The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-04-29
SECRETARY sHAw.s FORECAST.

Arguing from what has already
taken place in this country in the di-
rection of Capitalization, Mr.. Shaw, the
/ Secretary of the Treasury. before the
Americas Club of Pittsburg on last
! Saturday night. expressed the opinion
/ that Capitalization would continue I'M
| til the central government was much
stronger than it is now. and that this
/ centralized power would be an i'm
I pOrtant factor in giving us the control
of the Pacific and of the commerce of
the world. In fact, he said that the
time was coming when the United
States would police most of the world.
Mr.. Shaw called attention to the fact
that the original colonies. though scat
tered, and in some respects antagonis-
tic TO each other, formed a confedera-
ton to resist the aggressions of Great
Britain, and that afterwards they uni
ted under a constitution Tie Civil
War stin further strengthened the cen
trail government, and ever since that
ar Capitalization had been going on.
When the trouble with China began
the President took it upon himself to
send an army to Pekin, though the
constitution gave him no such power.
There was no murmur of dissent how
ever from any quarter. That was a
tremendous exercise of power by the
head of the government, but the people
seemed to think it was all right.
Mr.. Shaw pointed out that central
ization is going on all the time in ways
that are not noticed by the people.
They are ways that have popular ap-
proval. The suit, for instance. that
has been begun by the national gov
eminent against the Northern Securi-
ties Company, a company that exists
under the charter of a state, is an ex-
hibition of central power. and yet that
suit was begun by a state. The de-
mand for the regulation of railroad
rates and the efforts to secure uniform
divorce laws and various other laws
are all in the direction of centraliza-
ton.
Mr.. Shaw seems to think that this
Capitalization will go with the appro-
val, in fact at the request, of the peo-
PIE, until the states will have little or
rothing to say in matters that tend to
determine the nations destiny.
Mr.. Shaw said that he did not think
we entered upon the Spanish-American
war with a purely unselhsh motive
We had of course great sympathy for
the Cubans, and desired to assist them
in securing their independence, but, at
the same time, we had in mind the
question of extending our commerce.
Mr.. Shaw has no doubt that we shall
build a mighty merchant marine. cor
struct a canal across the isthmus of
Darien and control the commerce of
the Pacific and, in fact, of the world.
There is no doubt of course that the
power of the central government is be-
ing increased all the time. 1t. seems to
be impossible to prevent it from being
Increased. At what point the increase
viii cease it is impossible to predict
with any degree Of certainty. The ac-
QUESTION of the Philippines has in
, creased it greatly-so greatly that
there is solid foundation for the
widely felt apprehension or imperial
ism VIII our institutions stand the
strain of the Capitalization which Mr.
Shaw forsees, the exercise of the world
wide power which he seems to well
come? That is a question which is oc-
cupying the minds of some of the
ablest men of the day