Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1899-09-13
PRES FNT-DAY THOUGHTS.
BY G. GRosvENoR DAVE.

Antarctic III the American continent,
there VIII never be strong sense of unity
between the two halves of the continent.
As tlihe GOES on ana as wars OF conquest
as well as wars OF commerce grow into
more disiaror with the human family,
there VIII undoubtedly be many attempts,
Ike lhdt Oh blaine reciprocity treaty, to
bring TO pass vital union between North
and South America. 1T will be found too
that the approaches in relation to such
treaties OF the future VIII nearly all take
thetr origin IN a candid expression OF
ofotherlS feeling on the part OF North
Americans.
As an example, look for a moment at
the generous, almost Qaixotic, way in
which the United States took up the
Venezuelan dispute, and with how little
regard or gratitude her noble self forget
| fulness Is viewed by the Little Venice of
South America This is typical of what
Will always be our experience in dealing
with the countries on the mainland, south
OF the Tropie of Cancer.
Distrust OF the people of their own
! country and of the g,eatest republic on
| the American continent, is the keynote of
the policy of the republics of South Amer
| lea. Viewed from our more enlightened
| standpoint, these fiery and disputatious
| neighrors OF ours do not understand what
human liberty means and their republics
are tyrannes, in many cases. tempered by
assassination and revolution They regard
their own people with suspicion then they
entertain the same feeling for each other
and are constantly pickering among them
selves over arbitrary boundary lines that
| might well be swept away in one vast
South American federation. The I'M
reasonabeness of their enmities is seen in
the fact that practically all of the South
American republics belong to what care
called the Latin races, and hence have in
large measure common history, COM
mon literature, and racialtie
Yet their common origin is the very
| thing that explains their internal restless
ness, their continual disputes, and their
| attitude toward ourselves. The Latin
races as we now know them, and even as
they were IN the days when Venice was in
its glory, cannot understand what it
means to give freedom of political choice,
and freedom of religious view to the least
as well as to the greatest of their mem ers.
Even so advanced, SO artistic, and so pow
| erful nation as France, may be used as
| the strongest possible illustration of what
| republic Is under Latin management.
The common people are regarded by the
rulers as mere children who need watch
| ing and whose most simple act are con-
stantly under The eye of the government,
| by mean, OF he spy system.
What !, bred in the bone will come out
| in the lit. and though South America has
| entirely freed itself from Spanish and
| Portuguese dominion, the setting up of
| governments-someo of them closely mod
eied upon that of the United States-has
neither made for quietude among them
selves nor for progress that ut all keeps
pace with the rest of the world
| This amount of Justice. however, must
| he done to the rulers of all Latin republics
they know the characteristics of their
| people for plotting and unrest. and un-
| daubtedIy haze to watch them closely in
| order to produce anything Of a permanent
| character in the way of government. See
how the dregs of humanity asserted them
| selve. in the reign OF reason and the
commune in France These two occur
rrnces illustrate the very dangers that are
| always possible in Latin republic, and
| hence explain why it satisfies Latin re-
public to give freedom to the people in
| word only.
| 1t may seem daring to prophesy so far
ahead, and vet one is almost tempted to
say that, though sNever is a long day."
there never will be a friendship of vital
| character between ourselves and our
southern neighbors. Mastiffs and foxes
do not run together. Our ideals are SO
different and our leading men so keenly
| in touch with all classes of society, that