New-York tribune., 1901-03-04
GENERAL H4RRISON'S VIEWS.
TREATED IN MUSINGS ON
CURRENT TOPICS"

CURRENT IOFICS.
In The North American Review" for March ex-
President Harrison has the second OF his papers
on Musings on Current Topics" treating the
British Alliance" and The Boer War"
General Harrison says in part:
Is not the inevitable tendency OF any attempt to
IIt Great Britain and the United states I'm the
islat!9I OF allies 10 raise up and 70 strengthen an
American party IN Great Britain? Buried injuries
gfeusTS are eus up ana eaploiied tor h
become destructive II they are pent. and, I'm this
I%sard' opinions and gqnpowier are in the same
me nited states. that wi!l make their Immediate
relations cordial and unite their influence for peace
@ anu human man progress is To- be maintained-to be-
instead o. commercial basis Morals abide; com
neFeidI Interests shift Il must not involve en-
o-le OF every public act of the other II must not
oe put upon grounds tenuously sentimental.
.esscd 1t NUS 1 h. oS @ sort ihat toere diner liner
encts oL opinions and endur"s the smart OF critl-
seriously. The friendship must not be of party
here with party there. Upon that basis shall
Is tho friendly co-operaion II The two nations TO
OF her traditora! policy. or upon the abandonment
Iolicy-that Is. equal c"mner.iai privileges 10 an
nati0ns-ws have. perhaps. found common basis
thnkii IN" reeosn.t.on ~ the autonomy O.; weak
nations ana their right to regulate their o%n in
Greor Rrifafr 1..ff IN. omen door, rory in maj
Chinese poIiey? Are Ne agreed that the seizure or
disrnembermcnt of Reak state by a stronger Is
partition woE6 be difficult or that it might be less
Is it possible that. II suitably urged. Great
Britain might come to stand With u against the
forcib!e absorption of weak states and Tor open
doors cyery~nere5 She has lost her monopoly o;
colonies buy in the best market The people Of
the Transyaal and OF the Orange Free State vii!
creased and competition in the business Of
expansion are suggestive. ,.
love 10 Queen Victoria Her death was felt here
me Americau mind with those aggressive seatur.s
OF the British character and foreign policy that
can love FOX her as queen was largely based upon
the belief that her influence VAS used as far as il
might b.. to ameliorate assression and 10 promote
peace The qualities We most admired In her We're
statesmen %hose names my readers are lett 10
catalogue. The universal sorrow and sympathy
try have largely confoundpd and silenced those who
have been saying that America hated Great Britain
ana permanent things ana to allow dissent and
cuticle must not be confounded with heart failure
THE BOER WAR.
Tho insIstencc OF many individuals and Of a very
matter Of .reclprocity.' We must give our sym-
pathy 70 Great Britain IN the Boer war. and the
things In the Dutch administration of the Transvaai
as matters ustyng an armed Intervention by Great
Britain, have very naturally turned my vagrant
thoughts 70 the consideration OF the question
ministTation or the b9ers furnished Justification
for the made by Great Britain upon the Beers
They retrested to the wall. Like the Pilgrims OF
Plymouth Rock they did seek. in the great trek
ness-:t region which. Mr.. Prentiss said would
hold out no temptation to cupidity. no inducement
The Pilgrims found. but the Boers missed, their
freemen might live unmolcstcd was but the lid Of
4 vast treasure box. Riches are the destruction
OF the weak When a strong man armed keepeth
his palace, his goods are in pence But strong
is I'm the positive, and this scripture tells US what
happens when stronger shall come upon him"
The British Intervention in South Africa was not
,,n, 90 10 "a S pI m, r,i U - NOT only con
tent with the government they had instituted. but
IN its defence that took no account of age or sex
No foer in the Transyaal desired to become a
British subject, but very many British subjects IN
the Cape Colony were 50 unappreciatiVe OF the ad-
s.onately desired to throw it off for a citizenship
in a Dutch republic In other words, the men no
were dscortcnted and rebellious were not the citi
zens Of the Transvaal Of the Orange Free State.
hTt those of Dutch descent whose grand
fathers had by conquest become Brltsh subjects.
The political conditions in Cuba, when we inter
yened. were the very opposite OF those those, In me
Cubans. We co-operated to free them from the
power OF government whose expressions and
cruelties had many times before driven them into
against united people living in content-an ig-
norant content # you Please-un4der 4 government
Intervention ostensbly the interests of British
That any self-respectins government. which
strong enough make it's diplomatic notes express
its true emotions, would have answered Great
Britain's complaints by fiat refusal TO discuss
them, the ground that they related to matters
Of internal administration; that such would have
been the answer Of the United States. II we had
stood in the place OF the Transvaal Republic can
not be doubted-and there is more room for
doubt that the answer would have terminated the
discussion. II the subject of naturalization is not
a matter 10 be determined by a nation for itself
and solely upon consideration of its own inter
ests and safety. there is no subject that is free
from the meddlesome intervention of other States.
There was plainly call for an armed interyen-
by the United States in South Africa and per
diplomatic suggestions went far as
usage would Justify. But has public opinion
here been somehow strongly perverted, put
der some unwonted repression? IL we have lost
either the right tn denounce aggression. the
capacity to weep when a republic dies. ii is a
Ericvous loss.