The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1900-08-04

of them will venture to make the first
move so long as the United States holds
the balance of power. Not one Of the,
nations now confronting each other in the
East and ready to welcome any break
that will relieve the almost vulnerable
tension Is willing to offend the United
States. So we stand, arbiters Of the des-
tiny of the Orient, able to sway the trem-
bling scales up or down at our will, and
every nation knowing this is seeking our
friendship and desiring above all things
that We throw the weight of our power
and influence into the side of the scales
on which their fortunes are cast. ~'a
Hateful are the issues towards which
we are drifting in the East. Eastern
Asia Is to be assimilated to the rest of
the world. The wall is to be forever
broken down and the East to be the West
and the West East. All the aggressive
nations are reaching out towards the
goal. England holds the route by the
Suez canal. Germany is seeking to par
allel it by a railroad to the head Of the
Persian gulf While outwardly these two
great nations are protesting the most
affectionate regard for each other and
the closely related rulers are exchanging
messages of peace, both are jealousy
watching each other and for every move
one makes the other speedily plans and
carries into effect a counter move that
nullifieS the advantage that the play wins.
1t Is continually check and counter-check
between Germany and Great Britain, the
players smiling in each other faces while
striving to win the game and piling up
their means Of offense and defense ac-
cording to the notions Of each. 1t remains
for the tussel of war to determine wheth-
er Germany's railroad or England's canal
will be the winning piece, but both at
present believe that they have the game
in their hands and both have the same
ambition in view, the prize in the Orient
that waits the fall like a ripe plum into
the mouth Of some advanced power.
And Russia? What does the willy and
ever aggressive bear do these days to
keep up with the procession that begins
In the diplomatic. headquarters of every
nation and stretches towards China? Rus
STA is pushing out by the Siberian railway
and will soon be found seeking, In con-
flict with German interest, a route across
Persia, and, in conflict with English in
terest, route across Afghanistan. What
an interesting complication! Whichever
way one wishes to view 1.-THE nations
of Europe are pursuing, not the parallel
lines that, continued to infnit will never
meet, but the converging routes that will
land them all, sooner or later at the one
center where the clash would seem to be
inevitable, even though it did not come
during the operations making for the ul.
Innate end of reaching that center, q
contingency that seems not improbable
when the conflicting interests of each ma.
ton and the way these interests cross
each other on the complex chess-board
Of Asia are considered.
--latest of ALL and none too soon, the
United States has awakened to it's capa-
bilities as an exporting nation, and the
transcontinental lines built to link the
Pacific coast to the Atlantic suddenly de-
velop into routes to the Orient. The
Union Pacific, the Suez canal, the Sibe-
rian railway lead to one goal. Surely
America should come out in the lead in
this race for the vast undeveloped mar
kets of the far East. Challenging the
world to surpass our products as we do,
and beating every competitor by reason
of our superior workmanship, superior
push and wealth Of resource, we should,
and undoubtedly will, play a winning part
in the Oriental trade rivalry Of the white
nations. ..,... ....
1t is incontrovertible that which is to
convert China from the old into the new
is manufactured iron in the form of ma
chinery and rails. From every foundry
and workshop in America the sound OF
the giant hammer and the glow of the
blast furnace bespeaks ability to supply
from our infinite storehouse the very best
articles of this kind that can be found
the world over. China is discovering it
rapidly. Japan found it out long ago,
and, as for Europe, our locomotives and
machinery are being demanded almost as
fast as our workshops can supply them.
The American mechanic, who is a think
Ing workman instead of a mere ma
chine, is acknowledged to have no peer
on earth. His work speaks for itself in
the constantly growing demand from
abroad for American machinery and rails.
This fact being indisputable, what bene-
fit do we derive from trade walls and
spheres of influence? No interest con-
Germs America more to-day than the pre-
vention of a trade wall which English,
German, French and Russian occupation
might build about the Chinese coast
Secretary of State Hay has won a VIC
tory, not of war, call it diplomacy, if
you please, in that the ports of China
will be open to the commercial world.
There are no longer any spheres of in
fiuence in the Flowery Kingdom. Gus
toms tariffs will be abolished, as well as
other imposts upon shipping With the
ports free and free hand to every ma
ton, the contamination of the British
idea of the ''open door, which found SO
strong an advocate in Lord Reresford,
Americas day of victory is at hand A
free hand is all we want to place us far
in advance of all other nations In the
competition of the worlds products. We
could not wish for a more suitable cul-;
mination to the jealous rivalry of the old
world nations, for this ensures cur pos
session of the prize. The throwing down
of walls is all in our favor. The nations.
of Europe realize this, but they are so
Jealous of each other that i verify be-
lieve they would welcome the sight of
the Americans reaching the goal first.
That the Americans will do so is,s in my
Judgment, foregone conclusion.
Benjamin Ide Wheeler.
Newport, Jul. 2O.-While members Of
the summer colony here always have OBJ
served the demands of fashion by ap-
pearing on the beach in bathing attire
at the prescribed hour in the morning,
there are numerous indications that many
members of the exclusive set will swim
this season instead of making a pretense
and enjoy the sport instead of observ-
ing perfunctorily whim of Dame Fash
joins. s s
One OF the leaders, who always has
been prominent in the summer gayeties
here. recently said The Inodegn seman-