Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-04-28
STIRS UP BRITISH IRE
SECRETARY SHAW'S SPEECH AT
PITTsBURG BANQUET.
Globe Says It is Full of Menace to
Americas Only Friend in
Europe.

LONDON, April 2s.-The speech Of the
United States Secretary of the Treasury,
Mr.. Shaw, at Pittsburg at the banquet
April 26, in celebration of the late General
Grants birthday, has thus far passed un-
noticed by the London press. with the ex-
ception of the Globe, which is exceedingly
wrathy at such responsible politician
tickling the ears of groundlings with a
speech full of menace to Americas only
friend among the powers of Europe"
After quoting the speech the Globe con-
tinues:
I'VE are not greatly concerned either for
the threat or the crude vulgarity which
causes Mr.. Shaw TO apply it to a particular
power; but what impresses us with a sense
of American decadence is the manner in
which the absurd speech was received
Were an English minister of Mr. Shaw's
position to make a similar alluson to a
foreign power all the chancellories of Eu-
rope would be convulsed. But England
needs 1t not whit, and the rest of the
world shrugs It's shoulders and talks about
diplomacy in shirt sleeves
The speech referred to above was deliv-
cred by Secretary Shaw before the Amer
icus Republican Club at Pittsburg Satur-
day night. Mr. Shaw pointed out the CEN
traliZing tendency of the country, and
closed by saying:
AS a1tef the civil war the nation entered
upon an extensive policy of internal I'M
proVement, subsidZng SO long as necessary
transcontinental lines of railway and per-
manenuy continuing the subsidiZing of riv-
ers and harbors. so after this later war we
appear to be entering upon an equally pro-
greSSlVe policy of external Improvement
Not as the crow flies, but as ships sail it
is nearer from Liverpool to San Francisco
via Cape Horn than from New York to the
same port via the same southern extremity
Start two ships of equal speed from Liver
pool going to our aPcilic coast enc through
the SueZ canal and the other by Cape Horn
and two vessels of the same speed from
New York, one going westward and the
other eastward, and both English vessels
will reach San Francisco before cit her of
ours. Cut the isthmian canal and 1t is
nearer from New York to Hong Kong via
Nicaragua than from Liverpool to the same
point via SueZ.
We are to have gentlemen. we must have
the largest merchant fleet ever kissed by
ocean breeZes, and these carriers of inter-
national commerce are to be built of Ameri-
can material, in American yards, by Ameri-
can labor; they are to be manned by Ameri-
can sailors, fired by American coal or more
probably oil, and they are to float the stars
and stripes Whether this will be accom-
plished through government aid or by
American patriotism and American capital
and American energy l cannot say.
Whether this consummation shall be con-
trlbuted to by statesmen or achieved by
hnanciers is mmateral compared with the
importance of the thing itself. American
wealth, American energy, piuas Hawaii,
which is ours; plus the Philippine Islands,
which are ours; plus the istl.nian canal
which we will surely construct; plus mer-
chant marine which we will surely build,
transfers the sovereignty of the Pacific
ocean from the union jack to the stars and
stripes.