America’s New Imperial Policy
THE strange and significant change in the position of the United States among the world powers since its recent adoption of an imperial policy, is shown in the following remarkable statement given out in St. Petersburg, March 9, to representatives of that well-known American news agency, the Associated Press:— Were it not for a single unknown quantity, the European situation at present would be as perfect as possible. For the avoidance of one thing every chancellery in Europe has been straining every nerve; namely, to prevent the entanglement of an outside power in this war. The unknown quantity is your State Department. The situation following the outbreak of hostilities was exceedingly delicate, and surcharged with dangerous possibilities to the peace of the world, and the level-headed statesmen of Europe instantly co-operated to make a general catastrophe impossible, when, almost at the inception, Secretary Hay’s circular note for the neutralization of China almost ditched them. But, happily, he did not press it to a point where differences were sure to have arisen, and, as it turned out, owing to the length to which the powers gave adhesion to its principles, it really contributed to the trend which all desired. The note might have proved disastrous did not the present moment find all Europe practically in accord as to what should be done. The only place where uncertainty exists is Washington. American diplomacy in these later days is so aggressive, so startlingly sudden in the way it poses propositions to the remainder of the world, that we have not time to prepare for the shock. It is a veritable nightmare to Europe. The present situation is like an algebraic problem—every quantity of the equation is known except one, and that one is Mr. Hay. He represents “X.” If we knew what he stood for, or what he intended to do, the solution would be easy.