
speak of far-away islands ana continents,
large parts of our hemisphere viii soon De
in demand by governments which VIII be
hostile to us. The feeble governments ana
low civilizations of Central America VIII
not be permitted to continue forever. IL
| we do not in some manner or other man
| age to rouse those slumbering peoples 20
| life Great Britain, France, Germany or
| Russia will do it Wish it. vote for 1T.
pray for it as you will, isolation Is no
longer possible for the American repubNc-
| You must voluntarily and in your own way
enter the concert of the worlds powers, OF
YOU will be dragged in. The common as
| sertions to the contrary. as if the United
States We're today as free as IN MashiAg
| toms time to avoid .'entangling alliances,
| are amazing Steam and electricity have
| shrunk till world nations elbow and jostle
| one another like pedestrians on a crowded
| A New Eastern Question.
But suppose 1t is a mistake to expect
| west European powers soon to be In po-
s!tion to fight us in the Pacific from secure
| pc sessions of their own upon this very
| continent, no one questions the likelihood
| nay the certainty-that Russia is soon to
| become tremendous and foTinidab'e IA
| cic ocean force. That mighty nation, write,
| brave resourcefu fanatic, ambitious. ag-
| gressve. which had so long and vainiy
| sought d roadway to open sea through the
| Baltic and the Euxine. by the Feat, as boid
and gigantic as it has been costly. Of build
| ing the Trans-Siberian railway, has reach
| ed free ocean on the Pacific.
| The old eastern question centering at
| ConStantinople is no more. new one,
| quite as serious in itself and Infinitely more
so to u.s. has arisen, with its center at
| Port Arthur.
| The Muscovite has found the sea just of
| our weston coast, and hepceforth we must
reckon with him. The bear and the eagle
| are face to face.
| This great historical event, Russia
| change of front, would furnish us food
enough for reflection even If Russia had no
| intentions regading China But Russia
| proposes to own China and is nearly certain
! to own part of it. Who will be lord over
the rest? 1t is not too much to assume
| that the attitude of the United states IN
| the Pacific will determine this question. III
| we show appreciation of our Pacific chances
| he mill a small
| China and Anglo Saxon influences will con-
troll the rest; while, II We are apathetlc
| toward these opportunities, Russia, with a
civilization hostile to ours IN all Things,
will either seize the whole of that infinite
| empire, or else share 1T with a nation only
! less hostile to all our ideas than she her.
self is.
FilipinOs Will See In Time.
| Shall we. then, go in and conquer the
Filipinos by force and arms and govern
| them with without their consent? An
| enlghtene1 philanthropist planning for the
| true and lasting welfare of the Eilipinos
themselves would probably say yes. 1t
| seems likely. on the whole that pacification
| by us, forcible if necessary, and subse-
quent rule of justice. military, if you please.
| So long as this might be called for. would
| be the very best fortune which could pos
sibly come to the people of those islands
better than autonomy. better than release
| to any state likely to take them if we do
iron rule of SPAIN fr--
But the necessary interests Of the United
States do not demand that We go so far.
We actually need only a protectorate over
the islands. giving US sovereignty and sure
foothoid there; and We may, II We choose,
subject to this condition. give the Filipinos
all the home rule they wish In time. prob
ably after long suffering the horrors of bad
government and intestine war. having
learned that our purpose Is justice and their
good, the intelligent Filipinos will wish to
come into more Intimate relations with our
people. They will see-what is now so hard
for some to understand-that the gaining
of vantage by one nation over another
called conquest, still. and really SO in
form, may occur with spirit so benign
and free from rapacity on the part of the
superior nation that the process cannot
justly be compared with most ''conquests
in ancient even in comparatively recent
times.
Nation of kings.
From the Cincinnati Enquirer.
fms