Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1917-07-05
OUR DANGERS
Dangers OF American People Pointed
Out by :. III. Perry.

The last article of this series point
ed out certain dangers that would be
common 10 the United States and TO
the allies in case of a German tri-
umph. provided we had not entered
the war. In addition TO those COM
mon dangers, the United States also
would be exposed to certain special
DANGER. of its own, chief among
which are I'm following:
/. With the destruction Of British
sen power, the Monroe Doctrine
would go by the board. The strength
of the Monroe Doctrine has always
been measured strictly by the num-
Der OF ships and guns that stood be
hind it-not by the brave words Of
sock-sure Yankees. For seventy-five
years its backing was the British
navy alone. For the last twenty five
years it has been hacked chiefly by
the British navy and partly by the
American navy. Our navy, however,
has never been strong enough to sus-
tain the Monroe Doctrine unaided If
the British navy were captured and
added to that of Germany, we could
not possibly cope with it.
2. We should Immediately lose all
control Of the Panama canal for ma
tional purposes. Germany might al
low us to operate it and keep it in re-
pair for some little time, but as a
part of our national defenses it
would cease to exist.
3. We should lose Immediately.
and probably forever, the command
ing position that we now occupy
among the nations Of this hemisphere
The dominance of the United States
in Pan American affairs would be a
thing Of the past. Thenceforward
Germany would decide all American
issues in which she had the slightest
interest Every Latin American rul-
q would keep his eye fixed upon
Berlin
4. We should lose Immediately,
and probably forever, our great com
mercial opportunity in South Amer
lea. Germany would have the power
to compel all Latin-American coun-
tries to grant preferential tariffs, and
our protests would be ignored. Flat
tered, dazzled, or browbeaten, the
Latin republics would give preference
| to Germans whenever contract, a
! franchise, character or conces-
sion was to be awarded. Germany
would virtually compel South Amer
leans to employ German capital to
develop their railroads, mines, public
utilities and factories.
South America is perhaps the
worlds greatest field for commercial
and financial development-ce certainly
the only one where the United States
has any chance Of getting the lions
share. With German victory, that
chance would be dead
>. German victory would force the
United States TO extreme lengths in
military preparation. Just as the fear
of Germany forced France to keep IA
peace army Of nearly a million men,
so our fear of Germany would force
us TO do the same With her alliances,
protectorates and strategic bases to
the south of US, Germany would be in
a position to strike us a mortal blow
at any moment.
6. We should be unable longer to
deal efficiently with Japan if an is
sue arose with that power. Japan
would need only to get Germany
consent in order to take every Pacific
island away from us. TO appropriate
as much as she pleased of the riches
Of Alaska, and to fortify impregnable
naval bases in the Aleutian islands.
Honolulu, Pago-Pago. Guam and Ma
Mia. With Britain strength broken.
the United States and Canada would
have to battle together to exclude
Japanese immigration on the Pacific
coast. We could not, without Ger
nisny's consent prevent Japan from
going As far as she liked I'M Mexico
or South America.
We should have an early, and
probably an immediate war with Ger
many. Such a war would be neces-
sary step in the German plan. Amer
lea would be her only obstacle. and
X ba Ht-nftiJ ,,praaoJ