Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-08-02
tent embraced about $500. 900 square

tent embraced about $500, 600 square
miles. outside Of which Parthia and then
Persia brought within the field of view
of European civilization from half a mil
lion to a million more. The %barbarous
tribes and mythical Kingdoms beyond
stretched, for anything the people of that
day knew to the contrary. to infinity.
In the thousand years after the break
up OF the western empire, Europe was a
laboratory in which nations were form
ing. Everything was fluid. In the fif-
teenth and sixteenth centuries, when the
process of n~ation-building at home was
nearly complete, the great discoveries
threw open to it new worlds beyond the
seas. From that time until now the
hit race has been occupied in extend
ing and settling it's rule over distant
lands. And now the process is approach
ing completion. This is the supreme sig
nlllcance OF our age. We see taking form,
not the powers in control of some little
corner or a continent, to be superseded by
some mightier power form the misty be-
yond. but inal world-powers, whose ju-
risdiction will cover the entire earth.
Ihe British empire, including Egypt
and the SOudan, now covers about IL, OOO,-
OVo square miles, or one-fourth of he
land surface of the globe. OF the remain
ing $4,000, 600 square miles, outside of the
polar regions, Russia controls 1864, 100
again nearly one-fourth. China, which is
about to be divided among England, Rus
STA. France and Germany, holds a sixth
of the rest. More than half of the remain
der belongs to the United States, France,
Brazil, Turkey and the Argentine Repub-
lie: and the Turkish possessions are fated
before long to pass into the hands of
stronger powers. Five-eighths of all the
land on the globe already belong to Great
Britain, Russia, the United States,
France and Brazil: and, with the impend-
ing redistributions in China and Africa,
this will be increased to at least three
fourths. The French ~olonial empire will
be held by permission of England, the
dominant sea power; and Brazil, like each
of the other South American republics.
will owe the preservation Of it's indie
pendence to the protection of the United
States. Thus, the vast bull Of the earth's
surface will be controlled by England, the
United States and Russia.
It is obvious that this situation must
completely transform the principles of a
prudent national policy. In all past ages
imperial ambition was certain to over
leap itself. The farther the bounds Of
empire were pushed into the unknown the
greater became the strain of maintaining
them. and the more certain an ultimate
collapse. Enemies multiplied as frontiers
heightened. The Rome of C~incinnatus
had only Latins and Etruscans to fight:
the Rome of Trajan was in contact with
a hundred threatening tribes and king
doms. But now the ultimate limits of
expansion are definitely fixed and very
near. The question is not how far the a
tional bubble can be blown in Infinite
space before it bursts, but what share
each nation will secure in the ina dis
tributiOn of the earth's surface, which
will be settled certainly within the next
fifty years, perhaps within the next
twenty-five.
Some Of the elements of this settlement
a be clearly foreseen. There is room
for only three world-powers-Great Bril-
tain, Russia and the United States. The
French colonial empire is an artificial
creation that cannot survive the stress of
war with a great sea power. So is that
of Germany. The most formidable ma
lions of Continental Europe, outside of
Russia, must sink to the rank of second
or. third class powers. Europe. in the
face of the World-pOwers of the next CEN
fury, will exactly reproduce the condi-
ton of Greece in the face of Macedon and
Rome. The rivalries of France, Ger
many and Austria will precisely parallel
the rfvalries of Athens, Corinth and
Thebes before Chaeronea. National
power must have a solid basis of popula-
ton and territorial extent: and, cramped
in a few hundred thousand square miles
each, the continental states must newt
~ NC NV Wy liz pO"CIo liza have
had the forethought or the good fortune
to spread over the globe.
And how will it be with us? The re-
gions in Asia and Africa which Great
Britain already has under mortgage will
bring her empire up to not less than 49,
900, 900 square miles, or one-third of all
the land of the earth. Russia has within
easy reach, III Turkey, Persia, Central
Asia and China-not to speak of Europe
enough territory to raise the total area of
her dominions to fully 5000, 600: square
miles. What, then, will be our position?
Including Hawaii and Puerto Rico, we
have 3,613,127 quare miles. If we annex
the whole of the Philippines we shall have
3.727, 453. We may expect that, sooner or
later, Cuba and the rest Of the West In
dies will gravitate to us. That will give
| the United States in all something over
3, 800, 900 square miles. AS our national
| temper does not permit unprOvOked ag-
gressions upon our n%eighbors, there is no
other important field of expansion open
to us, unless Canad and Mexico should
voluntarily cast in their lots will ours.
If that should happen, we should have a
splendidly compact domain of about
1900, 900 square miles, capable of holding
it's own under all conceivable conditions.
But it would still rank only third in ter
~ritorial extent. The British empire, even
after Canada had been transferred to our
| side of the ledger, would still exceed it
| by fully 60 per cent; and so would Rus
| STA. AS a nursery of white men, however.
it would be at least equal to either OF
them.
Another alternative is a reunion of the
members of the English speaking race.
That would make us sharers in a domin-
! ion of2O, 900, 900 square miles, commanding
| all seas, and embracing hal the popu-
lation of the world. Whatever the rest
IF mankind n,irht do tho naOn1a Of S,,ch
a domain would be secure. So far as in
ternatiOnal relations We're concerned.