The Irish standard., 1898-07-02
THE ANGLO-AMERlCAN LEAGUE.

THE ANGLO-AMERlCAN LEAGUE.
| The press of this country has ceased
to great extent to bestow any attention
! on the twaddle of an Anglo American
| alliance. Within the past few weeks
meetings were held in the principal
cities Of the United States cautioning
| the Mckinley administration against
| entering into any entanging alliances
| with European powers and especially
| with England. Not only did the Irish
Americans protest vigorously against
| the proposed coalition, but influential
| citizens representing the other races
called mass meetings and passed ringing
resolutions against any alliance with
| foreign nations. The independent press
| OF the country, outside of New England
| and New York, where the Anglomaniacs
are most in evidence, threw cold water
| on the scheme. and patriotic Americans
| OF every race began to see that this re-
| public is fully competent to retain its
| place among the nations of the earth
| without leaning on England for support.
The result is that the question of an
| international alliance has fallen into
''innocuous dessuetude," as Grover
Cleveland would say.
The New York correspondents of the
| London press, however, continue TO in
form the Britishers that the Americans
! are red-hot for an Anglo-Saxon combin-
| alton against the world. Such erron-
| eous news has led to the formation IL
England of what is known as an "An-
glo-American League" It, is said that
among its recruits are 40 members of
parliament. as many dukes and earls,
four archbishops, nearly all the bishops,
cardinal Vaughan, leaders Of all the nom
conformist bodies, heads of nearly all
the colleges and great public schools, the
mayors of so cities, and the principal
men of letters, painters, journalists, bar
rlsters, and judges in the United King
dom. 1t is said TO be the most iniluen-
tial body of leaders of public opinion
ever created for action on foreign rela-
TONS James Bryce is the chairman,
but no formal organization yet exists
There is no doubt that Englishmen of
all religious creeds and political aflilia-
tions are warmly in favor of an alliance
with the United States. The project will
be pushed for all it is worth, because it
would prove beneficial to England. To-
ries and liberals are united in the move
promoting the best interests of the Brit
ish empire at the expense or to the dct-
riment Of a foreign nation. there is per-
feet unanimity among Englishmcn no
matter how widely they may differ OIL
questions of policy concerning their own
government. both home and colonial.
Sir William Harcourt is as anxious for
an alliance as Joseph Chamberlain, and
Cardinal Vaughan would hail it with
the same degree Of cordialty as the
archbishop Of Canterbury. 1t would he
folly to blame them The Irish ought
to learn a lesson from them When the
interests of Ireland are at stake, they
ought to become solidly united and cease
"ioh6llll6 dluOHS themselves. III union
there is strength. The American peo-
pie have already learned lesson from
the English on this international affair.
When they observe the avidity of all
classes of Englishmen for an Anglo
American alliance and reflect on the hy-
pocrisy and perfidy of England in her
dealings with other nations they come
to the conclusion that what Englshmen
ardently desire they ought to avoid and
reject They realize that England is not
only in her splendid isolation but also
in her splendid dotage." and that it is
because of that fact the leading men of
England of every shade OF political and
religious opinion are doing everything
In their power to bring about an Anglo
American alliance. But their exertions
will be in vain in spite OF the co-opera-
ton Of the Anglo-Saxon element in this
country.