The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-06-06

amberlain's proposal Of an alliance
he said that there were those who be :
lieved that hardly any more inexpres-
sible calamity can befall mankind
! than that community. as Lincoln
nobly said. Conceived in freedom and
dedicated to the happiness OF free and
equal men, should entangle them
selves in the unrest and intrigue of
militarism which are the torment and
scourge of the old world"
The annexation of tho Philippines,
however. seemingly was only a tenn
porary alteration from American
traditions. At any rate, after seven
teen years. it continues to leave a bad
taste in Uncle Sans mouth. and he
has yet had no recurrence of the ap-
petite for Asiatic or other old world
possessions.
A World Power.
Some people date the advent of the
United States as a world power from
the Spanish war But Edmund Burke
hailed it as such 100 years before that
cvent. when he said: TT has made as
great change in all the relations and
balaI ces and gravitations of power as
the appearance of new planet would
in the system of the solar world"
Why. in reality. America became a
WI po"c CT III the CABIN OF the May.
flower. and 1t never has more power
fully affected the destiny of nations
than at Concord Bridge or in Inde-
pendence Hall at Philadelphia
kip1inG challenged the United States
to take up the white mans burden.
AS II there could be any weightier
white mans burden than the repupic
bore when alone in the world 1t
shouldered and supported a govern
ment of the people, for the people, by
the people! And what heavier burden
has any nation borne than to welcome
and care for the more than 10000 900
refugees from the misuse and misrule
of Europe who have fled to the shores
Of the republic in the past century?
1t Is true the United States never
has been a world power when meas
ured in soldiers and guns. By that
standard It Is outstripped by Bull
garia. 1t never has been a world power
in the political sense. Much smaller
states have been more active in that
field. 1t never has been a world power
in commercial sense, for ii has been
as Indifferent to the conquest Of for
eign markets as to the conquest Of
foreign lands All this weakness turns
to strength. however. when the nation
intervenes in a matter of international
morality or Justice, because when
is seen to be clean.
1t Is often said that the United
States is without friend among tho
nations. No doubt the aggressive. mill
itary powers feel themselves convict
ed before their subjects in the con-
tentment. the peace and prosperity OF
the American democracy.
A Vienna journal was well warrants
ed in declaring in former crisis that
without the Union, civic liberty in
Europe would have been an impossi-
bility." A Berlin editor also went to
the mark at that time when he apos.
trophized the example OF the United
States: NO militarism. no huge feet.
yet mighty. an overwhelmingly
mighty, elemental power,'
There are no friendships. there are
only partnerships between nations.
Through generations England was the
friend Of Germany, Austria and Tur-
key and the enemy of Russia and
France. The only way to make friends
with a nation Is to hate some other
nation. And tho United States cannot
hate any nation because IL Is a COM
posite of all nations, bone Of their
bone. flesh of their flesh. 1t Is allied
by blood with the masses of Europe,
regardless of race and nationality.
They know what America stands for.
They are the friends and kinsmen OF
the American people. Between them
there Is an entente. an alliance that
crosses every combination In the in
ternational politics Of the old world
ticians have to reckon when disposed
to challenge the United States.
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