Washington sentinel., 1900-01-06
The "world Power" FallacY.
FditOy Sentinel

F6fkOT Sentinel
Permit me through the medium OF
your paper, TO prick some Ofthe political
bubbles which, having been let loose
by the Admin -tr ,tion soft SOAP makers.
are fading resting place ia unreAecung
minds.
OF these, perhaps none is more unsub
stautial than that the so called "expan-
sion" OF the United Slater has made her
a World Power " Was there ever
anything so absurdp Have Americans
forgotten their history America became
a World Power in I79s, by her victory
over the mistress OF the world, on land
and sea; and she sustained that reputa
ton from 1872 TO 1874. And when, after
The greatest internecIne struggle IN
history, the United States directed
Napoleon III to withdraw from Ne xico,
she established herself as a World
Power And when the United States
compelled Great Britain TO arbtrate the
Ven zuelan question she took asuprtme
place in the councils OF the nations.
Why Because Of her impregnable
solidarity; because she had no outlying
colonies" to protect and was invincI.
BILE against attack because bv her
protective tariff, which Is breaking down
under the present expansion craze, she
had all the materials OF subsistence and
war, within her own borders.
How is it now? With our lines stretch
ing into the Orient; with Io, 900, 900
enemies ia the Philippine with our
warshtps covering the seas from New
York to Gibraltar and The Suez Canal,
and the straits of Babelmandeb. aud in
the Indian Ocean and all around Sou n
America, and all over the PaCifc--we
will be the weakest OF all nations unless
we have a navy wholly incommensurate
with our legitimate needs And mas
much as troops can not last more than
a year or Two in the tropics, we will
have a constant drain on the bone and
sinews Of our land to hold down our
Oriental possessions"
No We have ceased to be world
power, for we have 10 the respect OF
even those who disagreed with our
former PRINCIPLES, and what is worse, we
have lost our own self respect.
We inveighed against criminal
aggression" TO the Cubans, and within
one short year struck with the mailed
hand Of tyranny the Filipinos, our
recent allies, who were conceded to be
more capable OF self government than
the Cubans,
is any one foolish enough to think
the world is not looking on us as either
a tickle or hypocriuc Al nation?
Let US not be carried away by oui
egotism. Greater nations than we have
gone down. SPAN should be an exam
pie to US; and the condition ol England
today, warning. The flower OF hel
manhood is being decmated in .ioutt
Africa on the altar OF "colonlalism,
and weeping wives and mothers are al
over her land This NAV not he OF an,
consequence to those who have NJ
thought for the future, and are satisfied
with the passing glory and plum er
provided they are sharers. But thos
who wish that the PRINCIPLES set rsh II
the Declaration OF lndepende ce shal
permeate all peoples OF the globe
desire that tn United States shall be
world power, not for dav or a year o
century, but developing her resource
within her natural borders shall set a
example which shall bear such fruitio
that she shall, at no distant date, tax
her central place among the Eres
universal family Of republics in "th
Parliament OF Man the Fed ration Of III
World" PAratcH OiFARRELL