Herald and news. [volume] (West Randolph, Vt.) 1878-1943, 1900-02-15

1t is hard for him to see good where he
does not wish to see it, and easy for
him TO find guile where it gives him
pleasure to find it. So it is that the
cause of Great Britain suffers, to some
extent in this country. from the preiu-
dice that undoubtedly exists against
her among most OF our citizens. On
the other hand, there is a small class,
especially in our cities, who are biased
in favor of everything English. The
aristocraey Of this country, which is
pretty closely akin to the plutocracy,
takes its cue from the English aristOc-
racy. 1t apes everything English.
Whatever his highness, the Prince OF
Wales, does, finds instant counterpart
among our "chappies.' The inter-mar-
riage of many OF our wealthy families
with the English nobility is a cord that
binds the aristocratic circles of the two
countries together. So it is that the
eenters of wealth and supposed high
culture are centers OF sympathy with
the British cause. They see nothing
in the Boer struggle for liberty except
a presumptuous uprising of an ignorant
and degraded people against the logic
of events and the ascendency of a SUI
perior people Many of them are so
bound up in worship OF whatever
smacks of English that they entirely
forget the Beers and neither know
nothing nor care nothing about them.
Then there are some who hesitate
about having any opinion on account
of what England did for rs during the
Spanish war. They really think Eng
land is in the wrong, but England has
been such a very good friend to us of
late that it would be unkind to say so.
To hear these people talk one would |
conclude that about all the credit for
our triumph over Spain was due to the
British. But for England, we are told, |
the other European nations would have
and prevented us from thrash
ing Spain. There is no proof of this.
True, some of the European govern
ments did offer their services in medi-
alton, but it was done in no ofiicious
that we could resent. All of
them maintained strict neutrality
England took great care
to show us how much she was doing
for us. She has not meant that we
should forget it. And we will not.
Whenever she is unjustly assailed,
her cause is right, she can
depend on all the support that is neces-
sary to square accounts with her, but
1t is not our duty to uphold her in
wrong-doing in order to do so.
Then there are some, especially Re
Dublicans, who think it is inconsist-
snt in us to attempt the subjugation of
he Filipinos and to adopt a policy of
without permitting similar
policy by Great Britain. The Demo-
rats would doubtless like to put Re-
lublicans in this hole, but it is not at all
to oblige them. This coun-
ry is not and never will be an empire
n the sense that Great Britain Is. 90
nc about like a roaring lion, seeking
whom it may devour. Noparty favors
/ career of conquest and subiugation /
,uch as England has always followed.
# that were TO be done, we would not
need to 90 to the coast of Asia for adj
litions to our domains. We could COB ,
Die up Mexico, Central and South
America and even Canada with less eff
ort and more profit. We are holding
he Philippines because we can't let
70 of them without dishonor to our ,
lag and disruption of all government
n the islands. There is no parallel ,
between the case OF the Philippines
md the Transyaal.
To some extent also. the feeling of
blood kinship with our English cousins
nclines us in their favor whenever !
hey are engaged in trouble. On the I
,ther side are the great number who /.
an never forget where England has I
TODD during most Of our national ca &
Ger. Il was her against whom We re-
,elled and fought our way to independ- ..
nee. after seven bloody years her who
ought TO impress our seamen and again
allied her who lent covert aid TO the
5oniederacy. Il will take more than
/ little diplomatic favor to Us to erase
hese memories in the hearts of many. :
The Irishpopulation and those ofIrish 1
descent are OF course bitterly hostile to 5
england at this, rs at all times. While
his element is large and powerful in
america, yet its animus is so plain that \
t does not carry the moral weight it q
otherwise would. !