New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-01-20
ENGLAND AND AMERICA.

IN MAKE THE SUG0ESIlON-hio
IN UNEMPLOYMENT OF LONDON JOURNALS.
,-,ov TIM REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or TIM rRIBUsE-l
IospoN. Jan. s-Mr Forsters speech at the
Union League Club has naturally attracted much
attention in England. 1t was reprinted in most OF
the papers and commented on, for the most part
fayorably. We may fairly rejoice that II was IL
was O very bold thing In Mr.. Forster to talk OF an
alliance between England and the United states.
There was time when such suggestion "ouiu
haye found few voices on this side TO approve IL.
So late as the Geneva Arbitration ft wouid
have bad cold welcome Anu o'eD
at this day Its reception might have oecn NV
doubtful had 1t como from man hoiuins e"o
ulaee in the public MUD Hero Is where inc 'aiuo
:, t,o, rO.rtot;nn for being practical, which MIR.
Forster himself referred to. may 90 seem leope
A. M axnec. sentimental views from him. Ihey
- ha takes no rhetorical flights. They don't
80, snsnect him OF having been carried away by
tbe influence surrounding him, either at the moment
~ bis speech or during his three months tour IN
America can imagine that if MIR. Bright, for ex-
ample. had brought forward such proposition, the
old canor against that great and sagacious states
men would have been raised again. Mr. Bright mas
been practical politician. too but it was his fate TO
busy himself with the questions OF day
after tomorrow. When that day came
he Yves seen to be practical. and what he had been
Parliament. which are among the most pracnca
things known Mr. Forster capable as he has shown
himself of taking large views has generally been
content with urging those things which could De
done TODAY or al most the day after; and While ne
saw clearly what must be dOnO the day alter thst'
was not in a hurry to convince Others OF IT, NOV"
certain degree of shortsghtedness is pleasing TO the
English people. They do not wish to be called upoI
any more than other peoples-to make the mentai
effort involved in the conception OF the pos
sible arrival of the day after TOMORROW. SUI
cient unto the day is the evil thereOf-aDd the good
thereof--is their motto. SO they like statesman
Of Mr. Porsters mold, who. though himself far
sighted does not insist ON other peoples being So
And his reputation with the general public is 80 sub
stantiaI that project in itself remote is looked
upon as probable aud practical simply because it is
advocated by Mr. Forster. do not know whether
any other Englishman of equal position with Dr.
Forster would have said anything about an alliance
between his own country and ours. am sure no one
else could have done so much TO promote 1t by
single speech. The bias Of the nation" says En-
erson is passion for utility" Now they are Ger
tain that Mr. Forster has discovered some utility IN
the scheme Of an ADgo-American alliance, and they
will presently set themselves to take advantage
Of it.
1t does not follow that they accept the idea
heartily Nothing new is caught up here in haste.
There are it Is probable few races in whom the
process of digcs ing a new idea is longer. new
thing is looked doUbtfully simply because 1t 10
new, rot hopefully, as with us, simply because it is
new. am not sure but there IL something to be
said for this slowness. 1t implies, at any rate,
rare degree of cOntentment with things as they are
and the steadfastness of an Englishman perhaps
profits HIN in the long much as the nlmDler
disposition of the American. However the tone Of
IL nI1xrf 1taar-
full The Times which is about tho most English OF
all English things accepts pretty freely the idea on
which Mr. Forsvs proposal is based, if not the pro-
posa itself Before the war, it remarks such an
alliance was npractleabe. Slavery stood IN the
way of it; obstacle the wisest statesman could
not have o yercome Bat " the course of events has
now made matters smoother, and the AnGlo-Saxon
race on both sides of the Atlantic has been formed
into commonwealth on the common principle, IN
spite Of different names, Of government OF the
people by the people, and for the people" Need l
say what comes next Z Establish Free Trade, land
all the rest, il may be hoped, will follow in due
course" though the signs of its approach are not
vet very clearly marked" The succeeding sentence
il one with whch-thOugh we may confess 10 a
pleasurable surprise at finding it in The Wmes-we
shall all | hope agree. "What we are quite sure of
is that England and the United States are far more
fayorably disposed TO one another than they are
often willing to profess themselves" And again.
Whatever foolish language may be sometimes used on
her side OF the Atlantic. II seldom fails that nearer
acQusin Quite sufficient to dssiPate al hostile
asotheS the more do they like another, individually
and collectively we'll We NAV Keep our own OPINION
Of the "suliime humiliation" Of England at Geneva
Iut We shall feel none the less that between En-
gland and the United states would be simple outrage
On humantty aud that Mr. Forster has been guilty Of
no exaggeration in speaking OF it's probable results as
the greatest of all evils to both parties IN tho struggle
You understand rightly that Mr.. Forster spoke
simply as private individual, but the concluding
sentence of The Times is additional proof that
no did not speak without some authority. We
could have chosen 10 Que better fitted than MI
Forster to be the bearer both ways o. a friendly
message, OF more entitled to be listened to with re-
spect when he deli ers it," The Deity hecS comment
is rather more cautious:
In this sort Of essential likeness between the political
constitution OF tne one country "n4 tnat OF tno 0'her
the nations 20 which Mr. Forster rather hap
cal although urwritten and uncOycnanted, alliance be-
tween England aud America
The Daily Telegraph assures Mr.. Forster that the
speech which he delivered at NewYOrk upon Mon
day. the 14th, will be cordially approved
and welcomed by right-minded men upon
both SIDES of the Atlantic for it will be weighed
and sorutnized not for the fire or polish of its ex-
pressions 30 much for the honesty and sOundness
of its sentiments"
Still more explicitly that journal declares that
Mr.. Forster was only setting forth the common
sentiment Of the most intelligent among his own
countrymen when be avowed his conviction that
England and the United States are substantially
one nation
OF the difficulties in the way Of such scheme-so
Gar as tits practical" soheme-thOse which most
impress old friend The Spectator do not spring up
on this side We do NOT think that evan now tbouob