Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1901-03-14
Benjamin Harrison on our Reia-
fi0nS to Great Britain.

Harrison upon current topics IN the
North American Review. we heartily
approve Of what he says this mc1th
about the alliance, sometimes mooted,
between the United States and Great
Britain. The subject perhaps would not
be worth discussing had not Mr.. Cham
berlain once referred to it as an ilnpend-
ing, if not accomplished, fact. The
truth. Of course. is that no convention
to tina effect has ever been signed, nor
is there any evidence that the subject
has been discussed, even informally, by
tae representatives of the respective
n4tivns
With regard to the so-called tie Of
kinship, Gen. Harrison admits that.
while the Scot. the IriShman, the Welsh
man, the German, the Frenchman, the
HoIlander. the Dane, the Sweede, the
Norwegian and lately, the Italian and
the Slav, have all brought contributions
to the complex American product, our
speech is wholly. and our derived in
stitutions are chiefly, English. Indis-
putably, we have pride in the great poets,
philosophers, jurists, historians and
story writers who have honored the
tongue we use, and we are grateful to
them. Gen. Harrison is careful to
point out, however, that the debt IS
personal. not national The same dis
tinction is kept in view, when he con-
cedes that we recognize a fellowship
with the stout Britons who sheared the
prerogatives Of the Stuart kings, and
with the English martyrs who died for
freedom of worship. We are grateful,
however, to them. not to the govern
ment that persecuted them. Gen. Har-
rison submits that it is not logical to de-
rive from such considerations the de-
duction that our sympathies must be
given to every British Ministry that in
augurates a war without reference to its
origin or justice I'VE did not take
English literature or English law by
voluntary conveyance upon conside-
ton Of love or affection"
1t is further suggested that the ar
gument for a friendly spirit toward
Great Britain might be stronger if the
plea of gratitude were made less Of
Manifestly, gratitude takes account, not
of one incident, but Of all relevant in
cidents during nations existence. For
that reason pro-British Americans
might deem it expedient not to strike
the average between 1774 and 1898
Things might be found in it that 1t
would be pleasanter to forget than re-
member. In connection with this sub
ject. Gen Harrison directs attention to
a fact, which we have often pointed ont
the fact, namely, that previously to the
Spanish War, the historian
cannot find in British-American diplo-
matte intercourse single instance
where friendship for the United States
led to any substantial abatement OF
British pretensions or to sympathetic at
titude toward us in the times Of our
stress and agony. or even to the exhibi-
ton Of any special consideration when
a demand for redress was presented.
We are reminded that ''the demand
for the release of Mason and Slidell was
couched in very harsh and peremptory
terms. Nay, it is understood that, but
for the kindly Intervention of Queen
Victoria. an abasement would have
been put upon us that we could only
have accepted with time reservation
that is to say, until our fieetsand armies
had finished the work in hand Gen
Harrison recalls that, throughout our
Civil War, the attitude or tiIe British
Government was hostile and hurtful
Its unfriendliness only stopped short OF
an open alliance with .l'v > o-r'fheiA
conf.deracy. Neither kinship nor
long record Of ostentatio1s reprobation
of slavery on the part Of British philan-
thropists aysiled to oyerbalance the
commercial advantage to be derived
from trade with manufacturing
cotton raising nation. "The threaten
ing attitude Of Great Britain was no
small part Of the breaking burden that
weighed the shoulders of Abraham
Lincoln" Although there were notable1
examples Of good will to the Union
cause among Individual Britons, as, for
instance John Bright and Goodwin
Smith, the Lancashire cotton spinners
were the only large body Of British
subjects that showed us friendship
which costs something,
In ex-President Harrison's opinion,
it is illogical to use Great Britain's dis
play OF friendliness during the Spanish
American War as sponge with which
to wipe from the tablets Of memory the
decisive Intervention Of France during
our Revolution and the helpful attitude
Of Russig during our Civil War. He
thinks that the sponge should be used
only TO efface any rancorous recollection
Of old manifestations Of uufriendliress
by Great Britain toward us, OF by us to-
ward her. and to give us a clean siatetl
upon which we may hope shall be re-
corded an unbroken future Of kindli
ness and good will Here we are re-
minded that Washington did not allow
gratitude 70 France for an armed and
saving Intervention in our behalf to be
made the justification of alliance that
would bring us into European entangle-
ments. Why, then should we now
allow the friendly non-intervention OF
Great Britain during the Spanish war
non-intevention which cost her moth
ing. to be thus used?
On the whole, Gen. Harrison IL con
vinced that flood OF l,usb and unreason
about IAN Anglo-Saxon paramountcy'
and about alleged irrepressible sympa
thies Of English speaking peoples is
likely rather to thwart, than to promote
good understanding. To every food |
there comes an ebb Would not any
attempt, ne asks to put Great Britain
and the United States in the relation Of
allies have an inevitable tendency TO
raise mp and strengthen an anti-Biitish
party in the United States. and an anti
American party in Great Britain?
Would not buried injuries and grudges
be ding up and exploited for domestic
party advantage? These are forces
that become destructive If they are