The daily morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1883-1899, 1897-06-20
ENGLAND AND AMER1cA.


With certain class OF people in this
country there seems TO be nothing Sd
pleasant as the prospect Of trouble with
England They are small people, 1t Is
Crue and densely ignorant as a rule, out
as politicians and newspaper men they
are. for their size. remarkably noisy peo-
pie. The prospect of any trouble in Eng
land delights them. The appearance OF
any humiliation for England enchan,s
them; and If their words convey their
meaning, war between this country and
England. for any cause. or none at all
would confer upon them the most supreme
felicity.
Much OF this is mere buster. indulged
because it is felt TO De mere bluster. and
because there is not the slightest prospect
OF It's becoming anything else. 1t IS in
dulged. where the writer or speaker has
any sense or intelligence. for the sake OF
the Irish. or some other equally discrim-
mating vote.
There is sometimes, on the other side
Of the water. the same sort of exhibition
OF ignorance, prejudice. and empty brag
against this country. 1t nnds its way
into speech and print, where It grieves
all sober people, and. as far as 1t goes,
is fit to compare with its echo on this
side
How much this silly clatter en- both
sides Of the water complcates the settle
ment OF any diplomatic difficulty between
the countries has been evidenced many
times. The noise is so loud that each
country sometimes takes It to express
the sober conviction OF the other A
'buneomb" speech in congress. a trucu-
lent article in the "Eroad Axe OF Liberty"
are taken as expressing the sentiments
Of the American people Some equally
insane performance on the other side. in
the way Of speech or writing. is supposed
10 express the deliberate conviction OF the
governing classes" as we call them. Of
England about America
Toward no country except England do
American writers and speakers, o. o GER Z
tain calibre, express themselves so reck-
lessly, impudently. and truculently, anJ /
toward no people except the American I
do English writers and speakers OF the /
same grade OF sense indulge In habitual /.
depreciation, sneers. and falsehood And .
Yet between England and ourselves re- 4
lauons are closer than between any two
countries on the globe To no country .
is our friendship so important as It IL /
TO England. To no country is that OF +
England so important as to ours. A thou
sand ties Of interest and sympathy exist
between the two nations. In many re.
spects We are almost the same people. a
war with England would do US uqite as
much harm as 1t would England. Tc
neither country could it do any possible
good-turn out as it might.
All this is we'll understood by all ex-
cept the most ignorant, and yet It seems
at times. as il the intention on both sides
was to stir Up the utmost possible III
will between two countries whose highest
interests depend upon being at peace With
each other
How little the bluster and bray Of petty
politicians and newspaper scribblers on
this side amounts 10 as expressing Amer
ican sentiment we here understand They
do not understand It in England. How
little the same sort Of thing amounts 10
in England is doubtless understood there,
but not understood here. Each people
takes tne folly Of the other for sober
sense, and allows itself to be lashed peri
odically into excited wrath by what the
other counts as absolute folly.
The English mistake arises from the
fact that this is a republic; the people
are rulers. Every utterance throughout
the country is taken TO be the serious
utterarce Of the rulers. The Englishman
considers that in this country every dec
aration that can get itself made public |
$ sort Of official declaration, because it
S presumed to reflect the convictions Of
he people; and the people in this land are
'overeigns
We make like mistake. England is
a monarchy. England has an aristocracy,
and to the ordinary American mind
monarchy and an aristocracy are powers
that rule a coutry so completely that
no sentiment can be entertained, or at
east expressed, without the governments
sanction. Whatever opinion about America
ean get itself made public in England
$ supposed to be the opinion Of the gov
'rning classes" or otherwise they would
let let it be put forth. Thus each coun-
ry, In the strangest way, mlsunderstands
he other, and from that misunderstand-
ng each contrives to keep the other in
chronic state Of irritation
II might help matters on both sides to
'emember that both countries are free.
md are. in fact. the only free countries
xisting; they are. after all, essentially
like in constitution and law. One OF
he inconveniences Of a free country is
haf O. v,,tsct bar-a fec -.o--L !