Chapter 184 Theodore Roosevelt
With the strength of the United Company, it is not capable of transporting tens of thousands of people to Asia, even if it engages in international labor trade for a long time. It is possible to transport armed forces to Cuba, which is just around the corner. Only the federal government has the ability to transport large-scale troops thousands of miles away.
Sheffield was walking in the port of Houston, and as expected, he was followed by a long line of people. The person accompanying him was Senator Mark Hanna, who was on vacation. There were several huge warships parked in the port, one of which was quite eye-catching, standing out from the crowd.
"What a beautiful warship! It's dazzling! Only a country with a strong industry can build such a warship." Sheffield seemed to be in a good mood when he saw the warship docked at the dock. He turned to Mark Hanna and said, "Only a strong country can own such a warship."
To be fair, these warships are not beautiful. The messy layout is a common problem of warships in this era, especially since the industrial level of the United States is far inferior to that of European countries. They look very rough. However, there is a huge gap between having them and not having them. It is better to build them by yourself than to buy them.
"One ship costs nearly three million dollars. It is naturally the pride of the United States. Would you like to go up and take a look, William?" Mark Hanna suggested with interest.
"I'm just a businessman. It's not a good idea for me to board the warship directly?" Sheffield refused with a little reserve. Of course, this was just a superficial project. He himself didn't think there was anything wrong with it. He was the master of the United States and was completely different from those ordinary people.
"What's wrong with that? William, you are also a legal citizen of the United States!" Mark Hannah saw through Sheffield's hypocrisy at a glance. What do you mean by breaking the rules? He himself went from being a banker to a senator and a close friend of the president. Wasn't he speculated by some newspapers that he had already broken the rules. The rules of nature are just traps to constrain ordinary citizens. For people who have reached a certain level, rules and constraints do not exist, at least not in some things.
Sheffield nodded in approval, and he admired the senator's tact. William Bryan's defeat was not unfair. Although he was close to the grassroots citizens and had the support of many farmers in the Midwest, he was still not strong enough to shake the real masters of the United States from the grassroots.
With the guidance of this senator and the biggest local boss in Texas, it is actually not that difficult to board this battleship. There are no rules at all.
"Our navy is growing stronger every day!" Mark Hannah said proudly. Since the emergence of Mahan's Sea Power Theory, it has influenced a large number of politicians and military personnel. It is not surprising that Mark Hannah was affected.
"I am also proud of this." Sheffield's heart moved, and he asked irrelevantly, "Who is the head of the navy now?"
Since the Republicans came to power, Sheffield really hasn't paid much attention to such issues. If he didn't think he should have a share of the war, if it were peacetime, he might never have had any interest in the White House, let alone caring about the navy.
"The current Secretary of the Navy is John Long!" Mark Hannah said a name that was very unfamiliar to Sheffield, but the next thing he said made people think about it. "However, John Long is in poor health and cannot bear too much work. Theodore Roosevelt is generally in charge of the Navy."
Old Roosevelt? This name made Sheffield respectful. The United States had presidents who came from the same family, such as the Adams family and the later Bush family. However, the Adams family was a bit old and had become an important part of the First Bank of Boston. The Bush family was not as valuable.
The Roosevelt family is definitely one of the two family members that has two generations of powerful presidents. Both Roosevelt and his brother are very high on the presidential rankings. Now the navy is under the influence of Roosevelt. If they want to transport Chinese workers to Asia, they need to seek help from the controller of the navy.
Roosevelt's two uncles had served in the Union Navy during the Civil War. Roosevelt later met U.S. Navy Captain Mahan, who studied the relationship between sea power and the rise and fall of great powers. The idea of sea power supremacy profoundly influenced the leaders of various countries at the time and strengthened Roosevelt's belief that only by rapidly expanding naval power could they be on an equal footing with European powers. President William McKinley appointed him as Undersecretary of the Navy.
Having already made up his mind to discuss this matter, Sheffield and Mark Hannah began to tour the warship. The news of many guests on board soon attracted the captain of the warship. Facing such important guests, the captain did not show any rejection and said happily, "Welcome our distinguished guests aboard the battleship Maine. This is the pride of our United States. After replenishing supplies in Houston, we will go to Havana to evacuate the United States expatriates in Cuba. I believe this will be a pleasant and exciting journey..."
The USS Maine? Going to Havana? Sheffield's body stiffened suddenly, and he looked at Mark Hannah. Was this bastard bribed by the DuPont Consortium? He wanted to drag himself down with him, so he forced a smile and said, "That's really disturbing. It's my fault for delaying the Navy's actions. How about this, I'll go down right away, I just happen to have something else to do."
After saying hello, Sheffield hurriedly walked off the battleship without caring about Mark Hanna's reaction, as if the battleship behind him would explode at any time.
Before meeting Theodore Roosevelt, Sheffield was still thinking about whether he should bring some gifts to enhance their mutual friendship. However, when he thought that Theodore Roosevelt himself came from a wealthy family and should not be short of money, and that talking about political ambitions was far more useful than financial dealings, he happily decided not to bring anything.
Before that, he also found an intermediary to contact Theodore Roosevelt. This person was Secretary of State Olney during the Venezuelan crisis. This had to be said about the limitations of the United Company's social network. The political connections were all Democrats. It was impossible to directly contact the previous president, so an intermediary with the right identity was needed. Olney fell into the sight and was considered a very suitable candidate.
"So you are a famous young scholar and entrepreneur. Hello, Mr. William." Although Theodore Roosevelt greeted Sheffield politely, he was not impressed by this young man who was less than 20 years old. He knew that this man was worth more than 30 million, but he did it all on the basis of a joint company, so he could not help but look down on him.
If you have a better family background, you will suffer these troubles. Unless you create wealth far exceeding your previous accumulation, you will be inferior to others. If you can choose, let Sheffield choose again, he would still like to be born in such a family...
"Good or bad, it's all illusion. Every day is the same to me. Hello, the de facto Secretary of the Navy!" Sheffield stretched out his hand and shook it with Theodore Roosevelt. After sitting down, he spoke directly, "I am a straightforward person. The warmongering sentiment of the citizens in the country is getting higher and higher. It is estimated that it will not be long before we go to war with Spain. I just don't know if Mr. Roosevelt is someone who can follow the will of the people. I have an idea and I hope the Minister can help me."
"Mr. William, war is not a small matter, and going to war with a European country is very risky. Spain is a veteran empire, and..." Theodore Roosevelt organized his words and said, "Some people are afraid that the British Empire will interfere, or that other countries will come out to make trouble. Although I don't necessarily think so, in the face of war, I can't say that other people's considerations are wrong."
"Mr. Roosevelt is a smart man. Others who are afraid of British intervention are fools. They have never even left the country and have no international perspective at all." Sheffield leaned back lazily in his chair and stretched out his hand, saying, "What is international perspective? It means that one should have basic international common sense. Now Britain's eyes are on South Africa."
"Even if Britain wasn't busy, and we were at war with Spain, why would Britain stand on the side when the Spanish wanted to fight us? The United States, like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, share the same culture with Britain, and blood is thicker than water. Would Britain stand on the enemy side because the United States was at war with a Latin-speaking country?"
Even though Britain and the United States have fought wars and Canada helped Britain burn down the White House, when it comes to hegemonic interests, countries with the same origin will still tacitly unite to deal with all external threats. When it comes to uniting with their own people to suppress other civilizations, there is really no one who has a better sense of the overall situation than the Anglo-Saxons.
Although the United States usurped the leadership of the United Kingdom, it also followed the interests of the Five Eyes Alliance. The levels of the allies are clearly divided. Japan has fought a real war and an economic war, and has a very good understanding of the Five Eyes Alliance. Many Japanese scholars believe that the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand are essentially one country. When the United States cannot cope with the threat alone, the greater the threat, the higher the integration of the Five Eyes Alliance.
The Five Eyes Alliance includes Canada, the second largest country in the world, the United States, the fourth largest, and Australia, the sixth largest. The combined territory is close to 30 million square kilometers, and the resources are fully capable of dealing with any threat. Therefore, the United States will never stand on the side of Germany in a world war. The largest single ethnic group in the country is German, and there are also Irish immigrants who have a grudge against Britain, which is no less than the number of British immigrants.
Following Sheffield's words, Theodore Roosevelt gradually put aside his contempt for this rich second generation and said softly, "So even if there is a war, it will only be a war between the United States and Spain."
"The United States can even get the understanding and diplomatic support of the British, but this is the Secretary of State's business. The British in South Africa need the same support." Sheffield glanced at Theodore Roosevelt, "Exchange the war in Spain for support for the South African War."
(End of this chapter)
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