The San Francisco call., 1899-04-23
IAN MACLAREN AS
AN EXPANSIONIST

This was only to be expected Ior ne
had been wrestling nearly coupe OF
hours with the pathetic story Oh Df'
William McClure's life, reading his own
creation with such an intensity OF eA-
preston that none in the auoLehce
were ashamed to weep.
California audiences? Yes, L nave
invariably found them cultured ana ap-
preciative. 1 have travelled through
the whole southern portion OF the
State, and everywhere l have met with
the same subdued yet graceful recep-
ton"
With a generosity worthy of broad
minded minister of the Gospel, 10
whom creed is little more than an
empty-SOunding word, Ian Maclaren
thus heaps Goals of fire on California s
unfortunate head. For, to put it mild
! ~, the people of the Golden State have
not shown the proper amount of en-
thuSlasm over this gifted exponent OF
the kailyard school Every one who
reads at all has laughed and Wept over
his pathetic or humorous pictures Of
Scottish peasant life. Kate Carnegie
and DR.. Mcclure, Jenny SOutar and
'Postie" are living characters Wher-
ever the English tongue is heard. Yet
somehow the fame of his books did not
induce people to attend Ian Maclaren's
\
numbers. One glance at the scoWl
which adorns Major Ponds bushy eye
| broWs is sufficient to prove this fact.
What are you about here in Cali
fornia, anyway" asks the Major. 1T
will be a long time before you catch me
on this coast again." As Major Ponds
ample shoulders bear the financial bur
den of the transaction, his annoyance
is quite eXcusable.
But Ian Maclaren has nothing but
good words for us, for our climate, our
scenery, our capacity for infinite deVel-
opment. Your cities are beautiful, he
said. Look at San Francisco, with its
unsurpassed situation Your Mayor
has kindly shown me all over the town,
and, in passing, let me pay slight
tribute to Mr. Phelan. 1 consider him
to be the ablest Mayor l have met in
America. In all my travels through
this country L have never come across
man who showed such an unselhsh
spirit of civic patriotism and devotion
to the municipal idea. 1t surprises me
that a person of suoh wealth and So
ciaI position should give himself up so
completely to the thankless task of
serving his fellow citizens.
Your city, under good government,
has unlimited opportunities for eXpan-
sion. And what a magnificent vista for
trade is opening up before you in the
East San Francisco should become
the emporium for the whole commerce
of the Pacific.
But do you believe that the policy
of territorial aggrandizement, inaug-
urated by the late war, is a wise one
| for the United States to adopt
That is a question which the peO-
pie of the commonwealth must settle
for themselves. But as BritOn I am
of course, an imperialist, and believe
that the true policy of a great nation
is to extend it's foreign trade by every
| legitimate means. And there is no bet
ter method than the establishment Of
wealthy and prosperous colonies
But do you think we are justified in
holding the Philippines permanently?"
"Oh, that is mere debating society
question. The thing is a fait accOmpH,
and whatever happens the United
States cannot retire. She has made
herself responsible to the nations of
the world for the establishment of a
stable government in these isles; she
must maintain law and order at any
cost Your country has taken up what
Kipling has so happily styled the
white mans burden, and she can
never lay it down. In my opinion not
only the Philippines, but also Cuba and
Porto Rico, should be governed as are
our crown colonies. 1t is great mis-
take to grant independence to the Gu
bans, to set so-called generals like
Gomez in posts of power. 1t is simply
aiding them to misrule the people
to repeat in the future all the cOrrup-
tion and cruelty which have character
lied Spanish administration in the
past.
"Why should a great free nation like
the United States do this thing? She
has everything to lose and nothing to
gain by following such a course. A
free Cuba will prove a constant trouble
and annoyance, a potential source Of
for the Cubans are not strong enough
for self-government and each time the
United States will be expected to step
in restore order.
THE cost will be enormous, and the
commercial development of the island
will be seriously checked. The same
remarks apply to Porto Rico and the
Philippines. The United States must,
in her own interests, adopt a firm CO.
lonial policy, based on the principles
which govern England's administration
of her crown colonies. And see what
you will gain by following this course.
1t is not merely a question of trade,
though that is important enough. 1t
is the vital part which the government
of colonies plays in the development Of
nations higher faculties.
THE establishment of a highly or
ganized, highly paid and thoroughly
competent colonial civil service would
college graduates, men of culture and
breeding, who at present have no
sphere for the proper exercise of their
talents. All the home professions are
overcrowded, but the prospect of hon
orable service in the nations cause
would attract the best and brightest in
the land OF course, [ assume that
such a service would be entirely indie
pendent of political influence and that,
by means of severe competitive ex-
animation, only the fittest, both physi-
cally and mentally, would be selected
for the work. And to insure honest ad-
ministration. the men must be well
paid. This is what England has been
doing in India, and in fact, all over
the world, for the past century. She
has sent the pick of her youth to serve
their country as colonial administra-
tors, and the result, as you know. has
been unqualified success.
Think what an addition this civil
service would be to the resources of the
nation Think of the effect it would
ultimately have on the home admins
tration. AS soon as the people of this
country recognized that it was possf-
BILE to secure honest and capable ad-
ministrat6rs for the colonies they