Evening star., 1919-07-27
FINISH WHAT COLUMBUS STARTED

Since the dawn when the wise men
came from the east bringing their
offerings of gold, frank
The Orient incense and myrrh, the
4Lr orient has been a ira
ditional treasure-trove
land. 1t was in an effort to reach this
! region of unbounded riches that CO.
lumbus discovered America. The
hardy pioneers. from whom has come
the United States of today, building
a great merchant marine to sail the
seven seas, pushed westward as is so
vividly pictured in a mural decora-
! ton westward Ho." which is one of
the sights at the Capitol. But though
they went west to meet the east and
bus across a fearsome ocean, they did
their trading with the old world.
Even from the Golden Gate, across
the continent, they swapped their
surplus for Europe's surplus. seem
ingly forgetful that the original
quest and aim of the intrepid Co
lumbus, who typifies the voyageuc
d.
with Asia.
So the United States in it's COM
merce has grown up one-armed, and
left handed at that. The commercial
leaders have seemed to blind them
selves to the fact that there was a
Pacific as well as an Atlantic ocean.
across which foreign trade might
profitably be conducted. and that be-
yond the Pacific. much closer than be-
yond the Atlantic. were living. more
than half the peoples of the world.
Ihese peoples. with a background of
about 5000 years Of continuous civili-
cation. offered a treasure house of
human experience and accomplish
ment and of unmeasured natural re-
sources.
The great world war has made the
people of the United States realize that
they are a. part of the
A Lesson of world, and not apart from
~. W., the world. 1t has taught
the United States to look
around and see what can be done rather
than to keep working along the old
grooves. The expansion of American
commerce on a record breaking scale is
proof of this.
Very recent events of world d-wide i'm
port have focused attert tion and con-
centrated the thought of American bus-
ness leaders upon the ms rvelous op-
portunity for development of an ambi-
dexterous commerce with Asia as well
as with Europe, so that the sun may
never set on the foreign trade of the
United States. Among these awakening
events are the going Of onehalf of the
American Navy-534, 142 tons of up-to
the minute fighting craft. commanded
by 1000 officers and manned by $4,000
men-to make permanent headquarters
on the Pacific coast. At hearings be-
fore the naval affairs committee. when
Secretary Daniels first announced this
coast delegations in Congress were
prompt to declare that this would give
tremendous impetus to commerce.
Another event of the utmost poten-
TALLY is the Shantung settlement. AL
ready a boycott has been exercised
against Japanese goods. Shantung has
always been regarded as sacred terri
tory because of the birth there of Chi
rese civilization, which antedateS all
other civilization. A new and fateful
issue has been raised in the far east
Whether the American people wish it
force them to become q factor, and for
peace-sake if not for profit sake,
dominant factor in far eastern affairs.
X
With more than half Of the earth's
population in Asia, now at the incep-
tion Of MON mentous de-
The Nearest velopments in modern
oA.. industry and COM
oon'in'' merce, there is every
reason why the people of the United
States should rejoice in this terri
torial propinquity. Few, probably. of
the many in this country who have
been interested in the prospects Of
pan-American trade realize that the
United States is closer to Asia than
it is to South America, being but
seventy-f1ve miles distant, via Alaska,
from the shores of Asia 1t is possible
and even now being considered by
the engine eering profession, which
comes with new prestige and zeal out
of the war, to connect Asia and the
United States by rail through a tun-
mel across Bering straits. Remember
also that Manila, in American insular
territory. is closer to China than is
Toxic. Consider that the United
States for twenty years has given the
world an object lesson by governing
an Asiatic colony. almost as large as
Japan and with population of about
10000, ,000-through the schoolhouse.
Observe that the United States with
its insular possessions has a greater
Pacific coast line than any other ma
tion-as great as Japan and China to-
gether. Add to this that the first for
e.gn consul to China was commits
stoned by George Washington. in 1854,
and that the American flag was at
one time predominant in Chinese
waters, and you will readily appre-
ciate that the United States, by Yam
kee neighborly instincts, is entitled to
be especially interested in China and
the rest of the far east.
So Uncle Sam must take up and
carry on what Columbus started In
fact, Uncle Sam
Must Finish What has assumed
Columbus Started. witb > a1l''Ats au its
obligations and its probable profits
The Congress of the United States has
made a start along the very best
route by providing at Peking and
Toxic for the training of ten and six
students, respectively, every two
years for the consular service. In no
part of the world is understanding
of a people and their aspirations.
ideals and sentiments. through per-
sonal contact and through getting