The San Francisco call., 1895-12-20
AN UNAVOIDABLE CONFLICT,

Sir Charles Dixie, one of the shrewdest
and most outspoken of English states
men, has laid his finger on the sore which
has been produced by constant friction be-
tween England and the United States.
While he does not think that the pending
controversy will lead to war, for the rea-
son that both countries, in order to avert
such catastrophe, will mutually make
such concessions as will preserve peace for
the present, the radical d ifferences of
their fiscal policies will serve to widen the
gulf which separates them. The inference
from the guarded remarks to which he has
given utterance is that war must come
sooner or later.
He has furnished the key to the whole
controversy. Whatever Importance the
fact may have that Americans and Eng
lishmen sprang from a common source
and speak the same language, differences
have arisen which overweight that in
fuence and give it fictitious value.
England is monarchy the United States
q republic. The very establishment of our
independence was remuneration of the
principle upon which England fourishes.
The mutual antagonism lies at the root of
all that distinguishes the two nations one
from the other. Were it not for the acci-
dent of common ancestry and language
we would have accepted as challenge to
war various acts OF England since the
Revolution, notably the covert aid and
sympathy which it extended to the losing
element in our civil war. To this day that
is construed by Americans as an attempt
to disintegrate or destroy the government
which we had to fight England to estab-
lish.
1t is an irIeconcilabie conflict. Every
element of England's policy is antagon-
istic to the American spirit. England
seeks always to extend its empire by op-
preston of the weak; America is the pro-
tector of the helpless and oppressed. Eng
land promotes free-trade policy which
deprives her poorer subjects of hope;
America believes in extending to its OBJ
scurest citizen an opportunity to take rank
with the strongest and richest in the land.
Englishmen who settle in America and
t hrive on this opportunity generally hold
themselves aloof from our institutions, re-
fuse to become American citizens and are
proud to retain allegiance to their Queen.
In this respect they are different from all
tage of the opportunities which our Gov
ernment offers. To what extent very
considerable part of our people have con-
tributed to making England believe that
we regard its customs and institutions as
being superior to ours is not subject for
discussion here, as in the onward-reaching
flood of American patriotism 1t will be ut
terly overwhelmed.
The patriotism which the English,
wherever they are, display for their own
country is an example by which Americans
have the intelligence to profit. When
Americans become as loyal to their own
country as the English are to theirs we
shall have raised our standard of National
pride. There is nothing so useful as war
to rouse patriotism, suppress mean ten
dencies in politics. obliterate sectional
jealousies and antagonisms, compel a reli-
ance on native resources and create a grand
cementing of all the forces which give a
people individuality and open their eyes to
the resources which lie within them.
Sir Charles Dixie is not alone in realizing
that conflict between the United States
and England, which would produce these
results is inevitable.