The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1898-12-04
EUROPEAN POWERS WANTED
TO INTERFERE IN WAR.
But the Attitude Of England and the
Goodness of America Discom-
flied the Would-Be
Meddlers.
Correspondence Of the Associated Press. Copy
righted. 1888. by the Associated Press.

THE answer to the question, What
does the Old World think of the New
World?' has never been made with
greater emphasis than in the Eternal
| City. The oldest Old World regards the
newest New with feelings of anger,
disgust and alarm, almost too great for
words. The sentiment of indignation
differs in intensity. But it Is universal
There Is no sympathy for the United
States either among whites or blacks.
In fact, dislike of the American seizure
of the Philippines and a conviction that
the humane enthusiasm which made
the war possible was a mere mask Of
! cant assumed in order to facilitate con-
quest, are almost the only sentiments
shared In common by the rival camps
of the Quirinal and of the Vatican.
with the Kings men the sentiment
is comparatively mild. They do not be-
lieve in the least in the disinterested-
ness of the American war Of liberation.
The American declarations are almost
universally derided as hideous examples
of a worse than English hypocrisy.
Uncle Sam, they say, determined in all
things to surpass John Bull, has out
done him even in Pharisaism and cant.
The friends Of America wiring their
hands in unaffected grief over the fall
of the United States and the tempta-
ton of lust of territorial expansion.
Her enemies shoot out the lip and can
Shrek in derision over what they re-
gard as the unmistakable demonstra-
ton which the demand for the Philip
pines affords of American cupidity,
American bad faith and American am
bition. We told you So they exclaim.
That is what the unctuouS rectitude of
the Anglo-Saxon always ends in. He
always begins by calling heaven to wit
ness to his unselfish desire to help his
neighbours but he always ends by steal
ing his spoons.
1T is unpleasant for the Anglo Saxon
to hear this on every side. but since
the peace negotiations have developed
a demand for the complete ceSsion of
the Philippines Americans will do we'll
to recognize that some such statement
as the above represents the current
opinion of almost every one in Europe
who pays eursory attention to what Is
going on abroad. The immense major
ity of Europeans are, of course. abSo-
lutely ignorant of what has happened.
Intent on their daily toll, they neither
know nor care what occurs in other
hen1ispheres. But the Europeans who
read newspapers, who form what may
the Old World, are practically of one
mind on the matter. Outside of Eng
land I have met no non-American who
did not dislike the expansion of Amer
lea, nor do I think in the whole of our
tour through Europe have met Eu-
ropean who did not receive my pro-
testations as to the genuine sincerity
with which the American people en-
tered into the war with more or less
hooking incredulty.
1T is all very WE'LL they say. in eff
feet, to dissemble your love, but why
did you kick me downstairs7 1t was
all very well to proclaim your disinter-
estedness, but why did you seize the
Philippines?'
Mere national brigandage, mark
eddy odious phariseeism,' is a phrase
which roughly represents the judgment
of the Old World on the recent devel-
opments of the new. From which it
may be learned once more the old
truth. that in mans Judgment of his
neighbours motives we see the mirror
of his own character. For the most
part they express no surprise They
expected nothing better from these
English of the New World. They are
true to their ancestry. But there is
in every country minority of thought
full men who, having for all their lives
been the stanchest friends of the AM
erican commonwealth, are now con-
founded and utterly put to shame at
what is universally regarded as the
apostasy of the United States, the
abandonment of their national policy
and the adoption of the world policy
of conquest.
When l listened, as I have been lis
tening for months past to alternate
taunts and lamentations of the foes and
friends of America, the babel of voices
seemed at least to merge into one
scornful chorus of welcome to Uncle
Sam.
Hell from beneath is moved for
thee to meet thee at thy coming; it
stirreth up the dead for thee, even all
the chief ones of the earth; 1t hath
raised up from their thrones all the
kings Of the nations. AL they shall
speak and say unto thee, art thou also
become as weak as we? Art thou be-
en- from heaven, o Lucifer, son of the
morning.
You may urge, rage and protest as
much as you please, the Old World has
made up it's mind on the subject and
nothing that can be said or done in the
United States Will alter it's judgment.
The American Government has come
out Of it's ring fence. 1t has thrown it's
hat into the arena of the world. 1t Is
launched on career of conquest which
will be all the more predatory because
it Is masked by humanftarianism The
commonwealth, they hold, has sue
cumbed to the malady which has SO
long plagued the Old World. A bright
hope for the human race was extin-
guished when the nom military power,
which eschewed all schemes of aggres-
sion and annexation, enrolled itself
among the common herd of conquering
states. So men talk everywhere in Eu-
rope. Whether they regard the old
American ideal with sympathy or with
content they all agree in believing that
1t has been abandoned, and that for
ever. The annexation of the Philippine
Islands may seem but a small thing,
but 1t is decisive.
I'm the course Of my tour / am now
compelled to admit that found proof
in existence on the part of the powers
to intervene on behalf of Spain, which
might have been serious had it not been
checked in the bud by the knowledge
that England would have nothing to do
with it, When / was in Paris / was
positively told that no proposal had
ever been made to intervene, and that.
therefore, England had never had the
occasion or opportunity to put her foot
down on the anti-American coalition.
That no doubt was true as far as
overt action on the part of the govern
mont was conparpaI Rr,f y,o$ lose,