The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-02-27
World ConRagration Broke
Upon Us Unexpectedly
CONTINUED From Page one.)

Continued From Page One.)
parting OF the ways and must decide
rather. quickly which course we are
to pursue. As we glance back oyer
the history ofthe last on hundred and
twenty-five years, and view it in the
light of present conditions, we,Will De
convinced, think, that one atslaasg,
or our national policies must @be dis
carded | refer to our historic policy
of national isolation.
Our Political Isolation.
"For more than a century after the
beginning of our existence az ma:
ton we gloried in our geographical
and political isolation. We thankSa
our lucky stars for the 5000 miles, OF
ocean which separated us from the
Old World and gave. us the opportun-
ity of developing our national life IN
a free and untrammelled manner
Washington warned US against the
broils and wars. and entansling ALI
ances of Europe and we accepted that
advice without serious question.
Gradually and most 1nsensibly,
however, there came marked change
in world conditions. The globe grew
smaller not absolutely, Of course, but
relatively. Distances were lessened.
Places once remote are not adjacent.
1t took the Pilgrim Fathers 63 days
to reach the shores OF North Am erica.
It does not take that long now The
globe has shrnnk The world has be,
come a unit, means of communication
have bound It together. News speeds
over the bottom of the ocean, with the
rapidity of lightning. The atmos.
phere which envelopes the globe Is a
wireless whispering gallery, and the
clouds which rest upon 1t are the
habitat of the birdmen.
Atlantic Now a Subway.
"TheS Atlantic is no longer a-bar-
rier; it is!s.a highway-an even a
subway. A>noted military genius once
exclaimed in lexultation, There are no
Alps. It ii certainly true that there
is np;Atlantic ocean, in the old sense. =
All this, of course, did not come
about in single day The Clayton
Bul,Fer treaty. the war with Spain
and 1.-THE acquisition Of the Philippine
islands, the annexation Of the Hawai-
ian islands, the Boxer insurrection
and the intervention Of China, the
Portsmouth treaty ad the Panama ca
nal are steps in an evolutionary pro-
cess which has TRANSFORMED an @iso-
lated nation into world power.
Although it is now easy to see
that. little by little, we were depart
ing from our traditional policy OF iso-
lation,s that fact was not definitely
impressed upon our minds until the
Great War came on.
The Wars Outbreak.
'At the outbreak Of the European
war In 1914 we were not very greatly
concerned. We said that the fight
was not ours and that we had no d.
rect interest In it. We were thankful
for the Atlantic ocean and, feeling
very snug and selfcomplacent, we
settled back In our easy chair and
assumed the role of a more or less
disinterested spectator. We were
still living IN the center of our fairy
ring Of historic isolation. For some
mouths we looked on aghast but with.
ort any definite attitude toward the
great problems involved in the war.
Then gradually it began to dawn upon
us that the war really was some con-
Germ to us, that it did involve our vital
interests. that It affected our COM
mare and our industries, that It