Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-22
KEY TO THE PACIFIC
STRATEGIC VALUE OF HAWAII
TO UNITED STATES.
Importance of the Islands as Outpost
of North American
Continent.

FROM fubiic opluipH'
The slight ripple of excitement recently
caused by an expression of opinion that
Japan was looking upon our Philippine pos
sessions with longing eyes-thereby threat
ening to involve US in war in the near fu-
ture with the new power In the east-has
happily passed away. 1t has left behind 1t
surface of sufficient smoothness forreflection.
and in that we may see a new argument
for the necessity of so strengthening our
hold upon the Pacific ocean that we shall
not be found unprepared. when the in
creasing keeness of the rivalry for the trade
of the orient precipitates a conflict for the
mastery of a situation to which we hold the
key.
velopment of the Pacific ocean, and of trade
with the far east. have followed each other
with marvellous rapidly The markets of
the orient mean trade with 500,000,oO0 peo-
pie, and no commercial nation intends to
be laggard in the race to secure this
rich prize. The chapter in our commercial
history that tells of our disastrous defeat
In the effort to secure an influence on the
Atlantic is one from which we turn in the
belief that the new one that is to be written
regarding the Pacific will reach a conclu-
sion more satisfactory to every patriotic
feeling. On the Atlantic our influence has
almost reached the svanishing point. Eng
land and Germany have pushed their adj
vantages until today that ocean is grid
ironed by the wakes of the steamships of
our rivals, carrying ninety-two per cent of
our commerce, while there is not a single
regular line of American-owned ships en-
gagged in that traffic.
But the present situation on the Pacific
Is full of portent. The trading nations may
be said to be deploying for position AL
ready in the arena may be seen England,
with her Canadian and Asiatic possessions,
Australia, New Zealand, the Fiji Islands,
and her protectorate over the Gilbert Is
lands, and her interest in Hong Kong and
Singapore; France appears with the ex-
tension of her dominion in Indo-China,
Siam and Madagascar, as well as in New
Caledonia and the Society Islands by the
taking of the Marquesas Islands and the
Low Archipelago. Germany, by her ac-
quirement of controlling interest in I<ao-
chau and it's 20,00000o people, has footing
here as well as at Shantung, and, her APP
petite whetted for more power, has added
the Bismarck and Marshall Archipelago,
part of the Solomon Islands, German New
Guinea, the Caroline and Pelew Islands,
the great Marshall group, midway between
the Australian steamship lines from Brit
ish Columbia and the possible Asian lines
OF the future from the isthmus. She longed
for Samoa, but was obliged to be content
with a part. She coveted the Philippines
and suffered keenest chagrin that they
passed from her presumptive control. To
these must be added the large and rich
Pacific possessions of Holland In Borneo,
Sumatra and Java but of greater signifi-
canoe is the rapid advance of Russia to
the seaboard, now checked by Japan, which
power, in turn becomes an important factor
with its home island empire and its posses
sion of Formosa. Nor should an estimate
of the situation and the alignment of the
nations fail to take into account the COM
pletion of the great military highways from
Halifax to Vancouver, across the Ameri-
can continent, and from st. Petersburg to
Vladivostok, the rapid peoping of British
Columbia and our north Pacific states and
Of Amur and Manchuria districts, all of
which, to quote Mr.. John r. Proctor. tend
to change the front of the world and to
transfer to the Pacific the national activi-
ties which for centuries past have rendered
the Atlantic the theater of stirring events"
Manifest Destiny.
While Russia has been coming overland
to this center of future activity, created by
the requirement of island foothods by
other nations. the United States has come
over seas In two great strides. the first
step resting ON Hawaii, the second on the
Philippines, we are in the very heart of
the situation and in a position to take the
dominion that manifest destiny has evident
ment demands an outlet. The annexation
of Hawaii and the extension of our coast
wise restrictions thither; the requirement
of the Philippines after the Spanish war.
the results of our diplomacy In opening the
markets of the far east have created
commerce which has stimulated our carry
ing trade enormously. and. while on the
Atlantic our merchant marine has become
nonenity, on the Pacific we have four reg
ularly established lines carrying our flag.
our merchandise and our influence into