The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-12-07


in the presidents message,
occurring in the paragraph
referring to the South African war.
AS published, the message said:
This government has maintained an at
ttude of neutrality in the unfortunate
contest between Great Britain and the
Boer states Of Africa. We have remained
faithful to the preccpt of avoiding en-
tangling alliances as to affairs not of
our direct concern. Had circumstances
suggested that the parties of the quar-
rel would have welcomed any kindly eX-
preston of the hope of the American
people that war might be averted, good
offices would have been gladly rendered,
etc, etc.
The London Chronicle and In fact all
the London papers take this to indicate
an intention of coolness toward Great
Britain, the Chronicle in particular
saying: IF the tone is shade cooler
in the references to Great Britain we
owe it to Mr. Chamberlain's mischiev-
Gus eXaggerations. But for them the
message would probably not have con-
tained sentence which was evidently
hurriedly dropped into a paragraph
without consideration of the bearing OF
its context"
The sentence thus referred to is evil
| IDENTIFY the one which reads: 1--WE havn
| remained faithful to the precept of
avoiding entangling alliances as to af-
fairs not of our direct concern" While
| it does seem to be a little out of line
with its immediate context appertain-
! ing to the South African war, as 10
which the United States could hardly
be expected to entertain the thought OF
an alliance, entangling or otherwise,
yet the doctrine contained within it is
! timely as well as sound
There are two extreme positions
! with respect to the relationship which
should exist between the United States
and Great Britain and common sense
condemns both as unreasonable One
is that we should be ready to take a
fall out Of the English empire upon the
slightest provocatiOn. There is a frac-
tion of our population, fortunately a
small one, numerically speaking, which
has been mis-educated into a kind Of
! professional hatred of England. 1t is
largely an impersonal feeling, very
often automatic in it's manifestations;
but it has been so long entertaine
that quite without regard to any
changes in conditions which time has
brought or is likely to bring it seizes
each passing occasion to give frantic
wrenches to the lions tail.
On the other hand we have an ele-
ment amongst us, very good fellows
for the most part, who think it quite
the thing to applaud indscriminately
all that bears the British LABEL and
whose summit of hopeful expectation
so far as international politics is con-
cerned, would be signalized by the
ratification of an ironclad partnership
between Jonathan and John. binding
each beyond all reason into RESPONSE
bility for the others follies. 1t is
hardly necessary to say that sensible
Americanism plants itself somewhere
between these outpost positions. 1t is
happy in British respect and grateful
! for English good WILL but it sanctions
no chevalier quiXotism in foreign pol
| icy and is content to let the relation
ship between the two branches of the
| common race rest upon a basis of or
dinary amity, with ample margin for
such departure toward warmer or cold
er feelings as circumstances and ac-
tions may from time to time demand.
re q,