The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-12-12
AND THE PANAMA CANAL
Another Good Reason Given Why
Draw the Nations of the World Nearer Together

people, and is withdrawn from all un-
amiable people. without regard to po-
l1tlcal boundaries; and as men become
more educated they become more
logical-sloWly, indeed, but inevitably.
Our little planet is getting SO small
for us that everybody must soon rec
ognize the absurdity Of drawing ar
b1trary lines on its surface-Or, rather
accepting arbitrary lines drawn by
God knows whom-a1id saying, with
in these lines I will confine my SYM
pathy. You canh ardly mention a
spot on the globe nowadays but some
one Of your acquaintance has been
there. Every prominent man has re-
lations with people in all the five con-
tinents.
Closer Union of Nations.
With a closer and closer network
of such relations permeating all civil
lied nations, the time must soon come
when civilized humanity will simply
be one large organism, in which the
original divisions will be as imper-
ceptible as are the outlines of the
iron filings that have been converted
into a solid block by hydraulic pres
sure. Three hundred years ago Eng
lishmen and Spaniards looked upon
each other as outlaws. Considering
the rate at, which this opinion has
been changing, it might not be safe to
predict that 800 years hence they will
still form two different nations. Thus
while approving of the incentive of
nationalism, SO long as it serves to
stimulate progress, the man whose
vision Is somewhat wider than the
average length Of a m Mortgage will re-
serve his foremost esteem and SYM
pathy for those tendencies, both more
generous and more logical, which aim
to hasten the approach of the time
when no artificial barriers shall inter-
pose to lessen the delight of intimacy
among the best Of mankind; and he
will gladly pay the tribute of his high
est admiration to the nation whose
fine instinct taught her that this is a
safe path in which to lead, because
humanity is sure to follow.
IL this be thegemony," it is one that
has long been open to all great ma
and we threw it away. Perhaps our
example, separated as we are from all
possible rivals by wide stretches of
ocean, might not have meant much.
1t is SO easy for us to be peace adj
vocates. Far more impressive is the
example Of a nation with her rivals
at her elbows, a nation with the most
brilliant military record in history,
a nation long regarded as the most
aggressive in the world (simply be-
cause she had opportunities by which
others would have been only too glad
to profit, if they had come to them.)
Another Treaty of Arbitration.
Having thrown away our best OPP
portunity, let us grasp the next best:
To honor and abet to the best of our
power the nation that was wise enough
to do what we declined to do. The
year 1904 will probably notsbe far adj
vanced before treaty similar to the
Combes-Lansdowne treaty will be laid
before the people of France and Of the
United States. It's acceptance by the
two great republics would be the
GROWING act of the Louisiana Pur-
chase centennial. It is eminently de-
sirable that both nations should ap-
proach this question in the friendliest
Of spirits Now, nations are not put
in good humor, any more than indiv-
iduals, by losing money. It may be
true that the loss involved in the fail
ure of the original Panama company
is irreparable; that the stockholders
in the new company are not the same
that invested their hard-earned saw
ings in the old company. AT the same