The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-05-15

President Roosevelts speech at San Fran
cisco was one of his prepared speeches of
national significance. Others of his pre-
pared speeches have dealt with domestic
questions and internal policies. but this
one took a broader outlook and treated Of
American influence on the Pacific and in
the Orient. 1t was as II. standing on the
western verge of the continent, the Presi-
dent recognized In the inevitable trend of
events the irresistible progress and ulti-
mate dominancy Of Americai influence in
the Pacific and the East. The keynote of
his speech is found in these sentences:
Before I saw the Pacific slope 1 was an
expansionist, and after having seen 1t L
fail to understand how any man who is
confident of his country's greatness and
glad that his country should challenge
with proud confidence our mighty future
can be anything but an expansionist. In
and the progress Of the Pacific will be fac
tors of incalculeble moment in the history
OF the world. Now. in our day, the great
est of all the oceans, of all the seas. and
the last to be used on large scale by
civilized man. bids fair to become in its
turn the first point OF importance Our
mighty Republic has stretched across the
Pacific, and now in California, Oregon and
Washington, in Alaska and Hawaii and the
Philippines, holds an extent of coast line
which makes II Of necessity power OF the
first class the Pacific. The extension in
the area or our domain has been immense,
the extension In the area Of our influence
even greater. Americas geographical po-
sitfon on the Pacific is such as TO insure
our peaceful domination of its waters in
the future if we only grasp with sufficient
resolution the advantages Of this position
The speech is sure to cause foreign COM
ment because 1t is an unmistakable ex-
preston of manifest destiny as the Pres
preston Of warlike purpose or a policy
of forcible expansion by the United States.
On the contrary, it hints only at CONNER
cial rivalry and peaceable conquests. A
little further on the President. after re-
ferring to the inevitable march of events"
will always be peaceful in character" He
made a happy definition of the policy Of
the United States when he said: "We in
fnitely desire peace, and the surest way to
obtain 1t is to show that We are not afraid
of war. We should deal in a spirit Of fair
ness and Justice with all weaker nations;
we should show to the strongest that we
are able to maintain our rights"
Foreign statesmen may comment on these
views, but they cannot find any reason
able ground for criticising them. If they
are reasonable they must recognize the
fact that civilization, whose earliest home
was In the East. is making it's circuit
around the world by the western route.
1t is westward that the course of empire
takes its way. 1t would be illogical to sup
pose that the imperial power OF the United
States. which has moved across the CONT
nent so steadily and irresistibly, is to be
arrested and stopped by the waters Of the
Pacific. Every acquisition of territory on
the continent to the very waters Of the
Pacific came to US without previous plan
ming on our part. we did not seek Hawaii.
II sought US. Our acquisition of the Philip
pines was. as the President says, 80 OPP
perfume that. 1t may without irreverence
be called providential'' In the light of
these facts, it would be impossible for an
American who had faith in the vitality
of republican principles to stand in San
Francisco, facing the west, and doubt that
the United States is destined to become
the dominating power in that ocean. The
President simply voiced the teachings OF
manifest destiny.