Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-12

countries, rs III OuDd, OF openly ETaC"
ticed by military means, as in Mica
President Mckinley described 30 years
ago as being manifest destiny"
What does American public opinion
think of all this? In this connection
we must distinguish among those who
are conscious of this expansion and
those who are ignorant of it and those
who condemn 1t. Among the first must
be cited those industries which rave
gained tremendously during the last 40
years by exporting, and thus have
he ped to develop the world interests of
America. The accession Of Wall street
into this policy of expansion is more
recent, but must be considered certain
today. American finance has interests
in all quarters of the globe, and it
would be astonishing If this fact should
De ignored.
Cites Mission Spirit.
To the influences back of expansion
must be added the missionary spirit
which animates nearly all Americans.
Whether 1t Is question of religion,
business or teaching, they have a mania
for evangelization. They love to NEEDLE
in the affairs Of others, not only when
they can extract some material advan-
tage but simply with the idea OF doing
good. Many of Americas interventions
in the Far East, as well as in Europe,
owe their origin to this singular state
of mind.
AS to the Government. for many years
1t has understood the evolution that is
taking place. All of its activities since
the Spanish War have shown this
change OF attitude. With remarkable
decision, the American Government
knew just what position to take in
Cuba SO that American expansion might
best be served. About the same time II
installed itself politically in Panama,
and thus assured the building of the
interocean canal. And 1t also chose and
secured the naval bases that were
needed in the Pacific. Even before the
war, the particularly since the armi-
Stice, the Government has taken the
execution Of this dollar diplomacy" in
hand, with the backing of Wall street.
There can be no doubt, therefore, that
Washington accepts expansion as a fact
that has been imposed and does not
hesitate to apply 1t as a policy.
Nevertheless, II we stopped for analy-
sis here, 1t would be false; for expan-
sion has many adversaries, probably q
majority Of adversaries. To be more
exact. it does not have a majority of
partisans. First can be numbered those
industries which sell only to home mar
kets; foreign affairs interest them not
at all. Then there is public opinion
considered in the mass, especially in
the West. 1t fears expansion because
OF its tradition in national life used
to being thrown on its own resources
also on account of its innate love of
independence and it's fear of Scorn of
the rest of the world.
The American people on the whole.
at least those who are the most repre-
sentative, prefer to live their own lives,
on their own continent, protected as
much as possible from contact with the
rest OF the world. If Intervention comes
about under these conditions 1t does so
without the consent of the people being
formally sought and without their
knowing anything about it. When pub
lie opinion realizes that military ex-
petitions are being inaugurated, its
spontaneous reaction Is generally hos
tile. 1t feels that it Is a question of
financial manipulation for private in
tereSts which are usurping Government
influence. Sufficient to read the records
OF the House of Representatives and the
Senate to understand that the American
Government must never lose sight of
this attitude when it contemplates any
military action.
Americas policy. therefore, Is very
contradictory in character In fact. in
nearly every country in the world there
exists policy of vigilance and fire.
quentlv one Of Intervention. But this
Is seldom acknowledged. On the con-
trary the fiction Of non-interference is
maintained.
Contradiction Seen.
Intervention cannot be mentioned In
Washington. for Washington would de-
clare there was no such thing Exam
pies of this attitude are present in the
memories OF all Of us. For instance the
Dawes plan, prepared by an American
and the Young plan. prepared and per-
fected by an American. But official
representatives of the United States
have never admitted that the Dawes
plan or the Young plan committed their
country in any way whatsoever. When
America settled directly with Germany
the payments that were due her it was
! arranged that these payments would not
be made through the international bank
created to carry out the Young plan
1t seems like an equivocation, but can
be explained If We recall that American
public opinion would show tremendous
hostility to anything that looked like an
avowed policy of Intervention or OF
solidarity. America thus remains iso-
lated politically and morally at the very
hour when her citizens are overrunning
the world by the tens Of thousands and
are seen everywhere.
To tell the truth. one Of the reasons
for the lack of solidarity between the
United States and other peoples is that
Americans are on another level of mate
rial comfort. To maintain this level all
the barriers that an ingenious policy
could invent have been elevated-cus-
toms barriers and barriers against i'm
migration. 1t is a question of prevent
ing the standard of living of the most
privileged country in the world from
being debased by competition, or even
by contact, with poorer and smaller
nations. And right here, believe, Is
the principal source of misunderstand-
ing which manifests itself so painfully
between the old and the new continents
In our private lives does not experience
teach us that rich and poor. even the
rich and those in modest circumstances
do not actually understand each other?
This is the kind of barrier which con-
stitutes the gravest moral obstacle be.
tween the American people and the rest
of the world.
Elevated by circumstances to a de-
gree of unheard-of riches lin spite of
temporary depressions). America has
more or less lost her sense Of interna-
tional reciprocity
Halls New Age.
American influence cannot be uues-
toned. It is manifest everywhere But
what is the range of its influence? At
first sight 1t looks as II America in her
international relations Is simply de-
Tending her own interests, like all other
people. But in looking closer 1t is seen
that she brings with her a new concep-
ton of life. In a word. an American
civilization Is rising and threatens to
tempted to say that there is now an
American age" following a European