The times., 1899-04-25
Agnfnst America.

Against America.
In yesterdays issue of The Times there
was a special cable dispatch from Vienna
that was very interesting and suggestive
and calculated to make the American heart
| thump with uncommon pride. Among
other things. it must suggest to the anti
expansionists that the possession of out
lying territory is less likely to involve us
in trouble with foreign powers than COM
mercial expansion; and that our territorial
expansion and the construction of a great
navy may be necessary TO protect us in
our right TO the worlds markets. This
cable, message recalled the declaration of
an Austro-Hungarian Minister before the
Spanish war that the Americans were get
ting much OF the trade that had hitherto
belonged to Central Europe; that it might
become necessary to form an alliance for
mutual defence against the destructive
competition of America. Since then we
have made a tremendous advance, seizing
markets right and left. 1t has thrown
Europe into a panic. Even our English
friends have complained, their manufactur-
ers with particular bitterness. All Europe
foresees American industrial supremacy
throughout the world. She is helpless.
She cannot enter into successful rivalry
with nation that first makes men of its
workers and inspires them with the gospel
OF work. They must all give way-eyery
country of Europe is in despair over our
sure seizure of everything in sight in the
way of market
Now the cry for defensive alliance
against commercial and industrial America
is raised again. But it is no longer such
an apparently easy remedy. The display
of naval excellence by America makes it
serious thing to talk about excluding
this country from its nights. Hence the
suggestion takes the form of naval con-
strpction. All Continental Europe is
urged TO build great navies that will be
able to match England and America COM
bined- 1t is one of the most influential
of Clerical organs in Europe. the Water
land, which guides the agricultural class
es, already so bitter in their hate of Amer
lea. that urges this Continental alliance.
II hopes for Germany to enter into it, for
Germany has more at stake than any other.
or not-and il may be, for ii is question
of life with an immense part of their pop
ulation-its suggestion shows the feeling
IL means that if England and America were
not naval powers cur increasing commerce
and especially our future great commerce
in Asia, would be obstructed by force
Surely every intelligent American can
see that our commercial expansion. which
is essential TO our continued prosperity,
must go hand in hand with naval growth
and must depend to great degree on our
territorial foothold in the East. The in
conceivable blindness of the anti-expan-
sionists would lead this country into a ditch
from which We could be extricated only
after the loss of limbs. We must have
the Philippines to insure our enjoyment
of our right TO the worlds trade To have
rejected Hawaii and TO have abandoned
the Philippines, would have proved heavy
curse TO millions of American workmen
still TO be born. By the rights and powers
the possession of these confer, and by the
power that comes of our West Indian ac-
quisition and the interoceanic canal, our
industries will hum to meet the demands
of great world. What has grown cut of
the war with Spain, in itself insignificant
enough. will be the salvation OF countless
generations of Americans in a crowded
world. To those who see the value of our
new possessions, il is a crime of crimes
to hint at our withdrawal, though the
blood of every Filipino rebel should flow.
II will save future Americans from worse
than bioodshed.
We are the hope and light OF the world
Decayed and degenerate idiers of Coiti-
mental Europe, satisfied with a crust if it
can be got BY little work. cannot compete
with the intense and creative American
to whom work is the joy of life. But they
can hope TO build warships to drive out
OF the worlds markets the sturdy toilers
their puny hands can never match. They
do not realize that the same qualities that
enable Americans TO drive them from the
marts of commerce also enable the Ameri-
cans TO smash their ships. In the work
shop or behind the guns, the citizen of the
Republic, reared under our political in
stitutions. is the master hand Nearly
eighty millions OF Americans, nearly fifty
millions more of his kindred, the two
having most of the worlds wealth, are
not to be told they shall not sell here and
there. We. too, are building warships TO
insure peace.