Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1902-02-26
NO TIME FOR coouETRY.
England Objects to Uncle Sans FIirta
ton With Germany.

London, Feb. 26.-Frederck Green
wood, the we'll known writer on polit-
ical subjects, has an article in the Pal
Mall Gazette en- the United States
Germany and Great Britain in which
he says:
"a more rapid or more striking
change of scene has rarely been wit
messed than when short while ago the
sun went down upon Germany, raging
/ full front against these shores, to rise
the next day upon the same Germania
with her plaits in order, blowing kisses
/ to the United States. Tho the cores
pondents of our newspapers in the
! United States have done their best in
assuring us again and again that the
merest Irritation is meant, and eXhort-
| ing us to doubt not the genuine affec-
| tons of America are fixed on England
a long weeks unhappiness awaits us.
Indeed, at the first glimpse of what
was going on in Germany and the
United States, there was some grief and
much surprise in England, and neither
has been done away with. Whispers
of the sundering of ties of gratitude and
forgotten bonds of obligation arose I'M
tesr would have been not only mo: e
dignified, but more business like. 1t
would have been more business-lik
even il the services rendered to the
United States by our government had
been greater than these we hear OF. and
II, in asserting them, they had not been
unfortunately exposed to contradiction
and dispute. Until Lord Cranborne
opened the subject England's services
to America at the crisis of the quarrel
with Spain were but vaguely known on
either side of the Atlantic, except to an
official few. By degrees we in England
were getting prouder and prouder OF
the good turn we had contrived for our
American cousins. tho we didn't know
exactly what it was. In the meantime.
our American cousins We're melting to
ad adequate sense of gratitude, tho
they did not know exactly why.
"One thing, however, is generally I'M
derstood. If the friendship was Eng
lish the cnmity was German. What
ever was it's scope and intention, the
plot was made in Germany. How
ever baffied, 1t was baffied by Eng
land. Therefore, 1t must be allowed
that England might naturally be over
come with chagrin for the moment,
when at the very time the German
quarrel rose to it's worst, her enemy
and her friend were seen running to
embrace. Did our old political instinct
remain unimpaired we should have felt
that there was not much pride in re-
calling claims to. gratitude. nor even
much wisdom. for such claims are
most in danger when reproachfully
asserted.
Friendship there was in what we
did, but policy also. AS independent
consideration it is not foolishness but
wisdom and something more if the
Americans decide that German inter-
ference was all in the game This we
ought to be sensible of. The Ameri-
cans can be quite sufficiently grateful
to England for a kindly turn, and yet
cherish no long resentment for what
on the other hand was neither a very
novel nor unfair stroke of diplomacy.
The reception of Prince Henry may
bring us solid benefits. We do not all
know how to value the first correction
OF the kith-and-kin illusion. Indeed,
the most excellent consequence of the
second and clearer understanding of
the conditions upon which the United
States enters upon Its imperial career
and of the obligations prescribed to
its government by wisdom as much as
by necessity is that it's foreign policy
demands complete freedom from all
understandings and alliances except
such as have a definite limited and
purpose"