The weekly Alaska citizen., 1918-01-14
ECONOMIC WARS DATE FAR BACK
 INTO HISTORY

Economic wars are not the modern things that some people would have us think. Certainly as far back as the Romans. and undoubtedly long before, wars were waged for markets and place in the sun. Ferrero, the modern Italian historian of Rome's great period, all through his monu mental five.volume work makes a special point of the fact that the Romans conquered with definite material gain in view. The conquest of Britain may have been made ori ginally for political reasons, but Britain, that indictment isle." was held for years because of her val uable tin, so necessary in the manu facture of bronze, Rome's favorite alloy. There was "silver" party in Rome at the time of the Empire, that advocated holding Spain. at big costs because of the valuable silver that came from her mines; and they were opposed by an expansionist party who advocated the desirability of grain markets. in the East. Copper and lead resources or the lack of them have in past ages decided the fates of nations. Today coal and iron, to gether with the steel alloys, are the absolute necessities. We think of the ancient people levying tribute in sil yer, gold, copper, etc, as result oi conquest. We should be more exact if we considered these metals as the reason for the conquest itself. anG not an afterthought or anything for tuitous.
 The same thing holds true in the realm of exploration and discovery It is only very recent develop ment for explorers to be inspired by pure love of science. The explor CTS of the great days. when men ven turd into an unknown sea. bravinf terrors and dread frightfulness il strange westward waters, may have faced death as did Columbus for { high ideal. But the ideal of tht people who financed the undertaking as Isabella and later the statesmanl! rudors in England. was distinctly new markets and resources. Tn, old Europe had its heart in the Medi terranean. But the capture of Con stantinople by the Turks in the 13tf century changed all that. Hostile Turkish power upon all the easterl coasts of the Mediterranean mean that the habitual course of extremel, profitable trade with the East wa! cut of. New routes must be estab lished for commerce if it was t. live. Hence the feverish haste an, anxiety among the sovereigns ant merchants of Europe to find a rout to the Indies. Northwest passage route around Africa, a road to tn land of spices and pearls and teem ing wealth. No one has laid nor emphasis in a history-book on thi particular point than a certain little known professor in an eastern uni versity, since become nightly ia nous. You have heard of him. Hi name is Woodrow Wilson. Read tn story of the early colonies in Amer ica, and almost without exception (the exceptions being mainly re ligious) you will find the same stor Hunting for gold. It was not unti the tale had long been proven tha "the interior was one vast wilder ness. grown thick with tangled fol ests. blocked by mountains whicl stood old and untouched, or els stretching wide through might
 plains, smooth and wearisome, am bare of wood. with only 'crook-bacl ed oxen for inhabitants" that Er rope dreamed of anything else fl
 thinking of America. For Spain ha
 already realized her dream to tn
 south.