Kansas City daily journal., 1897-02-08
Tint Anti-EnglIsh Sentiment.

| Tint Anti-EnEllsh Sentiment.
| To the Editor of the Journal.
| There is n disposition among n certain
| class of politicians to rail at England as
| though the American people had some
| great British question to contend with. 1t
! is, in some quarters. popular to encourage
| an anti-Englsh sentiment. 1t is accepted
| for argument against any policy if it hap
| pens to please England The gold standard
| is an English policy-a bowling down 10
England. Free trade is tried by the same
! illogical process. The man who makes up
| his mind on the money or tariff question
| by this narrow, anti-English view, has pre-
| clOuS little ground to stand on. England is
| a manufacturing and commercial nation,
| that looks abroad for markets; free trade,
free markets is the policy that suits this
| condition, While it may be true that free
| trade for English goods may antagoniZe
American manufacturing interests. still an
| argument against free trade based on this
| alone will leave the economist in about the
! position OF the apologtSt in religion Speak
| ing generality who demands that the phi
| losopher not dispose of the God of popular
conception till he create better instead
These questions must stand or fall upon
their own merits, considered in their COM
pleteness. The idea that Intelligent men
foundly influenced by Il mere anti-EngliSh
sentiment, taking all things into account,
is far from complimentary.
However, 1t cannot be denied that there
is a very considerable anti-Englsh senti-
ment in this country. Many minds are
warped by it. 1t is the outgrowth of the
past, irritated by a few obsequious, imitat-
ing Anglo-maniacs at home. That there
should be some feeling against England is
not wholly surprising. we cannot, per-
haps ought not, entirely forget the past
But that this feeling, at this late day,
should have anything material to do in
shaping our policies, economic or other
wise, ought not to be a question. During
the recent campaign we We're treated to
quite a good deal about the English gold
standard policy. That this should have
been seriously taken as an argument ought
to be a matter for apology. That it had
considerable weight may well be believed,
and purely from prejudice not reason.
From jefferson to Bryan the anti-English
sentiment has served a more or less prom
inent part in politics in this nation. Demo-
Gratis and Republicans have ayailed them
selves of it. And now it is Il PopulSt bug
a-boo. There are men-not an inconsider-
able number, either-who would welcome
war with England, that this feeling should
have full sway, and that the American peo-
Pile have an opportunity to fog old En-
gland. While there is no likelihood that
such a contingency will ever take place:
while to- plunge the two English speaking
people into war would be an unthinkable
and cruel folly, there are those who would
take almost any preteXt to bring this
about. 1t will never happen, let us hope,
but this feeling is not utterly insignificant
nor unimportant.
This anti-English sentiment, when closely
examined, has little real justification. We
Quarreled and fought in times past. But
the England of George III. is far behind
the England of the closing years of Vic
toria. outside the United States England Is
the greatest and freest of the great ma
tions of the earth (FranceO English lit
erature and English institutions are un-
rivaled. The United States will be un-
QueStionably the greatest nation on earth
for years to come. We have nothing to
fear, even from the rivalry of England.
Our future is secure, if we but half way
prove ourselves capable to discharge the
duties of free citizenship. We have no rea-
son to be envioLs or jealous of England.
and little real just complaint to make of
English policies. The past we may not
entirely forget, but there is nothing to pre-
vent our living on terms OF peace with our
ancient enemy.
Besides we owe something TO England.
This Is the only nation of Europe TO de-
velop separate system of jurisprudence.
Rome conquered the world, but was in
ans Vanquished? The Roman civil law
was not vanquished. In every nation of
Europe the civil law is the basis of juris-
prudence except England. The English jur-
isprudence is the common law. Our juris-
prudence is based upon the English COM
mon law. No American student can neg
lect Blackstone, commentary upon the
English common law by an English author.
Every library is filled with English books
by Englishmen. Shakespeare, Milton, By
ron and Tennyson; Scott, Thackeray and
Dickens; Bacon, Darwin and Spencer. Why
multiply names? English literature by En-
glish authors has most materially shaped
neglect American literature but we are
not old enough to point to those classic
gems that England can. But she has had
at least four active centuries of literary
production to our one. In this We have no
reason for jealousy or discouragement-
rather for congratulation. The fact is, we
are after all, first cousins to the English.
Our troubles in the past were simply fam
lily quarrelS.
We may not avoid the fact if we would
that the American people are type of
Englishman. Varied by circumstances,
modified by education, but generically En-
glish. The external differences in language
custom and manners are nothing more rad
ical than mere provincialisms. This may
not be a pleasant contemplation for the
English-hater. but this conclusion cannot
be escaped Surely, then, in the absence
of special reason, our antipathy should
have no deep foundation. The English
speaking people of the earth are not only
dominant, but destined to become more and
more so. Cheap appeals to prejudice to
keep alive an anti-English sentiment should
-will-become less and less effective. Pol
icies that have proved beneficial to En-
gland, other things being equal, should
rather be initiated than despised The anti
English sentiment should have a higher
reason for existence than prejudice and
hatred. Americans should be above such
considerations. b. l.. KEENAN,.
Wichita KaS Feb. g.