The Portland daily press., 1898-05-20
THE ENGLISH ALLIANCE.
New York Post. }

The great reason why the alliance be-
tween England and America is now so
much talked of in England is, as anyone
may see that it is for their mutual ad-
vantage, which is, it must be admitted,
the best of all reasons for either alliance
or cooperation. An alliance which does
not promise benefits to bnth sides is hard
~ worth serious consideration. Bis
marok's motto, 'Do ut des,'' is the prop
er motto of all negotiators. 1t ought to
be the basis of all International relations.
1t is already the basis of what are called
reciprocal commercial treaties and tar
i'll compromises. In order to get some
thing you must give something and this
even among those who belisve most firm
ly in international rivalry and hostility
as the law of of civilization. But the
only rivalry which promises to be true
and lasting is rivalry, not in acoumula-
ting power and dominion for any one ma
ton il particular for the mere purpose
Of enjoying the sensation of superiority,
but for its use in advancing the inter-
ests of human civilization.
OF course book might be written
about the proper definition of civilization,
and we have no intention of undertake
ing the task to-day. But it can easily
be summed up in two things. One is
the greatest possible play for the higher
human faculties, and the other is tho
creator possible respect for the rights of
other members of the human family !;
that is, to let every imam get all he can
for himself and others of the benefits OF
his character and intelligence. We have
apparently arrived at q period in the
worlds history when in two nations al d
in two only, are these things borne in
mind. We mean no silly or vulgar boast,
when We say that these two are England
and America. 1t is in these two that
there is the freest play for the human
intelligence in every field, in which every
man may most freely speak the hing he
will with most influence, in which what
he says has most weight in the govern,
ment of his country. in which the public
conscience is most powerful and most
sensitive, in which law is distinguished
from any one mans will or caprice, is
most potent and most strongly rooted. In
which the traditions OF national life are
sanest and most hopeful, in. which it is
hardest for gross wrong or injustice to be
done. or left UNPUBLISHED, in which. in
short. as far as we now see, there is the
most hope for humanity. We say all
this while bearing fully in mind the
qualifications and drawbacks that any
such Judgment would require, If fully
written out. We do not think we need
be afraid of being accused of exaggeration
when we say that we know of nothing on
the horizon today which contains so much
promise for the race as such an alliance
would do.
: Somehow or other, we hardly know
how, perhaps through the opening of
China and Africa, such an alliance has
now, after one hundred years of dislike
and distrust, been brought within the
reach of what is called ''practical poll
tics"-that is, has been made to seem ca
pable of realization. 1t is these openings
which have apparently put Great Britain
in need of help; it is apparently our
Spanish war which has put us in need of