The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1900-05-26
Alliance Between the Nations
Would Produce War.
CANADA NEEDS A SEVERE DRUDBlNa
Wants to be Federated Province
Of British Empire.

The chief argument that every friend
OF the recently formed Anglo-Americ
alliance advances in support of that al
lance is that the interests OF America
and Of England are Identical This
statement is Aippantly made and might
receive credit from people who are too
indolent to think for themselves. But
if anyone will reflect on it for a few
moments, its falsity must become glar-
ingly apparent, writes w. M. C. in the
Irish World.
The fact is that all nations have cer-
tain interests in common. For instance,
peace is a common interest OF every ma
ton i'll the world. But it is also a fact
that no two nations can be named that
have not many differences and antago-
nisms. These are the very reasons Of
their separateness and independence. 1t
was because the American colonies and
the Mother Country had antagonizing
interests that the glorious war OF indie
pendcncc was sinaugurated and won. And
it is a very suspicious thin. to hear it
now said that the interests OF the two
nations arc the same, and that there is
no antagonism between them.
The United States for hundred years
had a very reasonable and definite pol
icy as regards other nations They
aimed to be friendly with all and avoid
entangling alliances with any. By ad-
herring to this policy, they held unique
position among the nations, for, with
them, there was the minimum OF antag-
onisms and distrust, and all other ma
tons were received by them on equal
terms in friendship and commerce They
found that the United States let them
alone and they were willing to let the
United States alone. Thus virtual
Monroe doctrine was established,
greatly for the benefit of America and
conducive to the peace of the world.
At the present day the United States
have developed their traditional charac-
ter as commercial and industrial ma
ton in an extraordinary degree. The
impetus OF the Chicago Universal Ex-
position has advanced American enter
prise by leaps and bounds. For a GEN.
tury England held the foremost place
in industrial achievement. But in 1890
America outdistanced England in the
output OF coal and iron. In that year
the exports of America exceeded the
imports by an enormous sum, making
Europe our debtor. Our gold accumu-
lations increased. And continuance
Of the conditions Of 1899 for few years
must result in making New York, in
stead of London, the noney-center OF
the world. In every direction we find
Americans begin to follow in the steps
of England and Germany in seeking
for foreign markets. Too long have we
allowed these to be monopolized by this
or that foreign nation. We find that
we can manufacture far more than our
home market demands, and we conclude
that if other nations can profit by COM
merce, so should we; and that it will
go hard with US if we cannot surpass
every other nation in the quality of our
| goods and the mass Of our exports.
By adhering to our traditional pol
icy, we shall find few obstacles to our
commercial expansion. England will
find It her interest to allow us to equip
electric roads, etc., in India; to build
bridges in the Soudan, to furnish loco
motives for her railways. Germany will
be benefited by accepting our food
stuffs for population that is rapidly
outgrowing its own means of subsist-
encc. France has multiplicity Of ar
ticlcs to exchange with US, and Ameri-
can goods are popular with her. And
Russia, Of all nations, interferes with
us the least, and is likely to benefit us
the most. We have supplied many
millions worth of material for her
great railroads and for her river im-
provements, and we have the prospect
of proftably aiding her in the develop
ment of Northern China and Siberia.
By being tied to none OF these, we can
keep the friendship and profit by the
commerce Of ALL But in the moment
when we contract an alliance-or any
thing answering the purpose OF an al
liancc-with any one of them, we be-.
come objects Of suspicion or aversion
to all the others. This is particularly
the fact in case Of an alliance with Fns-.