The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-05-19
THE REAL MEANING OF AN
ANGL0-SAXON ALLIANCE
New York Con morcial-Advcrtiscr.

New York Con mcrcial-Advcrtiscr.
Qnn HEN Mr.. Chamberlain talks OF an
VJNII Anglo-Saxon alliance he is per-
WNW feCtly understood in England
wv and the United states, but he
conveys an erroneous impress
sion to Europe. They infer an alliance
in the continental sense, pledged by for
NAL treaties. signed, sealed and delivered,
like the Holy Alliance the kaiserbund or
the Dreibund. Such alliances have not
been made in England since the supre-
macy of parliament was established, and
they never have been made i'm America.
They cannot be made. because the ma
chinery is lacking. The essence of such
paCts Is irresponsible executive power
and secrecy of administration, impossi-
ble in popular government. Treaties
pledging nations to specific common aC-
ton for otfense or defense in given con-
tingencies cannot be made in the atmos-
phere of world publicity in which parlta-
mentary and republican governments
move. Anything short of that IS merely
a friendly understanding, which it is
rather futile to commit to paper, since it
is impossible without the strong national
feeling which is it's most secure pledge.
d
This is all the Anglo American ali-
anCe is and all there will be. There Is
nothing obscure or secret about It, The
whole world may see and understand It,
If it will only put away preconCeivcd con-
tinentai notions and look at facts. It
menaCcs nobody and pursues no object
which is not open to the world, which is
not common. not only to both peoples, but
to humanity, civilization ana progress.
IT is not an armed alliance. 1t will not
add a ship TO the American navy or reg
iment TO the American army which we
would not add on our own account. 1t
makes for peace by revealing potential
force which, once reused to action, would
! e terrible to world in arms. 1t makes
neither nation tool of the selfish pur-
poses OF the other, in the continental
fashion. Each nurSueS itC mission with
the h"ary sympathy of the other, but
without asking it's material aid. We
want nothing but alert neutrality from
England while we smash Spain, we snail
give her nothing else IL she shall find it
her mission to smash France. Impartial
neutrality as an example to the world,
with Il stern minor note of warning to
the world that it is dangerous not to fol-
low the example, that is the attitude of
each nation toward the other.
%
The alliance is implicit is potential. IS
defensive. Nothing could make 1t ex-
plicit, actual, offensive but u combined
attack on either nation that menaced the
common destiny and free development
and world existence of the race. This is
rashneSs the world will not commit. 1t
can read the meaning of bread riots and
revolutions. 1t can comprehend the force
of the union of American resources and
English training. The Atlantic would be
q Rhine FOR American millions and Brat
ish fleets, and the dullCst ch8ncellerie
can see the vision, after a few stormy
years, of bleeding, exhausted but trlum-
phant Anglo o-SaXondom sitting on the
smoking ruins of Europe The vision will
be enough. There will be no ambition to
realize il.