Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1907-03-28
entered Of tho Newport rows Va. PoItofflc,
es ieoond.olass matter.
THURSDAY. MARCH %, 1907
CONTROL OF THE PACIFIC.

After all the much debated question
OF the control OF the Pacific ocean will
be determined by social and industrial
rather than by political or military.
consideration. Military and political
rule cannot prolong itself forever in
regions where social and industrial
conditions are hostile to 1t.
British rule in India seems to con.
tradict this statement. But that rulo
has not been firmly established more
than q century, and hundred years
is as n day In the life OF nations. Be
tween the East and the West great
gulf has always been fixed. Neither
Asiatic nor European peoples could
cross II for permanent conquest with
out losing their racial characteristics
and adopting these Of the invaded re-
gion.
Often as Asia has been conquered
by Western armies the conquest has
come to an end with the absorption of
the conquerors. Every known Asiatic
invasion of Europe has been rolled
back, except that of the Huns, who
have become us European as tho Eu.
ropeans. The Turks remain Asiatic,
but they have been crowded to the
eigo of Europe and will soon be push.
ed over.
The Pacific ocean can be no excep.
ton to the r,tlc. The islands cannot
be permanently gained for Western
nations by naval conquest and MILL
tary occupation, unless Western races
can take root and make themselves at
home there. This seems to DO as i'm.
possible as naturalization of Euro
peans III India.
Hawaii is striking example. Amer.
lean and other white races had every
opportunity to occupy it after extinc.
ticn OF the native races. At the end
of half century there are only n few
thousand white Americans there, and
the number has not increased with
4 annexation to the United States. As
the native races died out their place
was taken first by Chinese and then
by Japanese, until the island is as
Asiatic as the Philippines or the Eu-
ropean East indies.
IL this is the history of Hawaii.
what are We to expect for the Philip.
pines? In spite of fleets and armies
( they will remain Asiatic In their So
cial and industrial life With the
equal opportunities that civilized ma
tons become more constrained every
generation to grant to each other,
Asiatic nations of equal talent and
energy will dominate their industry
land control their trade. To fight con
tinnally against this accommodating
force of natural law would bankrupt
the richest and exhaust the most pow.
erful nation.
The destiny Of the Pacific will be
decided by natural laws, as tho destiny
+ or every people and every nation is
decided I'm the long run. The wisest
nations are those that develop along
lines of least resistance, so far as
their immediate movement is within
5S control of their government.
We are In the Philippines without
wishing 1t. as the English established
4 themselves In India almost without
knowing 1t. Neither nation can lay
down tho obligations that have been
& put upon 1t by destiny, though both
$ may we'll look forward 10 time when
destiny will relieve them OF the bur
den den by providing some one filter to
receive It.
We should think that Great Britain
ana the United States might be equal