The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-05-17
How Will War Fix
Status of America

in an understanding between these
| three countries. The understanding
was this: The rise of the German
| navy was a menace to the world;
therefore, it was agreed, in the inter
est of humanity and the worlds peace,
that in case of war began by Germany
or Austria for the purpose OF advanc
ing 'Pan-Germanism" the United
States was to throw her influence in
favor of England and France and to
do her utmost to assist them.
AS long ago as 1928 Thomas Jeffer-
son wrote to James Madison as fol-
lows:
Great Britain is the nation which
can do us the most harm of any or all
on earth, and with her on our side we
need not fear the whole world With
her we should most sedulously cher
lsh cordial friendship
AS an expediencey Jefferson was
right. England has controlled the
| seas. The United States today de-
ponds upon the English merchant ma
rlne to carry her huge volume of ex-
ports, and a withdrawal of this mer-
chant marine would throw us into al
most national bankruptcy We
achieved our independence from Eng
fish government rule in the Revolu-
tiOnary war. We drove the English
army and fleet from our shores in the
war Of 1912. We stopped her inter-
ference with our war for the union in
1862. But in other ways we have
never achieved our independence from
the power of Britain. We are still de-
pendent upon that power in a very
large measure. So dependent were
we that we were driven to enter into
the Clayton-Bulwer treaty whose
agreement was that the United States
should never acquire any influence in
Central America without the consent
Of England.
England Courts Favor.
Spe cific mention was made that nc
canal should be cut across the Isthmus
of Panama without such consent. The
: interference of Germany in Venezuela
induced England to court our favors
The coming conflict with Germany
, made it necessary for her to gather
/ her fleets in the English Channel and
: the North Sea to the neglect of the
J Gulf of Mexico. All at once the Mon
roe Doctrine looked good to England
and with the approval of France she
agreed that if the United States would
: enforce her Evolutionary doctrine anC
drive the German ships from the
} Venezuela harbor she might go ahead
and build the Panama Canal
, Englands friendly offices" ant
cordial sympathy" in the Spanish
American war, and her fomenting o.
the friction between us and Spain die
not arise from her love for us bu
from her fear and hatred of Germany
and her battleships She clearly saw
that it would be to her advantage tc
permit the United States to coptro
the Gulf Of Mexico, possess the
Spanish colonies and build the Panama
Canal rather than let Germany ge
any foothold in the great resource:
and wealth of South America.
Such is brief survey Of the inter
national complications as set forth il
the books by the foremost American
students of this great worlds drama
Shows U. S. Position.
Professor Usher has now published
his new book called 'Pan-American
ISM wherein he undertakes to shov
what the position of the United State
| may be in the event of either German
> or English victory.
In a chapter on the possibilities O
EnSllSn Aggression, ne asks, mel
, English wishes to resume her norma
business at the close of the war, Wha
: then? viii American merchants b
willing to cede their "antage Withou
: a struggle? VIII they not fight va
iantly for the trade the vanquishe
have had? Will there not be ampl
material for disagreement and dis
putes. for recriminations and diplC
, matte difficulties, and, it may be, TO
arbitrary restrictions and acts leaC
ing to war?'
If England destroys the Germa
fleet and is left free to pursue he
old-time policy Of ''paramount EngHs
, control; if she demands a recoup 70
7 her losses in the war, as she has S
often done before, will she not natura
ly turn once more to the Gulf c
Mexico and expect the United State
to surrender a supremacy which wa
merely loaned US until she annihilate
Germany?
, Covet Alaskan Gold.
!, The English have never been reco1
ciled fully to our possession of Alaska
. especially since the discovery Of it
great deposits of gold, copper an