Evening star., 1898-08-12

Church of England who was attending
the Lambeth conference last year. His
comment placed the matter in q new light
He exclaimed: What pity 1t is that
you americans hate England, when we
would so gladly be friends with YOU
The observations of a yeac gained from
contact with many Englishmen in many
different walks of life-pariiamentar.ans.
writers. soldiers. business men, the cab
driver. the waiter, the barber, whose views
are all worth consideration as representing
e4cn a class--have compelled the belief that
he voiced the prevailing British opipjon.
Dut most Of them have held that the atti-
tuae OF America toward England has been
SO bitter and often insulting that England
ing her self-respect. A member of pariia-
ment said:
Tail-Twistins I'm the Senate.
4 visited Washington two years ago.
and every time 1 put my head into the
senate there was some gray-haired states
man pounding his desk and denouncing
England. There was really no reason why
tney should revile US; we were perfectly
innocent of designs upon the United States,
ana. indeed, had every reason of self in
terest TO play fair But it seemed to me
that when your senators could find no
living provocation to assail us they went
back to ancient history or threatened what
they would do in case England should mo-
lest them
tihty have filled a much larger space in
American eyes than they have in English
perhaps because England has been almost
the only foreign nation with which the
onted states came into intimate contact,
Wmte American questions had only one
page in big ledger of Englands foreign
accounts. Then Americans in their ma
uCral Rotation, have deemed it hardly
Wcrth While to practice the far-sighted
d1piomacy of Russia, which goes out of its
way to cultivate friendship merely because
trends are a good asset for a nation to
hold against an hour of need. In their de-
termination to stand straight upright on
their own feet and assert their independ-
eice OF any foreign powers and poten-
tateS whatsoever" the Boy Orator was
wont to say, they have occasionally treated
theSe powers and potentates with Scant
courtesy.
England Not Pushing Alliance.
But they may spare themselves anxiety
lest England everyday tie alliance hand.
America controls the game. She may pick
up the cards England throws down or leave
them on the table. No responsible Eng
Hshman has yet spoken the word alliance.
Several of the leaders, notably Lord Rose
berry, have distinctly branded it an "iri-
descent dream" But they do desire Amer
leans to irrevocably forswear the pastime
of tail twisting and hope that with the
ending of the war Americas memory of
how John Bull stood in the breach against
a European concert to deal with Cuba Will
not vanish. They feel that they have
right to expect q return of the favor should
an opportunity arise. They wish America
friendship and will advance as far in the
direction of a definite understanding
the United States will accompany them.
To imagine that the desire is inspired more
than incidentally by any other motive than
self interest would be to imagine that the
millennium had come with the political
economy of Ruskin and Bellamy. And on the
other hand they hold no delusion that
America will be impeled by less practical
forces. They realize that the only prob
lem confronting the United States is the
plain business proposition how far her own
interests will lead her toward meeting
EngiandS advances.
ROBERT NJ COLLINS.