The record-union., 1899-09-18
AT FRONT OR REAR?
What Place Among the Nations
Shall the United States Ho1d7


Even the most hide-bound anti-im-
perialist would hesitate to say that he
is not in favor of the advance of civ
ilization, and yet he cannot grasp the
stupendous fact that civilization has
uniformly advanced in the train of con-
quest Those who oppose all war are
fond of quoting Lowell as saying: Il
call war simply murder on a gigantic
scale" But they forget that Lowell
also said: Civilization rides on a gun
carriage"
The sentimentalists, who insisted that
the Pottawatomies should not be
crowded out Of Ohio. and that the In
dians should not be driven by the pro-
gressive white men from the lands be-
yond the Mississippi would, if they
We're alive to-day, insist that the Fill
pinos be left to fight out their tribal
battles in their own way, without in
reference from American civilization.
There we're those who sympathized
with the Indians in all their struggles
in the West against the whites but
their sympathy counted as nothing
against the irresistible sweep of immi :
grafton westward. The friends of CIV
ilization then We're on the Western
frontier fighting the battles that turned
a wilderness into great and prosperous
States; the friends of the Indians who
resisted the advance of intelligence
were in the far Eastern States mainly
in Boston, where are found most of the,
anti-imperialists of this day, oblivious
Of the fact that If civilization had not
pressed forward in spite of all resist
ance there would have been no great
West to-day.
Charles Kendall Adams, in the AT
lantic Monthly" for September, con-
tends that there is a tendency among
nations which rises to the force and
dignity of law that the most worthy
shall grow and extend their influence,
while the less worthy shall diminish
and finally perish This he believes
must result in the overwhelming Of
barbarism and the steady advance of
civilized nationalities. In past ages
barbarism triumphed over the civiliza-
| ton that then existed because it was
well equipped for conquest But now
| all the inventions that contribute to
| equipment and armament, to develop
ment of resources and the increase Of
power are on the side of civilization.
Barbarism is no stronger than it was
when Columbus landed in America
civilization in the meantime has con-
quered two continents and is invading
Africa
| AS barbarism has nothing to offset
the new influences and added powers
of civilized nationaIities, it must yield.
AS in times past, civilization will go
| forward in the train of conquest, but
with accelerated movement. until ii
takes possession of every nook and cor
ner of the globe The irresistible tend
ency of this more rapid civilizing pro-
cess, Mr.. Adams believes, is the devel-
opment of the larger nationa1ities. The
/ international signs of the times all
point in this direction. Since the
| Crimean war, Russia has added to her
| domain in Asia a territory nearly as
large as the whole of the United States.
| Germany has acquired on the east
coast of Africa as many square miles
/ of territory as we possess east of the
| Mississippi River. France and Great
Britain have done even better. The rail-
road from st. Petersburg to the Yellow
Sea covers 100 degrees of longitude,
twice the distance from New York to
San Francisco.