The Irish standard., 1900-05-26


litical and commercial rival and antag-
onist of other European powers for
centuries. These powers do not forget
history, and they remember that Eng
land opposed their unity, their expan-
sion, their trade, their access to the
sea, and their naval and colonial prog
ress. If America, therefore, were to
consu1nmate an alliance with England,
it would be a challenge; it would be a
union of the two against all others; it
would mean, not commerce, but war.
There may be party in our admins
tration that wants a worldwide war,
and that thinks full blood-letting is
good for the American people. Some
of the imperalists have said as much.
President Mckinley can be trusted to
invent some pious or philanthropic
canting phrase that will really imply
the conversion OF every American home
into house OF mourning. AS I take
it, the American people do not want
to conquer the world for themselves,
much less for England They do not
wish to be made the catspaw OF for
eign power. They would not know
ingly pay a great price in blood and
gold to bolster up England's failing
commerce. A traitorous administration
might plunge them into war, but they
would not be long in discovering the
senselessness of such conflict and the
infan1y of the alliance that led to it,
When the American people come to
think over the statement that their in
terests are identical with those OF Eng
land, they will not long be fooled. OF
all nations on the face of the earth,
the one that most antagonizes American
interests is England. England has al
ways been Our commercial rival, and
must be SO in the future. Our interests
and hers are Numerically opposite, and
cannot ever be brought into agreement
We are on a protectionist basis, and
England on the basis OF free trade; this
alone makes us commercial foes All
our progress in foreign trade in South
America, in Africa, in China, and in
various other regions must bring us into
rivalry with England, and we shall be-
come rich by wrestling large portion
OF her foreign trade from her grasp.
This will not lead to amenities, and John
Bull will be sure to cry out and curse.
us when he is hurt in the pocket. 1t
is only in few places that we meet
German competition, with which we can
easily hold our own. France and Russia
do, not seriously compete with us at all,
and rather act as feeders to our trade.
But England is entrenched in every de-
sirable spot of the earth, and it is only
by capturing her kopjes that we can
gain anything for ourselves She will
very soon let us know that she does not
consider Our interests identical with
hers, unless we play second fiddle to
her. She will soon show her teeth and
become what she always has been in
reality-our implacable enemy and ri
val. And it will not be many years be-.
fore she will try to form a European
coalition against us, to ruin our COM
merce, curb Our expansion, destroy the
Monroe doctrine, and control the Nj
caragua canal
England is the only rival who will
trouble us, and the only one that is
really formidable. We knew for hun
dred years that she was no friend. And
it is strange ii the American people,
i'll eighteen short months, can forget all
the painful lessons of the past
II we want to know what English real
feeling is we can study the actions OF
the government Of Canada, and the
statements OF the imperialist press. So
long as Canada is disconnected from
the rest OF North America there cannot
be true friendship with England. We
in the States will not very much longer
submit to the aggressions and hostile
legislation OF Our young northern
l1eisllbor. There is a time coming when
Our great patience will be exhausted
Ii England dare not check Canada, we
shall undertake the job. American in
terests ought to be identical with those
of Canada, but the Canadians take pains
to prove that they are. in every way an
tagonistic. Their bumptiousness is Of
fensive and merits chastisement. And
the gradual augmentation OF their mill
tary power is danger that it is impru-
dent TO allow to continue. England
never would have permitted Canada so
much, liberty as she possesses but
through dread of the United States.
This country has been the protector and
friend OF Canadian liberty and has been
rewarded with the blacklist ngratitudc
Now Lord Pauncefote has taught us the
meaning OF the word expansion"
is, territorial expansion-and all politi-
cal parties in the United States have
hailed the new idea. And what is most
natural-wfat is certainly inevitable-is
that expansion must begin with Canada.
We shall take her in. We shall annex
her vast domain and offer citizenship to
her people. We shall make North
America one politically, as we'll as geo.
graphically. For many years we kept
hands off Canada ,,rder tho ;,,,orocc;o,,