The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1892-1907, 1905-07-29
MASTERY OF THE PACIFIC
INVOLVE COMMERCE OF WORLD


hitherto - an iusigniticAnt, or ct
best, 90 = secondary power, Eesists
fsnnsiA and haa present triumph over
Der. This. however, II We may use
military language. IL but an affair Of
outposta. The actual struggle 10 jet
70 come. Among the contestants 10
this struggle struggle not neoes-
saFily Of arms, bat Of commercial
FiVaiFy-ths United States will have
. place. We cannot escape ths eon.
ditions. The actual prize Is eoBtFoi
or Asosndancy IN the commerce Of
the Pacific ocean.
The movement westward, which
began before the earliest written bic.
tory, and has continued ever siBoe.
haa now Feaehed . stage upon which
the wess meets the east, aud the east
aud the west are one. IL has come
about through extension Of the DO.
main Of tbs United States 20 tbs
shores Of the Pacific, through en-.
tension Of Earopean inanencs into
countries Of the orient and through
vaGioaa movements that hare begun
tbs dsEeiopmsnt Of ccmmsFeo on the
Pacific ocean, on a scale large al
ready, and destined TO an infinits sK-
panaiou. Our own Interest in tbs
Pacihc, which started with the Spiab.
llshmsBt 81 cur Gordon u states 90
this wssisSn verge u the continent.
, haa be@n pFodlgloasly Increased and
msgaifisd by the acquisition Of the
Hawaiian aud ths Philippine isiabds.
The Spanish var ot 1885 opened .
door that sever uill 10 closed upon
us; and tbs pFesSnt struggle between
lapAn and Russia IL orc IN which 30
eAnnot but have dssp concern. BE-.
cause u pswaaRes q future In whieh
we must u b~ceasity have . very i'm.
poFtant part. We cabnUs escape this
participation II Ne woaid.
Forces are noe Ia motion uhich u
" clear are 20 make The Paciae ocean
during ths present century = sphere
of activity similar 90 shat the
Atlantic vAa duFihg the eighteenth
aud ninstesnth centuries. and 10
shat tbs Mediterranean uas tSshty
az thirty centnrisa $50. Our own
interests are deeply involved 10 The
waF bgtaeen Russia aud japan for
this 10 but the Initial stage Of al
international struggle "a - vastly
satsadsd. II not with arms, certainly
through Fiyalsies aud Nith the
weapons Of Industry aud commerce..
On that vast highway which The irony
Of History has named the Pacific
ocean, there is nos q struggle for
commercial aud political supremacy
~ important A. any the world has
ever seen. We ourselves are literAll ,
lin u, and would not retreat II wt
would. such = nation As our can
not plsy The part Of a weakiinR We
shall not cit down in our hack yard
end let the world drift by. A nation
great ~ ours must pay the penalty
of lie greatness, in effort, money,
bother aud men.
The conditions will force rivalry
between she United States and
Russia. For Russia, We take IL.
though checked by japan. cannot bs
forced hack, permanently, from tbs
shores Of the Pacific. But Japan Il
aRhtlne the preliminary battle Of ali
nations that want "a equal chance on
the Pacific; for Russia In control OF
China and Corea would be in posi-
tlon 60 close the door TO all com
merce not directed In the interest ot
her own policy,
Russia hitherto has been friendly
with ~. because the two great
countries have not been in toucl
with each other. She could afford
10 Be friendly With the United
States so long az We we're no world
power, aud 80 long, moreover, a. ",
we're on more or less strained term,
With Great Britain, Rusaia's most
powerful aud dangerous rival duriuG
the whole course of the nineteenth
century. But the march OF eventl
has now brought the United States
face TO face with Russia. Our posi-
tion In the Orient and the develop
ment Of our states on the west coasl
OF America make new condition,
Absorption Of China aud Corsa by
Russia would be the severest possibl,
blow TO the commercial progress oi
the United States. We're China
advanced or dwesternlzed, even tC
the extent that Japan lie, the com
merce OF her hundreds OF millions,
left free, wonld be an immense value
TO us. But IN the hands Of Russia,