The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-01-10
TRADE WAR ON L. S.


Britain and Germany have agreed to
abstain from participation in the Pan
ANA Pacific exposition is said to in.
clude an understanding TO combine
their financial influence against the
lean editors 10 express surprise, and,
as we pointed out the other day, even
the London Times processes TO be
psined and mystifed,
II is lust as woll that the American
people should understand at the very
beginning the new relation established
between Europe ard America by the
construction of the Panama canal. The
canal will open up 10 Americans vastly
Increased trade opportunities in all
parts Of the world. Naturally this viii
bring us into more intensive competi-
tiop with the chief commercial powers,
England, Germany and France and 10
lesser degree with all the other Euro
pean nations engaged in foreign trade.
1t is a fight. While II is not necessar-
| lily true that ell America will gain,
| Germany and England will lose-for
we must remember that the volume of
the world g trade is constantly growing
yet the indications are that the Unit
ed States will become the chief COM
mercial nation of the world unless the
countries of Europe can prevent it by
combining against US. There is no oc.
casion for surprise. therefore, if Eng
land and Germany have arrived n a
tentative understanding to increase the
competition against the United States
To some extent il is the old world
against the new; it is an attempt to
check the changing order, to stay the
hand of Destiny; and back of the trade
agreement between England and Ger
many is the effort TO maintain the an
cient principles of government and of
class distinction.
Wherever the American flag shall 60
as result of the canal and its impetus
to our trade the principles of this re-
public will go and will come into con-
fict with the aristocratic principles Of
the older nations. Already we can see
these two sets of principles warring
against each other In China Through
the influence of America and its his.
tory the Chinese established a repub
lie. At the edict of the European pow
ers, secretly promulgated, Yuan Shi
Kai annihilated parliament and estab
ished himself as a despot
1t is an inevitable conflict; part of |
it will be conscious struggle of states |
men and part Of it a subconscious
struggle of nations actuated by con-
ficting principles. In the trade al.
lance of Great Britain and Germany
we can see evidences Of the conscious
struggle. Back of it is the subcon-
scious realization that England and |
Germany are the commercial and po
litical rivals Of the United States in
the new order Of world affairs Great
Britain and Germany do not say that
the United States must be destroyed,
as Rome said OF its chief commercial
rival, Carthage, centuries ago, but they
believe that the time has come to
the world against the approaching
American invasion.
Here again we detect the permanent
need Of the Monroe doctrine. Let us
suppose that the doctrine were abro- Y
gated with the opening Of the Panama
canal. Immediately struggle would
begin between Great Britain and Ger
many on the one side and the United
States on the other for commercial
in South America. Great
Britain and Germany, in their dealings
with the various countries Of South
their commercial influence by means Of
political devices and this would end
with territorial aggrandizement. The
Monroe doctrine effectually blocks any
attempts of this kind and Great Brit
ain and Germany are thrown back upon
the expedient of trade alliance which
will be n most peaceful method of
but which at any time
nay develop serious political differ
,nces. If these differences come, the
Monroe doctrine will be America g
shield. While it will impose heavy OBJ.
igations, it will prevent the European
countries from handicapping our trade
~ offensive compacts with South
American countries or by concessions
ooking to seizure Of territory.
In view Of this situation the United
States government should not delay to
make vhnteypr arroppemaDts aro No,
,ssary to meet the competition of the
European nations, and it may become
necessary to establish at Washington a
lew cabinet position 10 deal exclusive
Y with our foreign trade