The sun., 1902-03-09

the Paclnc and IT'S Future Masters


Mr.. ARCHIBALD r. CoLoUHour. whose
book. China in Transformation ~ wen
known to American readers, mas Puoi.n0
through the Macmillans new WORK wheh
he calls The Mdstery Of he Pdcife. Inc pup
Ishers have been at the pains TO equip the
work with special maps, which oeHsinly
are needed, and they have niumncd the
text with more than hundred iiiustrauons
from original sketches and photographs
The authors purpose Is to furnish, Tor the
most part from personal observation
complete and accurate picture OF the con-
ditlons prevailing in the Pacific spheres
of the great Powers: TO Indicate the state OF
the native populations, and to outline the
burning questions OF the time. He recog-
nizes that, so far as the Asistic mainland
is concerned. the struggle for ascendsncy
I'm the Far East will be decided by mill
tarv power. Consequently, II VIII be fought
out mainly by those nations which have
convenient military bases. Russia and
Japan. Tho mastery Of the Pacific Ocean
on tho other hand will be determined by
naval supremacy, and may, therefore, De
most kesnly contested by the great sea
powers The naval development OF the
& Uidted States and Japan. already we'll
Ufl1eT way, Dtdfs Wltnceb 70 tno ioOObh-
tion o, the fact. and other countries,
hitherto regarded as chiefly military, such
as Germany and Russia, are now straining
IN the same direction. II is to be noted.
however, that, no matter how much money
may be expended by Germany and Russia
on their fleets, Great Britain, Japan and the
United States possess natural advantages
from the viewpoint Of sea power. which
must prove OF great weight II they are
properly turned to account. On the Pacific
Slope OF Canada, for instance. England has
everything needed for the creation Of
fresh base for naval operations. and, among
the many duties that confront her at this
crisis in her career none seems to Mr.. Col
quhom more important than the utilization
OF British Columbia. Upon this point he
remarks; When the glamour which the
continent Of Africa has exercised over
Britons has somewhat faded, as It certainly
will fade. they will turn to those countries
over sea. their own without let or hindrance.
whore nature has been more than bountiful,
and where. instead Of sacrificing valuable
lives in vain attempt to surmount cli-
matte difficulties, they may found and
pcrpctuaie a race unequaled in physique
and in those great qualities which have
made the parent stock so powerful 1t
IS further remarked that Australasia.
though hardly to the same extent. affords
great opportunities for development. while
her extended seaboard not only offers
facilities for naval construction. but de-
mands adequate protection. With regard
20 Japan it is acknowledged that she en-
joys one advantage over her future rivals
In the Pacific Her island-empire. with all
it, resources, is situated in commanding
position in the arena Of the coming strug-
gle. The author feels certain that Japan,
having all the necessary elements for the
creation Of a naval power will play an i'm
portant part in the future, and he expresses
the hope that. from the similarity Of her
aims and interests with those Of the British
and American nations, a common policy
may be evolved.
All things considered, however, Mr..
Colquhoun is convinced that the United
States will become the dominant factor
In the mastery OF the Pacific. They have
all the qualifications and some Of the am
bitions needed for the role. and their I'm
rivalled resources and fast in creasing pop
ulation provide the material for future
greatness The author Is not blind to the
fact that the United States are embarking
upon an entirely new phase OF their career,
and are assuming risks and responsibilities
from which they have been hitherto exempt,
and which, II they are to be successfully
sustained, will impose certain sacrifices
and a readjustment OF many traditional
ideas to the new exigencies. Mr.. Col
quhoun sees that a great deal Of the ma
chincry required for dealing with the COM
plicated web OF foreign affairs, into which
the United States have been drawn, has
yet to be created and organized, and that
large demands will be made on the patri-
otism and public spirit Of the people.
How does the author OF this book ex-
plain the relative failure Of German and
French experiments in colonization' The
subject will be found discussed In his penul-
tinate chapter. The Germans fail in their
colonies he thinks, because they cannot
recognize the essential fact that the official
is there to serve the trader. They dragoon
the traders. treat them like raw recruits
and enforce an illiberal commercial policy,
which 9bstr,icts the progress Of trade.
The administration generally has the favor
of the iron-bound military system or OF
the pedantic bureaucracy OF the mother
land, neither Of which institutions IL suited
70 the environment. The French. on the
other hand. fail because they also over
govern by a horde Of inferior officials,
try TO keep trade in French hands. thus
adopting a shortsighted policy, while in
stead of being practical and dealing with
what lies close 10 their hands, they are
always looking abroad and chasing some
visionary idea. OF the two Powers our
author believes that Germany will play the
more important part in the future history
of the Pacific because whatever mistakes
she may make in her colonial system. she
ts driven by circumstances to a policy Of
expansion, and TO the further extension Of
her trade and Strengthening of her sea
power. France. on the other hand, is not
threatened with an increasing surplus
population, and she is able to supply almost
the whole Of the food staples needed for her
own consumption.
Elsewhere in the same chapter Mr.. Col
quhoun deals in more detail with the Ger
man and French methods Of colonial admin
sitration. He points out, for instance, that
In Kaiser Wilhelm land (the German por-
tion Of New Guinea), Notwithstanding it's
great area and thin native population OF
10000. there are only sixty Europeans,