Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1916-01-31
DEMOCRACY AND CONQUEST

among the European nations the
United States is regarded humorous
ly. They do not understand the de-
mocracy of the nation that has fos-
tered ideals and that supports those
ideals, because they have not the I'M
I selfish national spirit that grows in
democracy. They have only the selfish
viewpoint of selfish nationalism that
is the inevitable product of monarch
ism. Their deeds are selfish deeds,
planned for gain, and have only such
an end in view
/ When European nation, on one
| preteXt or another, assumes control of
the destinies of smaller, weaker
neighbor, it is only for the sake of
what may be gained by the stronger
England's history is filled with such
instances, from India to Egypt. So
is that Of France, of Italy, of Russia,
Of Japan and of Germany. What they
| have coveted they have taken by craft
| if possible, by force, if necessary, and
| what they have grasped they have
| held
| When Spanish atrocities in Cuba,
| culminat;lg in the destruction of the
| Maine, drove the United States to in
| PREVENTION in Cuba, the concert of Eur
/ opean powers was moved to opposition
! that nearly was realized. They could
! only see in our attacking a weaker
nation preteXt to obtain possession
Of Cuba. The occupancy of the island
and the retention of the government
after the war was, to them, but the
usual thing, while the payment of an
indemnity for the Philippines was re-
! garded as ridiculous exhibition of
weak diplomacy.
! Not since Waterloo has Europe been
so surprised as il was when the United
States, having restored order in Cuba
and cleaned up the island, turned it
over to the Cubans to govern as they
could. Such a thing had never before
been done, and they confidently eX-
pected it would never be done again.
In the Philippines they viewed
askance our efforts to ciyilize the ma
tives and to educate them to sanitary
living. In Panama they regarded the
Selling Of the canal strip as a, return
to the sort of politics they understood
and were COMPOUNDED by the proposal
to pay Colombia an indemnity. At
Vera Cruz they were certain We had
begun an invasion Of territorial con-
quest, because We stopped to clean up
the town while waiting for Huerta to
apologize.
So the list might go on, each minute
Intervention in the interests of hui
mainly being recited as d, point upon
which Europe has hung expectations
Of the abandonment of Americas Gus
tomary policy OF anti-imperialism Not
even now are they convinced, but ex-
} pect our Haitian occupation to prove
the fulcrum on which the rule will
break
Had Europe pursued the policy that
b has been the handspring of America s
! course in international affairs for SO
= long the present war could never have
happened Had each nation been con-
tent to live within itself and to let the
: little peoples Of the world live within
themselves; had they forgotten con-
: quest and aggrandization in our I'M
: selfish way, there would have been nc
, crisis arise on which TO split the peace
: Of the world. Unfortunately. on both
> sides there is evidence of lust for con
quest which holds out little hope that
; the end of the war will see the down
= fall Of the desire for world domination
which alone can mark the advent OF
universal peace.