1936-07-04 — Page 10

CHINA MAIL, HONG KONG, SATURDAY JULY 4, 1936

U.S. HISTORY INFLUENCED BY WARS IN EUROPE For Your Sake...

HARD STRUGGLES IN

DEVELOPMENT

NEW EMPIRE THEORIES PROPOUNDED

NATIVE CULTURE EMBROILED

BY WORLD POWERS

American relations

this point had much influence

In point of fact, easily accepted. fas the theory khs been, I do not (find any expression in American. public opinion of the day to war- rant the belief that the explusion of France had anything to do with the subsequent war with England.

America had for other reasons been becoming more self-conscious and sure of herself. As early as 1770 Governor Nicholson of Vir ginia had noted that the country |was then mostly, populated by [colonial bor, and that the peo- Whave a

DURING the colonial period, always involved their nationals in ple were beginning to

European nations

conquer

the

Mr. T. E. Wilson, Manager of the local office of the Dollar Line and American Mail Line of steamships.

operations of the Seven Years War, which ended, as far 25 America was concerned, in 1760. As always happens, in a war, s {good many new fortunes had been! built up. Privateering frequent- ly proved exceedingly profitable, and the great prizes brought in encouraged speculation. Army |contracts'- such, for example, as Jone of 2,000,000 poznds of beef and $2,000,000 pounds of bread among other supplies lined the pockets of the contractors, who always "emerge rich from such troubled periods. Business of all sorts had come to be conducted on a much larger scale, and we America in the strife. What we call the French and Indian War,ort of aversion to others, calling

can clearly trace the growing con- which ended in 1763, was merely the American phase of the them strangers." During the next

nection between business lead- Seven Years' War abroad. When peace was made by the Treaty decade, the united efforts of Eng-

jers and subservient or participat- of Paris, France ceded to England all of her American territoris and colonials to

which the English

ing legislatures, even one so close east of the Mississippi River, except the town of New Orleans, Canada, in

to the people as Connecticut. which, with whatever rights she possessed west of the Mississippi, showed up very badly, gave

coloniais a very good opinion of she transferred to Spain on the same day.

ence as business affairs became Thus, England came into possession of the entire North themselves in contrast; as did al-were used to governing themsel-Lawyers were rising into promin- larger and more complex, and they American continent up to the Arctic and east of the great river. so the mismanaged Cartagena er-

Indeed, it has been said that The Spaniards were not idle, however, and were soon pushing up pedition in 1741, in which "more the Pacific Coast, founding the city of San Francisco almost at than 35,000 colonial troops took England's chief blunder was in not also began to appear in legisla the very moment when English and colonials were slaughtering part, and the capture of Louis recognising a nation when she sawi

For a while the farming and each other on the slopes of Bunker's Hill. Nations seldom if burg by the New Englanders in one. It must be said, however, ever pass through great conflicts without some change in outlook:11745. The Seven Years' War had that the Americans themselves did labouring classes had a share in and the Seven Years' War, following immediately on the War of begun without formal declaration, not, in fact, see "a nation." They the war-time prosperity, the far- 4,000 were merely Virginians or Penr-mer had got war-time prices and the Austrian Succession, had been one involving almost every and in the beginning over great State in Europe England, France, Spain, Austria, Russia, of the 5,000 troops engaged in sylvaians, or New Englanders, the labourers wages had risen Sweden and the various ones now included in Germany. It was America were colonials, although who came to feel certain grievan-rapidly as the scarcity of labour number ces which they undertook to re-had increased and foods of paper almost a "world war,” involving European and Americaħ civilisa- later the overwhelming

were British, Wolfe having only sist. There was no nation on the money had worked their usual in- It left. Europe with altered ideas, new fears, and an unstable 200 colonials among his 8.500 re. horizon, then-merely 2,000,000 fiation. balance, much as did the last great war.

gulars at Quebec, and Amberst sturdy, prosperous people scatter-broke, all of these classes suffer-

Taxes The ed under 13 different Gover-ed severely. only 100 among his 11,000.

ments, in each of which, în in-rapidly with the debts contracted disastrous Braddock campaign,

with by the several colonies. The cur- however, had left an indelible im-numerable local conflicts

their governors, the colonials had rency became heavily depreciated usually been allowed to gain their and general business · fell of jown way in the end, a way which sharply. The price of farm pro- The question of relative Anglo-they had become incurably sure duce crashed. Many of the lab, American strengths of of the pre-of having. sence

tion.

One of the changes in ideas, not|000 Indians on it hostile to the clearly perceived by all, was an new regime, needed governing alteration in the theory of em- There were also 85,000 conquer (pression. pire. Hitherto all nations hadled French, of whom 22,000 pro- looked upon their colonial pos-bably were capable of bearing sessions

France herself, defeated sources of rawlarms. materials gold, furs, sugar, to-out not broken, was known to be bacco, or what not-and as con-hungering for revenge when the sumers of the manufactured goods chance might come.. made in the old countries. The theory was almost exactly that of

as

a great modern trust that tries

Indian Problems

The colonies had always shown to combine all branches of busi themselves jealous of each other ness from raw materials to anal and unable to unite in any war sale in its own organisation. For against a common foe or in any some time, however, European general Indian policy. In the nations had been drifting into the previous war England had had to roles of world Powers.

send nearly 20,000 troops to Vaguely, but actually, a new America to help the colonies feeling of imperialism was com-against the French. Quite apart ing into being It was long de-from the desire to

govern the sant bated in both the English Cabinet empire from the centre, no and the public press whether Government could have turned England should demand of France over the problems of defence and her rich West Indian islands or Indian policy in the new domain Canada as one of the spoils of vic-to the 13 separate colonies to tory. The sugar islands fitted handle with their own resources. into the old mercantile theory of The colonists had never managed what the empire should be. Pos- the Indians well and usually session of Canada belonged to the managed to incur their hatred, new imperialism. The die was with the exception of the Iroquois, cast for the latter. A profound If, according to the old theory of change, little recognised, had come empire, the fur trade must be into Anglo-American relations.

Colonies' Roles

made to yield its raw material, so, according to the new, must this acquisition of a half continent be Under the old system, the whole held and policed. The French, fabric of colonial administration though now subjects, could not be had beer organised for the pur-counted as loyal, and almost the pose of seeing that the colonies entire population of savages were remained in their appointed roles under their influence.

10,000 many

in the imperial structure, as pro-

Imperialism Costly ducers of raw materials and con-] It was calculated that sumers of manufactured goods. troops would be none too Most of the laws passed in Eng-to police the new realm. It was ob- land had had this for their pur-{vious that the colonies would not, pose. Although objected to now{raise any such number or pay and then, in specific cases, they them if they did. The" new im- were accepted by the colonists, perialism was going to cost a lot who had no aversion to the system of money,

itself, but only to certain mani- It was also evident that the re- festations of it when they were placement of the French by Eng- galled too severely on a sore spot lish rule in the newly acquired England had had no occasion to territory would be of great even- spend much money on her colonies frual benefit to the colonies. al-

or, except in the normal course of ready bordering on it It was colonial trade, tó draw any from again evident that the English them. In the beginning they had debt was colossal as the result of been largely business ventures. the long struggle, and that if the The English colonies had most-jempire were going to prove cost- ly planted themselves. They had ly beyond the ability of England fought their own local fights with to carry alone, the colonies, who the Indians on their frontiers shared the benefits, should share They had settled little by little to some extent the costs. The land which their numbers could members of the successive British hold against the local foe-savage, Governments of the next few years French, or Spaniard.

were none too clever, but these {ideas gradually began to take root Now, however, all was altered in their winds, mixed with the old, international relations had gone feeling that the colonies existed a long way towards modern con- chiady for the benefit of the Moth- ditions since the time when er Country and owed obedience English buccaneers could ander- to herë

Changes Wrought

take almost single-handed to Break Forecast "singe the beard" of the King of At the time the treaty was sign Spain; while the English monarhijed in Paris in 1763, French diplo- Jooked on complacently, ready to mats predicted, as occasional for- share plunder if all went well, orjeign observers like the Swede to gaol or behead the offender if Kalm had before, that, the French "the case got too hot.

įmenace having been removed from The modern State and modern the colonial frontier, the colonists înternational relations were fast would have no more need to rely emerging. England had gained (upon England and would quarrel by war a territory encircling the with her whenever it suited their original colonies." "This enormous convenience. Although this view expanse of Canada and the Min has been adopted by many Ameri- sissippi. Valley, with perhaps 200, can historians, I do not think that

Relative Strengths-

or absence of the French had little to do, nevertheless, with

res.

War Profiteering

tures.

But when the babble

had risen

ourers and farmers had to aban- don their homes. There was. 籍 severe decline in the price of farm

the conflict now looming. except. Except for sections on the fron-Land in the old settlements, many in so far as the Americans had tier which suffered from Indian foreclosures of mortgages, and

not been lawsuits for ¿debts, which -wiped) Town more conscious of being afraids, the colonies had people who had rights and wholthe seat of any of the military out all equities.

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