The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1900-03-24
ENGLAND IN
A Striking Review Of tho British Policy or
Expansion on This Continent.

- IN W. ~"
Expansion on This Continent.
To THE EDITOR OF The US-S / note
that your correspondent yorkshire taRese k-
ceptiOn to the opialon Of another correspond
ent that England Is the only danger that now
menaces u.s. and also to words OF mine that
before Great Britain can have any claim TO
our confidence she must withdraw the threats.
pointed at US only. In her militant and naval
possessions at Halifax. the Bermudas. Nassau.
81. Lucia and Esluimalt."
am stlll con WINGED that the American peo-
pie will stand by both these propositions, As
to the first. what danger Is there to us from
the continent OF Europe2 What have tho
American people done to warrant any profound
or Just resentment toward us from the people
OF Europe? Have we not for a century or more
welcomed them IN our shores, opening up to
them advantages and privileges such as have
made this land OF freedom seem to them. in
contrast with their own, n yerltable garden OF
Eden? Have we not taken them to our homes.
assimilated them in our body polite and rem
dered easy to them a heretofore impos-
sible material and psychological GROWTH
We have. and the fame thereof has gone
over seas year by year. awakening hopes
in the hearts Of millions and arousins
ambition to escape from the contracted
environment OF their home conditions.
No. the people OF Europe have cause to be
grateful TO America for the star Of hope that
CLEANS so clearly for them. and beckons them
onward and upward to q new birth Of soul In a
better-nurtured body. Ifthere DO any danger
TO US from the nations OF Europe II must hive
its origin In the governing overs. not In AMI
mostly OF the people for any acts OF ours. And
as to them. whence will the danger issue? Not
from Spain or little Portugal; not from Italy.
for the Italian people have rediscovered
America during the last quarter century. and
1t Is to them their promised land. while the
Italian Government. with It's quarter OF a bill
Hon dollar debt. Is not DANGEROUS to anybody
but itself. Certainly we have nothing to fear
from the moribund Turkish Government, nor
from the dual monarchy OF Austria Hungary.
its very existence hanging on the lie o' one
aged man. There are left the three powers.
France. Germany. Russia. Between the first
and the last there has been established a far
fetched alliance. designed for use ut nome:
while between them lies the neutralizing force
Of Germany, facing alternately to the East and
the West. and with no favorable geographical
boundary on either side.
Aconcsrt OF these three powers for a Euro
pean enterprise would have the aspect ota
modern miracle. and a tortiOri would be al
most infinitely difficult for an American prof.
ect, Russia has no designs upon the Western
hemisphere. She definitely and for all time
relinQuished the last vestige OF her American
ambition when she placed Alaska under our
flag. She might have chosen 10 dispose OF
that vast territory to Great Britain, and thus
have rendered less difficult her development
In Asia. Her choice OF the United States to
the heirship Of Alaska was distinctly an act OF
national good vii. consistent with her ante
cedent and subseCu ent attitude toward us.
We have nothing tc ear from the Russian peo-
pie or the Russian Government,
As to Germany, let US NOT forget her long
period OF disunion and fragmentary national
life The con solidation OF the pieces Is too re-
cent to be proof against any and all strains, In
ternal and external. Even with so erratic a
ruler as William, so crazy a project as a dem
onstration against the United States would be
the opportunity OF Russia to rectify her west
ern frontier by its extension to the Vistula.
absorbing the Baltic province OF Fast Prussia
at the expense OF Germany And II Austria as
a member OF the Triple Alliance mixed 10. II
would be at the risk Of losing Gallicia and
Moldavla. and OF having Russian guns mount
ed upon and pointing westward from the
heights OF the Carpathlan Mountains. And
such action OF Germany would also afford TO
France her long coveted opportunity 10 strike
a blow for the recovery OF her much regret
ted Alsace- lorraine.
Great Britain is going TO think more than
twice before she filings her military forces upon
the Continent to be ground to powder In the
clash Of Europe's armed billions. For. although
no such confagration could blaze up without
her participation either with water or OIL
probably the latter-her services would be
principally naval.
Is it not reasonably conclusive that no prac-
tical concert OF Europe In any military or naval
enterprise against the United States is prob
able. or even possihle2 II so. we ore left To con-
slider the original proposition that England is
the only possible danger that menaces us. Had
England no base on this hemisphere. and were
she wholly dependent upon ~efecting a landing
OF military forces upon our shores. we might
prepare for that contingency by a rapid devel-
opment Of our s~eacoast defences and the null
tiplication OF our battleships. But that IL not
the situation. While Canada. with her
5000. 900 people and her unproductive climate.
| il Insignificant as q territorial foe. yet her tden-
| tiAcation with the British En- pire constitutes
her an open back door which We are not per-
| mittsd 10 close o, barrica1e. She would DO the
| wooden horse Of Troy, through which our enc
| MES would gain an entrance and a substantial
| foothold on the continent. II would not then
| be a question OF the resistance we might be
able TO offer to q descent upon our coasts: II
would be ono OF defending the line Of our
| northern boundary and Of meetinga constantly
reinforced enemy. having a convenient base Of
| one rations and a line OF communication with
the seat OF power In England, which line. in
consequence Of our inferior naval strength. we
could not break,
The ability Great Britain has shown of
assembling a quarter Of a million soldiers at so
great a distance from her base as South Africa
Is q startling demonstration OF the case with
which she could establish a transatlantic lane.
| not more than one-fourth as long. over which
10 hurry n mighty army into Canada for a
movement against the international frontier.
And with her vastly preponderant navy, En-.
gland could make things interesting for awhile
for our Atlantic and Pacific cities-provided she
were let a,one by the other powers.
In the ambition ana cross purposes OF the
the latter is one Of our d~efences. A greater
safeguard. however. exists in the detestation
with which Great Britain IA held by other
European powers, Most Of the statesmen Of
Europe are orportunists; they watch through
wears, decades. centuries. for the tima.
The United States has never competed for
territorial ACKNOWLEDGMENT in Africa or Asia.