Evening star., 1951-01-02
The Political Mil
Perry in 1856 Predicted
Cossock, Soxon Clash
Tinkhom, 1S Months Ago,
Sow Pressure by Russia
The Political Mil
By Gould Lincoln

While the American people, President
Truman and Congress are discussing the
proper course in the light Of the world
situation-whether this country should
prepare for the defense of the anti
Communist nations everywhere or for
the defense of the Western Hemisphere
it is of interest to consider two proph-
ecies, one made almost 95 years ago
and the other 18 months before Korea.
The first came from Commodore M
c. Perry, U. S. N, who in 1852 was sent
by President Fillmore with a squadron
of naval ships to Japan. His mission
was to induce the japanese to enter
into relations with the nations OF the
West. Perry spent more than year in
Asiatic waters He succeeded in per-
suading Japan to enter into a treaty
with the United States to admit all
American consul His flagship was the
Mississippi, the first United States steam
vessel to circumnavigate the globe.
Speech in March, 1856.
Two years later, in March, 1856. Com
modore Perry demonstrated he was not
only an able officer of the United States
Navy but also had a keen grasp Of the
history of the world and its trends.
Speaking before an American geograph-
ical society, he said:
"It requires no sage to predict events
so strongly foreshadowed to us all. Still
westward will the course of empire take
it's way. But the last act OF the drama
Is still to be unfolded, and nothwith-
standing the reasoning of political EN-.
pires. westward, northward and south
ward, to me it seems that the people OF
America will, in some form or other,
extend their dominion and their power
until they shall have brought within
their mighty embrace multitudes OF the
islands of the great Pacific. and placed
the Saxon race upon the eastern shores
of Asia.
"And I think, too, that eastward and
southwark will her great rival in future
aggrandizement Russia) stretch forth
her power to the coasts of China and
Siam; and thus the Saxon and Cossack
will meet once more, in strife or IN
friendship, or on another field.
will it be in friendship? I fear not.
The antagonistic exponentS OF freedom
and absolutism must thus meet at last,
and then will be fought that battle on
which the world will look with breathless
interest; for on its issue will depend
the freedom or slavery of the world
despotism or rational liberty must be
the fate of civilized man. think I see
in the distance the giants that are grow
ing up for that fierce and final encoun-
ter; in the progress Of events that battle
must sooner or later inevitably be
fought"
Perry did not visualize the Russia of
today--under another form of despotism.
He did, however, foresee the aggrandize-
ment of that country and he fore
shadowed unerringly the conflict which
would arise between despotism which
makes the state all powerful and the
individual a slave and the aspirations
of the individual for freedom and self
government. If in recent years the
leaders of America had had even the
tenth part of the vision of this long
dead American naval officer, if they
had been able to look into the future
even for few years, the world picture
today might have been vastly different.
Tinkham's Prophecy.
The second prophecy goes equally to
the immediate future and is quite real
istic. 1t was made by veteran observer
of international affairS-former Repre-
sentative George Holden Tinkham Of
Massachusetts,, Republican member Of
tIIC I1ONeC 1O1 qudI ICl VI O CCuGulys
who has crossed the ocean to Europe
and to Asia and to Africa upwards Of
80 times, and despite his 80 years is
still keen observer Writing to friend
in Buenos Aires year and a half before
the Communist invasion of South Korea,
Mr.. Tinkham said:
Il have come to the view that as long
as the political powers in Russia believe
that they are growing stronger and We
weaker, they will not make war but will
Try to economically exhaust us. However,
if they come to the conclusion that they
are growing weaker and we stronger,
they will make war;
Obviously we are on our way to be-
coming stronger militarily, but we must
be on our guard not to become eco
nomically exhausted. That, too, can be
achieved. Such being the case, war has
all the appearance of being inevitable.
unless, indeed. leadership arises which
can and will turn the world away from
that fierce and final encounter" pre-
dicted so long ago by Commodore Perry.
The United Nations was conceived to that
purpose. 1t may yet be strengthened
to provide that great and final service.