Evening star., 1903-07-02
VICTORIOUS PACIFIC
THE MEDITERRANEAN OF THE
TWENTIETH CENTURY.
When the Isthmian Canal is Finished
New Era Will
Open.

Jean Izoulet in Paris Figaro.
Is the United States snatching away our
canal-our original idea, our half-accom-
plished work, our almost attained glory and
our lavishly spent money? Is the United
States snatching from Colombia the SOW
ereignty of the isthmus and more or less of
the entire country? Is the United States
snatching from England the mastery OF the
seas? Such performances as these are
merely the free show at the door," the IN
PRODUCTION to the play. Let us look further,
and deeper.
The supreme revolution-at once geo.
graphical, commercial and political-the su-
preme revolution upon this planet of ours
is about to be accomplished before our eyes,
eyes blind until now to the significance of
a world movement See what the Ameri-
cans are saying. For thousands of years
the Mediterranean, that sea in the midst
of nations,'' was the center Of the worlds
commerce, wealth and power; with the dis
covery and development of the new world
the center shifted to the Atlantic; during
the twentieth century it will pass to the
Pacific. which will become and will forever
remain 1.-The sea in the midst of the
tions''-the new Mediterranean.
Route to the Orient.
We are at the beginning OF a new cycle
There are no longer any undiscovered coun-
tries. Westward migrations, and the conse-
quent westward march Of empire, reached
their limit with the occident. We look from
the Golden Gate into the very face of the
orient. The scepter of world power has
passed forever into younger hands. Hence
forward the young republic is the effete
orient. Hence the supreme Importance
hlyr6 a1y,,rC 10 ,la
of the isthmian canal. To pierce the 18TH
mus will be to bring about the last geo.
graphic event of the first order; there are
no more isthmuses whose cutting through
would displace the commerce of the world
The Suez canal gave England an immense
advantage. The Panama canal will trans
fer this advantage to the United States
with the certitude that it can never be dis
placed by any geographic cause. CONNER
cial supremacy upon the Pacific will be the
final supremacy.
Look at the circumference of the Pacific
measure the lands that border it. 1t is a
striking fact that of the great undeveloped
and habitable portions of the earth all
saving only Africa are ranged about the
Pac1fc-North America, South America
Australia, Siberia. and the rest-countries
capable of incredibly enormous develop
ment.
Resources of America
America, taken a whole what is
America? Its fundamental characteristic
is well known. Little rain in the old world,
abundant rain in the new. Consequently
the greatest river systems there, the
only great deserts here; hence as much
arabic land in America as in Europe. Asia
and Africa put together. If the natural
resources of the American continent were
fully developed it would support three bill
lion and half inhabitants. And, as every
body knows. the present population of the
globe is only one billion and a half So
the time will come when the new world
will support more inhabitants than the
three continents of the old world.
Australia-What is Australia? A whole
continent which has as yet only four mil
lion Inhabitants. and, which. will one day
support without difficulty large portion of
the worlds population
Siberia-What Is Siberia? 1t has long been
a terra incognita but with the completion
of it's colossal railway 1t will see develop
ment which will astound the twentieth GEN.
tury. From the map of Siberia you could
cut whole Europe and still have material
for fringe of a dozen Italys. The re-
sources of a country like this, with such
magnificent distances, cannot be presented
in a paragraph.
Alaska and Canada.
In all these countries-Alaska and Canada
and the far west Of the United States.
Australia and New Zealand, and finally
Siberia-"civilzation will accomplish her
miracle the lOdNeS anu TIE iSHeS, anu
will feed millions where now a handful of
savages merely vegetate.' But this is not
all Civilization will not stop with peo-
pling lands now vacant; it will enlarge the
population of countries already occupied
China, for example. You may think that
the population of China has reached the
limit of possible density. That is far from
true China is not half so densely populat-
ed as France and France is not by any
means so crowded might be. We forget
how vast is the territory of China. Were
China as densely peopled as Japan it would
have nearly 200 600 inhabitants almost
as many as the actual population of the
globe), and it is capable of more crowding
than Japan, because it is immensely richer
in natural resources I will simply indicate
here by way of example. a single class of
it's resources-coal and iron. The stores of
coal and iron in the provinces of Chensi
and Chansi are regarded as the most i'm
portant in the world. They cover an area
of nearly 800 by 100 kilometers, which, ac-
cording to a high authority, contains
enough anthracite to supply the world for
1000 years. England is about to penetrate
this region with railway, and she is as
sured a concession for sixty years to ex-
plot these vast riches. The opening of
mines will develop iron industry which
will facilitate the extension of railways and
stimulate manufactures and commerce
from one end Of the empire to the other.