Middletown transcript., 1898-09-24
VIEWS ON ALLIANCE.
RRlToNs OPPOSE A FORMAL UNION
WITH AMERICANS.
still England IL Our Friend, Says ID.
L. Godkin-she Held on the Powers
In the Recent war-CoIonization q
Dangerous Project.

L. Godkin-she Held on the Powers
In the Recent war-CoIonization n
Dangerous Project.
Il was few days ago that I found
Mr.. e. L. Godkin, who had recently re-
turned from England, in his library at
his home in New York. The curtains
were drawn and the room was in semi
darkness. At my entry Mr.. Godkin
arose from a typewriting machine,
which he was manipulating in labo.
rious manner, and extended genial
welcome to me. He gave his consent to
an interview and dropped into an easy
chair, with his feet comfortably ex-
tended.
"As regards an alliance" began MIR.
Godkin, abruptly, between England
and America, I met no one abroad who
had paid attention to American affairs
and knew our condition who was not
made uneasy by the suddenness with
which the alliance idea was brought to
the surface. They thought wo might
throw off the cloak of friendship as
quickly as we did the garment of hostil-
ity which was fiaunted in the face Of
England not many months ago. I was
in no position to reassure them. To my
knowledge, one Of the members Of the
commission appointed by President Nc
Kinley to arrange terms Of peace with
Spain at the time Of our dispute with
England ever the Venezuelan boundary
said he was in favor Of paoifying Great
Britain for the time being. Let us take
two years, he said, and then declare
war without giving our reason That
remark was made with deliberation and
forethought.
81 told my friends in England that
now for the first time the United States
was really indebted to them. Much has
been said about the mother language
and about blood relationship, but now
for the first time England has placed us
under obligation, and I assured them
that Americans appreciated it. From
an authoritative source I had it that
Germany and France really did ap.
proach Lord Salisbury with a PROPOSE
tion to put a stop to our war with
Spain. The reply was that il England
took any part in the war 1t would be to
lend its navy to the United States. That
one move will certainly have its effect
here and in England as well.
81 found among all classes the great
est opposition to formal alliance, on
the ground that it would create hostile
agitation In the United States. The
best men believe that all that is now
necessary is to keep civil on both sides.
Half dozen agencies are constantly at
work bringing the two peoples closer
together. Our interests are becoming
allied, intercourse is giving US better
understanding of each other, intermar-
riage is bringing us into closer SYM
pathy. But formal alliance would
frighten the politicians, which is not
saying that the United States would not
go to the aid of England in case a Eu-
ropean alliance should threaten her.
"Now, about colonization, I talked
with no one who understood our poll
tics who did not think it dangerous
undertaking for us. The men who with
in the range Of my experience advocated
and expressed pleasure over itwere men
who did not care straw what effect 1t
would have upon our politics. All they
want is friendly power in the Pacific.
The friendly and interested ones said
that when an executive had to seek an
election at the end of four years it was
not to be expected that he would not
use the colonial patronage to influence
his reelection. 1t would be futile, they
said. to expect that semicivilized COM
munity like China or the Philippines
would accept civilization in few years
It would require an army of oficehold-
ers to keep order, and the officeholders
would be henchmeu Of the president in
power at the time being.
"Another fact that Englishmen recog-
nize Is that no other civilized communi-
ty has SO many unsettled questions as
the United States, They mention taxa
tion, the Judiciary, the color line, the
civil service, currency and education
all unsettled. These should be consider
ed by statesmen Of the highest qualities.
II we had such men, it would be short
sighted policy to ship them off to gov
ern the Philippines, leaving our domes-
tic affairs unsettled. Worst Of all, we
would have to continue sending Ameri-
can youth to contend with the deadly
climate.
"About the war with Spain, the
ease with which we won has detracted
from our glory abroad. The American
navy has simply astonished Europe. No
one suspected that such an American
navy existed. We would have had more
credit had we won after a hard battle,
instead of being able to slaughter the
Spaniards like sheep. In England it is
believed that we must now depend upon
our navy for our national strength. OF
course a navy can be used to lombard
and reduce, but 1t cannot be used for
colonization purposes. They feel, more
over, that we are not willing to make
proper preparation to defend our posi-
tion as an empire Then they say that
we cannot carry on colonial empire so
long as the senate has the power to con-
firm. The president must too often pur-
chase reelection by compliance with
the demands Of the senate. The execu-
tive, it is said, should be supreme. One
prominent Englishman said that II the
house Of lords had to confirm all ap-
pointments to the army, navy and civil
service the British empire would tum-
BILE within ten years. That is the gen.
eral drift Of opinion.
"Stiil it Is recognized that we must
retain Cuba, and Englishmen believe
we should there inaugurate colonial
policy. To establish Cuba as a republic
would be ridiculous; to make ii state
OF the Union would be to breed corrup-
tion. They think we had good reason 60
interfere in Cuba, and they believe the
results viii justify us before the
world. Cor. New York Herald