Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-15
OLNEY ON EXPANSION.
4 Frank Recognition of Our Present
Day Responsibilities.
From the Atlantic Monthly.

From the Atlantic Monthly.
1t may be thought at first blush that to
speak of the acquisition Of Cuba by the
United States as fact accomplished is in
accurate. But the objection is technical
and the expression conveys the substantial
truth, notwithstanding a resolution of Con-
gress which, ill-advised and futile at the
time of its passage, if now influential at all
is simply prejudicing tine interests of Cuba
and the United States alike. No such reso-
luton can refute the logic of the undisputed
facts or should be allowed to impede the
natural march of events. To any satiSfac-
tory solution of the Cuban problem it is
vital that Cuba's political conditions should
be permanently settled. The spectacle now
exhibited Of President and his cabinet sit
ting III Washington with an appointee and
sort of imitation President sitting with his
cabinet in the Antilles must have an end
the sooner the better-and will end when
Congress ceases to ignore its functions and
makes Cubasin point of law what she al
ready is in point of fact. namely, United
States territory. Were there to be a pie
biscte on the subject such a contamination
would be favored by practically the entire
body of the intelligence and wealth of the
island. Until 1t is reached capital will hes
itate to go there. emigration from this
country will be Insignificant, and Cuba will
fail to enter upon that new era of progress
and development, industrial. political and
social, which IS relied upon to justify and
lean for Spanish control.
We can count upon the maintenance of
the 'open door in China. therefore, only
if we can influence the powers concerned in
che of two ways-by making 1t their inter-
est to grant 1t through reciprocal conces-
sions on our own part or by a manifest
readiness to back our demand for it by such
physical force as they Will not care to en-
counter. To the successful use of the first
method our Philippine possessions are a
serious drawback. if not an insuperable OBJ
stacIe. If We claim the open door of the
powers dominating China. how are we to
deny it to them i'll our own dependencies,
and especially in the Philippines? One in
considerable foreign office is already said to
have answered US by asking our intentions
as to the Philippines, and might. in view
of the alleged vast extent of the Chinese
markets, have not tmpertinently inquired
If some other American territory would not
a lso be opened to free trade. If the Philip
pines rather embarrass than help US in
securing the open door in China by ami
cable arrangement, what is to be said upon
the point of their enabling or aiding US to
enforce it? Whether we want the Philip
pines or not, and whether we ought to have
them or not that we have got them is
something not to be denied. They are our
odd man of the sea''-with this difference
in favor of Sinbad, that by Intoxicating
his monster he managed to get rid of him.
1t IS tolerably certain there Is no such way
out for us, and that if intoxication is any
element in the case at all it must have su-
pervened at the time our "old man of the
sea was foisted upon us.
The thing is done. We We're an Ameri- |
can empire pureIy-and the United States
in taking its seat at the international coun-
ell table and joining in the deliberations of
civiliZe i states might have been in an ideal
position, combining the height of authority
and prestige with complete independence,
and with a liberty OF action which would
enable us to always make our own inter-
ests our first care, and yet allow us, when
permitted by those interests, to say
timely word or do timely deed wherever
and whenever the cause of civilization
seemed to require. This possible-this nat
ural-ideaI position an exercise of the
treaty power by the national executive and
Senate has deprived us of. We are no
longer an American empire simply-we are
becoming an Asiatic empire also, environed
by all the rivalries, 1ealousies, embarrass-
ments and perils attaching to every power
now struggling for commercial and political
supremacy in the east, and starting the sec
ond century of national existence with all |
our energies and resources, which have
proved no more than adequate to the good
government and civilization Of the white
and black races of North America, pledged
and mortgaged for the like services to be
of the brown men of the tropics Never |
tEeleSs, as ALREADY stated, We are COM
mitted-the Philippines are ours-how we
shall deal with them is domestic ques-
ton simply-so that, in this connection and |
at this time, what remains to be considered
is the effect Of this exact situation upon
the future of our foreign relations. The
United States now asserting itself not only
as one of the great powers of the world, |
but as a power with very large Asiatic de- |
endenctes-what consequent changes in re-
spect of it's foreign relations must reason
ably be anticipated?
It goes without saying that the United
states cannot play the part in the worlds !
AFFAIRS 1t has just assumed without equip |
ping Itself for the part with all the instru- |
mentaiities necessary to make its will felt |
either through nacif1o intel1co,,rnA anA -