New-York tribune., 1902-06-12

..7rb.,e Il sa,-s NJ Smith near the beginning
of his essay. no use in ravinE about anN1hihs-
II would he discourteoJs 70 charge With raNing
2 writer of Mr Smiths urhanity and culture
Yet it is difficult read the pages before us
without q distinct impression Of shrillness. to
say the least There are betrayed in them an
iuperuosity II pot an inpatience Of thought
and \ vehcuencr of expression. which scarcely
oon7port r,ith that judicial and philosophlc re-
ser,-e which nigh he expected in one whose
1ni7t - view i that ~ "Bystander. such as
NJ Smith describes himself to he. Rather does
n. f,ooE sav0r ~ the super-ardent zeal of the
intense partisan. Thus. when Mr. Smith fore
ras1e the transforua ton through Plutocracy. of
this republic into daspotism. much as Florence
W. tre formed by Cosno de Medci. and de-
cIaros fha; the process may almost be said to
hsv. already begun it is not easy to avoid
hearing amid the eloquent tones Of the univer-
sitv professor the undertone-or is II an over
tone?-of the Popuist "spellbinder': and when
IN single breath he tells the violence of
p the ralrtf,re between America and England was
Infinitely 10 he deplored.' and Vet had re
6eemjng feature" We must wonder the rhet-
oric which either make 2 redeemng feature
deplorahie or sets limits and exceptions 10 in
hnitv
After Plutocracy Afilitarism. That is the sec
ond of the evils which Mr.. Smith sees settling
down upon this degenerate land Military dis
reason which it is difficult divine, to have had
q singular fascination for the American peo-
ple@ and he wonderingy points to the fact
that we have had five soldier Presidents. Only
fve7 At least twice many of our Presl-
dents have been soldiers. But why should 50
ACCOMPLISHED a student of American history
as Mr. Smith wonder at that? 1t should not
be overlooked that this nation has ever been
a fighting nation. Every generation in its his
III
20 take into account the numerous Indian wars
which have affected the growing parts of the
country Mr.. Smith speaks of the Civil War as
having occurred after a long peace 1t came
after peace of less than thirteen years Con-
sidering then, that We have had a war in every
generation. and that our soldiers constitute no
exclusive caste, but are taken from the whole /
mass of citizenship. it should not be a matter |
of surprise that men who are leaders in peace |
should also be leaders in war, and the reverse |
even to the extent Of having elected not |
only FIVE but ten or more soldiers to the Presi- |
dental Office
Finally. Imperialism. That is the supreme |
enemy Mr.. Smith is convinced that it has al
ready sealed the doom of England, and he fears
the United States, too. viii be its prey Such |
might be the case if his description Of our con-
duct and condition were true But-with all I
courtesy-it is not: it is mistaken. Thus he
after recognizing the Fiii3inos their allies,
bought them with their land of Spain as they
would buy the contents Of cattle ranch
With all respect TO Mr.. Smiths accomplish
ments and good intentions, it would be dlfhcult
TO put into equal compass more misstatements
of that case than the quoted words contain
Again referring to the recent International |
campaign in China, he says: The objects of the |
predatory attack upon China were spheres of |
ipHu For H.
ing Chinese outrage, massacre and havoc were |
let loose upon that hapless land With such |
examples of his historical discernment and |
Judgment before US. what wonder If We remain |
unconvinced by Mr.. Smiths austere vaticina- !
tions of woe? Even his reminders Of the As |
syrian the Nogul. the Tartar or the Turk" fail |
to persuade that our lawful exercise of SOW |
ereignty various territories outside Of the |
Union is sending US straight TO ruin.
We confess that are unable tc learn from
this latest book of his just what would please |
Mr.. Smith. We not that anything
would entirely please him. Perhaps, though
the dissolution of the British Empire and the
annexation of Canada the United States
would do most, Of all conceivable things. to
mitigate the gloom in which he is immersed
For, in the fine tone Of sweeping generalization
10 which we have already referred he assures
us that 'everything'-including Of course, mill
.ary aid in her recent war-''everything that
Great Britain has got from the colonies as de-
pendencies. and more, she might have got from
them independent nations" And again
s'The two reproaches Of statesmanship'-in all
the worId--are the dealing Of British states
men with the Irish question and the dealing Of
American statesmen with the question Of Can
ada" Yet we cannot understand why he would
have US annex Canada, since he wishes US to
avoid the deep damnation Of imperial estate
Contrast he cries, ''the work done for hu-
n1anity by Rome with that done by Tyre city
on an island less than three miles in crcum-
ference" Why, then should we add Canada to
our already vast domain? Why not set off the
Borough of Manhattan. on its island. as new
Tyre, to DO its work for humanity, and let the
rest OF the United States go hang?
The sun of humanity says Mr.. Smith in
away and the sun will shine forth again. The
will For our own part, the sun of humanity
of international peace and fraternity of good
viii among men, seems tc us be shining more
brightly than ever before. We cannot recall a |
time when there was much if any. less of war
or Of menace OF war in the world. or when the
thoughts of men and nations were more turned |
toward peaceful pursuits and peaceful means |
Of settling differences. 1t may be to-day as it
has been hitherto, that some men self-con-
jured clouds to obscure the radiance of the |
sun. The remedy for such trouble lies however
in clearing Of ones vision rather than in |
a Querulous complaining that all mankind can !
not see the same little imaginary clouds Even |
IN the hand of a 'Bystander'' an umbrella may |
eclipse the But the is still shining as
I'D 49,