New-York tribune., 1901-11-23

Macmillan Company.
Lest we forget might well have been
adopted az the motto OF Dr.. Harris exceptlohaiS
Instructive and illuminating book 1t may pe
that heedlessness and forgetfulness are inseP-
cradle from rapid progress. II so. IT might "e
wished that the progress Of this nation "eie
less rapid. For It is both grievous reproach
and potential menace that the people OF the
United States should SO little regard the history
of their own country. and especially the history
of its government and governmental pohcles
"a lack OF continuity and consistency. lanehIs
one unmindful ignorant of the fact that III
the great essentials the policy of this govern
rrnent has been perhaps the most consistent ano
stable in the world. AT the parting of the
ways and entering new and strange pains
declares another. as the nation passes by some
old familiar landmark and presses on in the
seifsa.ne path that was surveyed and blazeo
by the Fathers of the Constitution ReFoiu-
ton" cry Others while the nation is mercy
proceeding with consistent process OF eVoiu-
don. 1--WE becoming world power IL is
said; but history reminds us that this has never
been anything less than what is meant to De
described in that not overfelicitous phrase ever
since the great Seven Years War OF Europe
was begun by George Washington In South
western Pennsylvania
The fact is that on July 4, 1116, this country
declared itself to be an independent soverelsh'S'
the peer of any other in the world' ana IL 1orlh-
with began to act and has ever since cohlihu-
ously acted upon the principle WITHIN three
years after that date it had asserted itself as
belligerent on land and sea. had organized d
diplomatic corps which proved itself worth!
of rank by the side of any other, and had mace
g treaty. of alliance with of the strongest
two nations in the world. How well this coun-
try vindicated its title to independence shouiu
be familiar Ito every schoolboy- 10 less Id
r,iiiar should be the fact that in the eight
months negotiations which followed the Revo-
lutior the United States. though still under the
,roperfect confederation. recognized as the
dtnlomatir peer of Great Britain ana FRANCE
and AZ the superior of Spain and Holland. ana
i+e envovs Franklin Adams and Jay, were
almost the arbiters of what was practically a
European Congress. Truly. one could WISH no
better example of a world power than tia'
which is set forth In our history OF those uiiies
THE same idea is reinforced IN the story OF the
War Of 1872 and again in that Immortal pas
saee of history in which John Quincy Adams
.corned the Holy Alliance "a mere hypocrin-
cal fraud" and hade it defiance IN the Moiiioe
Doctrine We cannot here review the whoie
story of American dealings with the other pow
.-S or the world Within -he compass OF
,vbole volume it is possible only to touch upon
the salient features of the record Iruiy ooes
DR. Hart declare that:
When people speak or write OF the prese,l ps.ee,,t
trend of our foreign relations as parry ia 80
80 o~ q fit of national dementia they turn
+heir backs on the history OF the century. o.
esnecially on the events of the last thifi is
whether welcome or unwelcome II Is q tt -
W -; yerified as the celebration of the Fourth
of July that the United States mas ioI s,;+ics
been in the habit OF mixing IN ,,era invoived.
Reviewing the history OF AiaeiIoa Ilitad ao
eien relations, II seems clear tha1 tne Ch,- ~,
States has from its birth been N hotn ,ita neir
Strength in Influence on other nauo,s, ~ o
tendency to sxsead It's Of the nation to play
GREAT oart in the worlds affairs is moi, %
MANY people seem to think, Simply tne Woi W. =:
The natural tendenry Of people which mas
facility for forgetting the early oe.eats anu anu
hurhfations Of its history, ana WHICH ieei' i-f-
provine its own vast power
This is all true In respect to military acton
,s we'll as to diplomacy. The history OF the
Tinted States abounds in records Of armed IN
terventions and OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, some
affect to cali 1t now, unmindful or TIE wen
established precedents. The Revolution was IT.
self aggressive well as defensive anu as
oricliy. for the invasion OF CANADA occufreu
before the Declaration Of Independence Again,
before that war was ended there was secoiiu
foreign expedition-Clark's invasion OF the
Northwest The operations in the baroary
s+.,.s .bould surely be remembered by all
There soon came, also. foreign expeditions Win
the ayowed object OF expansion through con-
Guest. in the Mississippi Valley and else"here-
Down TO 1919 DR.. Hart recapitulates no le"ef
than twenty well defined expeditions into lor-
esen lands Later came an era Of still greater
and more aggressive expeditions, recalieo pS
roen,ion Of the names Of Texas, Mexico, Cali
Hnrnia and Japan Our own civil war iafseiS
occupied attention for some years TO 'he ca
.,,xsor of external matters, but promptly at its
.,ose the riot act was read to two OF the cnle1
noxers OF Europe in respect to Mexico WIN
,u,t effect In all this long and coherent record
o- foreign interventions three things are con-
enicraus One is the uniform success which
has attended our arms. save in the single case
n. the invasion Of Canada The second is the
steady growth in territfry and in the prestiee
which has been attained And the thlro is the
-r.ador, n, action SO far as European powers
were concerned, which this country has enjoyed
=, America on the Pacific and in the Orient
A certain consistency has likewise oeen oo-
..rvsd from the outset in the matter OF ter
-itorial acquisition. In the very treaty Whlch
closed the Revolution this nation got possession
a. a large alien territory The acquisition OF
Louisiana of the F1oridas. Of Texas, Of New
,.ex.co and California of Oregon and of Alaska.
were simply successive steps in a consistent
,,o,icv of expansion Some steps were taken
,.acefrliv some forcibly, in the midst of war
Come were taken for one cause, some for an
other In 10 two cases the terms OF an
nexatiou or the status OF the annexed territory
nrecisely alike. Between some there were wide
differences not only of degree. but OF kind In
hrtef each case was treated according to its
own merits. When territory was annexed direct
" contiguous with existing States. and mani
testify destined to be settled from them and to