The evening times., 1898-12-17
MICHAEL DAVl1'I
TALKS ON ALLIANCE
Position Held by the Irish
Member of Parliament.
SAYS ENGLAND is SELFISH
Already trowling Over American
Tariff and Navigation Laws.
No objection to n Friendly Feeling.
Hut This Country Might
Extend the Sentiment.

London. Dec. T.-Michael Davitt, MEM
ber of Parliament, today gave your CORE
spondent an interview on the present stat
us of Anglo-American relations and the
so-called alliance.
As Mr Dayitt has already written
against the alliance and has been credited
with doing so because he is an Irishman,
mfriendly to England, he began by ex-
planning the position from which he spoke.
There is no reason, he said, why
Americans and Englishmen should not be
friends. / have never advocated their
hostility nor been one of those who
thought that America should go to war
with England to free Ireland. But there
is also no reason why America should not
be friendly with France, Germany Russia
and the other great powers of the earth.
But | do not believe in any alliance, and
hold that any Irishman who is citizen Of
the United States may oppose it for Amer
lean. and not Irish. reasons.
The present worked-up sentiment for
an alliance is due to the higher English
classes. who are not honestly friendly to
America. the English working people
are. ably assisted by certain pro-British
newspapers in New York city. The Eng
lish do not realize that New York papers
speak only for small fragment of the
American people, and do not repesent the
vast body of opinion west of the Allie
ghenes. When the Maine was blown up
the expressed opinion in fashionable Lon
don clubs was, 1t served the Yankees
right and the Saturday Review said lat
er. 1t is contest between scalawag
and a gentleman. and the scalawag will
vim
But soon as the United States be-
gan to win England. having trouble with
Russia in China at the time went in
with the winner The story of the Goa
lition of powers against the United
States, which England smashed was a
trumped-up lie to serve the purpose and
has been authoritatively denied by three
of the powers alleged to nave been hos
tile to the United States.
England now desires to force the pres
ent friendly feeling into an actual aIli-
ance to serve her own selfish purposes.
She wants to use the United States in
case she quarrels with France. Germany
or Russia but my prediction is America
America has no quarrel with these Eow-
ers, and it is not to her interest TO have
any. She is not fitted TO go nand in hand
with England in imperialistic schemes
because while America is a democracy,
England for all that, may be said to the
contrary, in heE official organization is
AN aristocracy. The two countries are
competitors in the worlds business which
also makes alliance impossible. Both
~
ready growing over your tariff, naviga-
ton laws and the Clayton-Bulwer treaty.
Were Clayton, the American, alive to-
day he would deserve 10 be put in a luna
tic asylum. as he agreed with England to
share with her purely American enter
prise and in case of war between England
and America that England should have
fun use of the Nicaragua Canal in attack
ing the United States.
Yet England seems disposed to insist
on this unreasonable compact. There may
be sharp contest over it, but-England
will back down as she did in Venezuela =
What about the Philippines" was ask
ed.
Il hope the common sense of the Ameri-
ca will prevent their acquisition re-
piled Mr.. Davitt. 1T is an unnecessary
step toward Imperialism, 10 no advantage
and calculated to get America into need
alton Of a military and official class. rul-
ers of satrapries by appointment instead
of official servants by election But even
with the Philippines | predict that the
United States viii have no entanglng al
liance and instead of becoming an empire
which always in history has checked lib
erty, will work out her destiny as a ma
ton
The Anglo-American entente may settle
/. the Far Eastern question in way not
bargained on by sentimental promoters if
England's selfshness described by Mr.
Davitt and others is her motive.
The crux of Se Chinese question is
found in the rival claims of England and
| Russia. Lately Russia has been having
| it all her own way. Now it is declared in
| some quarters here England has been
| strengthened by the moral support OF
| America The newly reconciled American
cousin may be used to sandbag Russia in
| TO deal by which Russia would consent
| to go only to a certain limit in her Chi
nese conquests and England get the re-
mainder. That would settle the Chinese
question on the principle of subtraction
division and silence in which America
would not be an inside partner The
open door would be there for her Ia
| walk out il she wanted to.