The commonwealth. (Scotland Neck, N.C.) 1896-1929, 1898-07-07
ENGLISH SPEAKING
PEOPLE.
STRONG TIES ON BOTH SIDES OF
THE OCEAN.
Present Day Thoughts.
BY G. GRosvENOR DAVE.
Copyrighted by Dave & Tabor.)

| copyrighted by Dave & TaborD
When last week the suggestion was
made that we this week touch upon
the question OF the union of the Eng
| llsh-speakers in favor Of peace, 1t escap.
ed my attention that this letter would
be issued near to Independence Day.
1t is peculiarly fortunate that it
should, as it will give deeper meaning
to the backward glance that we must
take. The English-speaklng world has
moecd in l22 years and in no partlcu-
lar more than th1s-thst there is ali
| absolute, unreserved confidence in the
Integrity of the common people. In
Il76 we were wearied of taxtion with
out representation, we chafed under
numberless restrictions placed upon
our Development, we were bewlldered
by the varied and conflicting charters
OF the thirteen original colonies, and
we were outraged in spirit at having
our lives and our liberties held as a
light matter by obstinate and short
sighted George III. But we were not
one particle worse off than the English
masses themselves. The voice Of the
people there was about as loud as the
voice OF bat, and their progress as lit
tie needed. Yet since that time, so
regular, SO similar, SO coherent has been
the development Of human rights under
the genius Of the Englsh-speakers,
that one needs hardly to say, 'True of
England" Or True of America" but
rather "True of both"
Each decade has seen more and fuller
attention given to the strata OF society
previously despised. The opportuni-
ties of education have been opened al
most upreservedly. The voice of the
plain man has been given broader
place In the councils of the nation. A
tremendous adjustability has been dem
onstrated by molding diverse people
with diverse tongues into one feeling OF
national life. Enterprise-commerclal,
inventive, moral, mental-has been
and is a constant wonder to those ma
tions that have not moved SO quickly.
And above all, as | have already hint
ed, trust in the people is the basis of it.
These previous sentences refer to both
nations with equal truth.
What we gained, however, by long
and exhausting war, England has gain
ed largely by peaceful revolution. Also
while our scheme of government has
remained practically unchanged, Eng
land seems almost to have drlfted ahead
OF us in the ease with which the pulse
of the people is felt. My meaning is
this: That as the English Cabinet
resigns whenever it loses its majority
in the House of Commons, and as a
general election Immediately follows,
the feeling of the people molds govern
ment more quickly than where govern
ment is elected Tor an unrebukable
four or SIX years.
Now, if we will recognize that begin
ming years before and eliminating with
1889, France had longings for liberty
which unfortunately vented itself at
once in Iicense-we shall be able to
understand somewhat the difference
between the progress Of the English
speaker and the progress Of others.
The storm that swept away the weak
Louis XVI and the depressing mobiles,
Reign of Reason, the cometic career of
Napoleon, the third Empire, the Com
mune, Boulangerism and what not );
have followed one another in wilder
ing succession, and unwise would the
man be who attempted to foretell the
form, of government III France twenty
years hence. Even within six months we
have seen that race-hatred In the
Dreyfus case was allowed to extingulsh
in Judge and in public every sense of
Justice, sweeping aside with the howl
ings of maniacs the prophetic warnings
ot Zola, the brave. The rulers of
France do not, because they dare not,
trust their impulsive people. France
calls itself Republic, but after 122
years is nothing but bureaucracy
under system OF espionage that would
be unbearable to us-everv laborei be-
ing compelled to carry a sort Of record
book of respectability, and every indi-
vidual being, in effect, an object OF sus-
piclon until proved to be innocent.
Germany, too, while we have progress
ed politically, still distrusts the people );
even represses their political aspira-
tlons, and allows the army and force to
rule. Russia is still the massive prob
lem of the north, where, in a sense, the
people have been granted freedom, but
it Is not the freedom that frees in very
truth. Italy, even the united Italy
effected by Garibaldi and others, is no
land of popular trust; else why the
bloody repressions at Milan few
weeks since? Austro- Hungary with
apparently representative government
has reached no higher stage than that
where a little liberty increases distrust
of each other, eliminating in the dis
graceful parliamentary riots in Buda
Pesth last year. But England after l22
wears still calls itself monarchy yet. Is
to all intents and purposes democracy.
Is there the action OF mere chance III
this similar development of the Eng
lish-speaker on both sides Of the Allan
tic? No it IS the genius OF the people
that makes them love fair-play, honor
Bob Moore, of Lafayette, Ind, says
that for constipation he has found