The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1898-05-20
ANGLO.AMERICAN ALLIANCE.
Chamberlain's speech Caused Much
Comment in Europe,

Comment in Europe.
One of the sensations in Europe
during the past week was speech
delivered by Mr.. Cha mberlain, Sec
retary of State for the Colonies, at
birmingham, Eng. last Friday
night, favOring an a lliance between
England and America. The speech
has caused an unusual amount of
comment in every European capi-
tai.
A dispatch from London concern
ing the comment on the speech
says:
The Sunday papers are curiously
silent on Mr.. Chamherlain's remarkable
pronouncement in favor of an Anglo
American alliance. The Observer, the
most influential, politically, of them,
however, applauds Mr.. Cham berlain's
declaration on that point, while re.
ferring the accomplishment of bis ideal
to some remote contingency which has
not yet arisen The Observer saws:
at is well understood in the United
States tn at European intervention is
not even discussed by the powers Just
now, because England will not tolerate
it. The real cruX will come when the
terms of peace are drifted. Then, if
ever, the ti-Amercan league at
which Count GOluchOwski limited not
long ago will lift its head. We doubt
the substance of any such apparition,
because the coercion OF America is too
| big business for practical politics, but
| the day that witnesses any serious
com bination against either the United
States or Great Britain ought also to
witness their consolidation into an
! AnglC-American alliance"
The World correspondent had q con-
versation with one of Mr.. Chamber
lain's most trusted followers, to whom
! MIR. Cham berlain had several weeks
since opened his mind on the subject of
an Anglo American understanding as
well as on the general foreign policy of
Great Britain. The politician said:
"Chamberlain has been for the past
year convinced that Salisbury's foreign
! policy is steadily and inevitably lead
! ing to the ruin of England's COM
mercial supremacy, and he is con-
vinced that it is vital to continue com
mercial expansion both of England and
the United States, that they should
make "A common cause against European
mbinatiOns.
"Besides that, he entertains strong
view that the French prOvocation i'm
/ West Africa should he accepted by
! Salisbury as casus belli. England's
supremacy on sea would enable her, in
his view, to thoroughly cripple, if not
| destroy, French naval expansion for
years, and he regards il as England's
| imperative interest to weaken France,
so that Russia alone would have to be
dealt with in the far East.
"England's interests and those Of
America are identical in that reg ion,
! h q MI
bined action there as the first step TO
ward realization of the Anglo-SaXon
alliance. That iS the underlying mo-
tive of his speech, although it was made
under circumstances which give it the
appearance OF an attempt to oust Lord
Salisbury from the Foreign Office
The Daily Nails Berlin dispatch says
that Chamberlain Birmingham speech
is characterized by the German press
in gene'al as undiplomatic, acknowl-
edging England's weakness in the f&fe
of Russia, and as an undignihed bid for
American favor.
The government is evidently reserv-
ing its opinion; the semi-oilicial papers
content themselves with expressing
astOnishment at a member of the Cabi-
net speaking so plainly, the Post add
ing that II would have been better for
England's interests il the speech had
not been delivered.
, Prince Bsmack's organ, the Hambur.
ger Nachrichsten, remarks
alt would be a deplOrable error on
the part of Great Britain to imagine
that any continental power should
have the strange idea of entering the
lists at this critical juncture on the
side of English arrogance and to bol-
ster exclusively English interest"
The Daily Mails Vienna dispatch
says: "Mr. Chamberlain's speech in
, Birmingham is dealt with at some
length by the press here generally.
The opinion is held that while it does
not forecast immediate war, it augurs
i'll for peace should Mr.. Chamberlain
ever become Premier"