The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-07-04
~ SAMUEL W. PENNYPACKER.
Ex-Governor Of PennsyIvania.

Ex-Governor Of PennsyIvania.
r T is very doubtful whether the real
significance and the most impor.
Lusitania have yet been consid-
cred by the American people. There
has been much expression Of sympathy
for the unfortunate people who were
drowned and of indignation against
the belligerent which caused the boat
20 be torpedoed. but these are emo
lions which spring readily to the sur
face and may be aroused over Incl
dents upon each side of every war
They have been awakened by the Rus
sian treatment OF the Jews, by the
Japanese treatment OF the Coreans, by
the British treatment OF the Beers. and
as in those cases, they are evanescent
and will be forgotten with the first
shifting of the scenes The event ought
to appeal to the judgment and not to
the emotions.
Nations. like individuals. often act
laws of nature are memorable and ir-
%revocable, the injurious consequences
always follow. Carthage sealed her fate
at the time she neglected to send sup
port to Hannibal while in Italy. Mr..
Cleveland tried to throw away the
Sandwich Islands. the key TO the Pa
cifc Ocean. The failure to retain Cuba
only emphasized by the retention OF
Porto Rico by Mr.. Mckinley; the turn
ing Of American sympathy by John
Hay against Russia and in favor OF
Japan in the war between those coun-
tries, Japan which Is even now creep
ing across the Pacific toward our west
ern coast; the surrender OF u SOW
ereignty ove the Panama Canal under
British pressure and Elihu Roots ad-
vice only a a ago by Mr.. Wilson
are familiar instances in American
history Of governmental mistakes, sure
to bring results of grave moment in
the future of the nation.
Any American who wants to fore
cast what that future Is to be needs
only to recognize hat the territory we
occupy, with a population soon to be
500, 000, 600, has an ocean last on the
east with the harhors Of Boston, New
York, the Delaware. the Chesapeake,
Charleston. Savannah, Mobile and Gal
weston and an ocean OF the west
with the harbors OF San Francisco. Ia
coma and Seattle. Nothing can be
more certain than that sooner or later
We shall make a struggle for the pos
session Of the "a
Our concern Is not with the occu-
patton of the land on the continent
of Europe. but with that OF the waters
which surround us. Our interests are
necessarily a~ntagonistic to those Of the
nation which seeks to control these
e Instinctively England perceived
that our progress foreboded a rival,
and every step in advance which
America has ever made was secured
over her opposition. Her efforts to
prevent the growth of the colonies are
set forth in the Declaration Of indie
pendence. Her purpose to tax colonial
property and deny colonial representa-
ton led to the Revolutionary war.
When Anthony Wayne won the middle
West ne found British forts supply
ing the Indians with rifles and scalping
knives. and the massacre at Wyoming
told the same story.
In 1914 she burned our Capitol and
archives. We threatened to fight for
the boundary line of 81 degrees 40
minutes north. but we did not fight.
and she took the land. President Polk
in his journal tells that she tried to
prevent Texas from coming into the
Union and urged the Mexicans into
war with us.
In 1861, while W. were in the midst
Of a struggle for existence. she con-
structed the Alabama and Florida and
took advantage Of the situation to
drive our m off the oceans.
Even within the last decade an Ameri-
can, Shuster, was successfully or
ganizing the financial system OF Per-