Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1900-03-31

| am asked b. my American friends
IN London. What did your country ex-
pect TO yet out OF ours In return for
your concession In the matter OF the
Nicaragua canal?' Without agreeing
to some of the crude suggestions which
have been made across the Atlantic,
they also call ms attention 10 the ques-
ton which has been asked there In
some quarters as 10 whether We have
any real desire Tor the friendship OF
The United States. what the two ma
Tons could do together that they could
not do separated-and whether there
is not danger OF our using the govern
ment OF the United states as cats
paw | am also told that one OF the
parties In the Union intends To make
use of any understanding or supposed
understanding between the powers as
an issue In the presidential campaign.
Other questions which have been put
TO me are such as this Why should
we give a thought one way on another
70 EnglandY' And | have also had an
Indignant statement made TO me that
the United Kingdom may perhaps need
the United States but that the United
states has no need OF the United King
dom.
With regard 70 asking for any specific
consideration for the Nicaragua ar
rangement | am myself in a peculiar
position. For two years in succession
that Is, both al the beginning Of the
session OF 1898 and at the beginning Of
the session ~ 1871 called attention
10 the Clayton Bulwer treaty and
showed that twenty years ago when II
was last discussed, We were in the alb
surd position Of making arrangements
with France for thwartlng the natural
action Of the United States In q mat
ter Ia which we had In fact no common
interest with France, in which neither
France nor We had any reason for in
terfering with the United States and
IN which II was from every point Of
view far better that We should come
to direct agreement with the United
states for the Application 10 this trade
canal OF principles on which an the
traders Of the world would be likely to
be agreed.
The government have now acted as
urged that they should act, and | con-
fcss that II seems 10 me that we need
no consideration In return for getting
out Of an indeffnsoie position which
WAS not In accordance with any exist
ing facts. There Is no consideration
paid and | cannot blame our govern
ment for not having asked for any.
with regard. however TO the larger
questions that are raised and to which
have alluded. | admit that II appears
70 me that some Of your American
citizens are a little old fashioned. They
take, not unnaturaly perhaps, a some
what Georgian view Of the relations OF
our countries. Mistakes in our policy
made in the last century, or In 1872 or
In 1914, are brought against US now.
and the extraordinary change In the
view OF the United States which is
now taken in England is not met by
an equally complete change on the
other side OF the Atlantic. Nav |. with
all apologies, suggest that. while we
are looked upon as a conservative peo-
pie. there seem 10 be IN the United
States some survivals OF the pigtall
generation 10 be found even IN com
munlties which think themselves adj
yanced. mobile, modern?
The change IN British opinion with
regard to the United States, the frank
acceptance Of friendship which goes