The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-11-03

outlets and broader markets? Where
are these new outlets? Not Europe,
which, while It must have some OF our
food and must bow in some directions
to the superior genius OF American
manufacturing, is yet engaged I'm its
own strenuous struggle Not Africa,
which still the dark continent is only
a promised land of colonization and
already appropriated.
NATURAL OUTLETS.
There are two natural outlets which.
with sagacious foresight and wise poll
icy, may be developed into great mar
kets The first is our own continent, a
field yet largely uncultivated. South OF
us it has a population of 7O00O, 900, and
a foreign trade of over $500, 900, ,0OO, ,capa-
BILE of being doubled. OF that trade we
have little more than tenth. when by
virtue of position and potential advant-
| ages we ought to have quarters
of it. We ought to be first in the trade
OF all this continent as we are first in
| standing and influence. A recent sec
retary of state, great and forceful--I
| gladly say It, though his political op-
! ponent-spoke of our sovereignty of the
American continent Brilliant and mas
terly as was his general discussion, he
was mistaken in that declaration. We
do not hold sovereignty of the conti-
nent and cannot. claim 1t. But we do
hold the primacy of the continent and
the hemisphere, We are the first and
foremost in rank. 1t was the con-
sciousness of that position and it's OBJ
legations that led our government over
seventy years ago to proclaim the Mon
roe doctrine. Our only designs in con-
nection with our sister republics are to
throw a common shield of defence
around this continent and to promote
| close and reciprocal commercial rela-
tions. With the great merchant marine
which we shall develop and with better
communications, we shall become pri-
mate in trade as we are in power.
The second outlet is the Orient with
! its population of so. 100000 and it's po-
tential trade, as it throws of the
| shackles of it's ancient isolation, Of
| thousands of millions. Does any think
ing man who has reverently studied
our history and seen the unmstakable
| signs of an overruling hand in it's sue
| cessive stages and it's splendid evolu-
! tion, fail to see the same guiding provi-
! dence in the unplanned but not fortu-
! itous events which, on this side of the
! globe have given us the key of the
Caribbean sea, the very vestibule Of the
lsthmian canal and the command of
| the water courses to South America,
! and, on the other side of the globe.
have in the possession of the Philip
pines opened to us the very gateway Of
the Orient? What a magnificent on
portunity if we have sense enough to
use it! We do not engage in the world $
colonial rivalry. We do not aim at ter
ritorial ACKNOWLEDGMENT But, without
any design on our part, events have
given us these footholds along tho
great highways Of our commercial de-
velopment, and shall we not have pene-
tration and wisdom enough to make the
most of them?
THE L.MMAND OF DUTY.
Important as is the commercial as
| pect and powerful as is its mandate
to our prescient craftsmanship and our
! business interests, l do not rank it
! first. 1t is secondary and incidental.
| Foremost is the command of duty and
! the obligation of civilization. That
| command is clear and imperative.
Some men confuse it. perhaps un-
| thinkingly. perhaps Intentionally, by
| pointing to the Declaration of Inde-
! pendence, and asking what right we
| have to impose government without
| the consent of the governed. BY the
| same right that Jefferson. himself at
| once the author of the declaration, and
| the first ana great eXpansonist, made
the Louisiana purchase, and, without
| stopping to ask the consent of the gov
| erned, imposed our government on n
| territory larger than that of the orig
| inal thirteen states. Did we ask the
consent of the Cubans to save them
from starvation? Must we ask the
| consent of ~Ae Filipinos to save them
from anarchy? Must we ask any con-
sent to exercise our rightful sover-
eighty and fulfill the obligation OF
international duty? But who presumes
10 say that we have not the consent
of the governed? 1t is less than one
per cent. OIL the Filipinos that are in
revolt. The great body of those rude
| people accept our authority, and our
flag floats there by the right Of an un-
disputed title and by the high COM
mission of civilization.
UNWORTHY DOUBTS.
Does any American seriously be-
lieve that American rule will not bless
and help and advance the darkened
tribes who have come under it's sway?
Is any American ready to discredit
| his blood and his race by contendinc
that American capacity and character
are unequal to the task that has fall
en- to them? Such declarations are
calumnies upon our government, our
| institutions and our people. The
president has extended the kindliest
hand and made the most liberal offers
lie sent his Philippine commission
with messages of good will and as
| surances of the most generous treat
ment. He has offered practical home
! rule and the largest measure of self
! government of which those people are
| now capable. In the face of these
overtures ana encouraged by misguid-
ed utterances and encouraged without
! provocation or excuse, a portion of one
tribe is in revolt There remains moth.
ing for the present but to suppress
| that insurrection, and it will be sup-
! pressed and the dignity and honor of
our flag will be maintained.
THREE GREAT TYPES.
President Mckinley has had the
most delica and complex task which
has fallen to any president within our
| time, With what hiph ma triotisr, MI.