The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-05-20
ELEcTRlFlEs THE WORLD.

ELEcTRlFIEs THE. WORLD.
Again does. American generosity
and ~benevolence startle the universe
and American open-handedness cause
the p%urse-tied nations of the old world
to gasp in establishment. Scarcely
has the last tick of the instrument
been recorded that brings the news
of the disaster which has befallen the
people of another nation ere our con-
gress as n man votes of the coun-
try's plenty to succor those upon
whom the hand of providence has fall
en- with such crushing weight. Ma
tional effort to relieve distress and aid
the suffering is supplemented by in
dividual contribution and money and
stores are showered upon the afflict-
ed before they have yet time to COM
prehend the awfulness of the calam-
ity which has visited them. 1t makes
no difference that the needy are under
the protection of a powerful and
wealthy nation and that they speak
a tongue different than ours and that,
nothing stronger than the ties of COM
mon humanity binds them to us. The
much with which that providence that
visited them has endowed us is at
their disposal and freely is it offered.
Ships loaded with all that was suppos-
ed would be needed were speeding
across the intervening stretch of wa
tiers almost as soon as we had learn
ed that distress existed and help was
required. Having helped those of an
other nation and with but little in
common with us, we next turn our
kindly attention to those who are sub
jects of a nation with whom we may
be said to stand in closer relations.
But the help accorded to the one is no
more cheerfully given than is the as
sistance rendered to the other. Both
represent membership in the great
brotherhood of man and the n is as
much entitled to our sympathy and
aid as is the other. To both we give
freely and without stint.
BY the promptness with which we
act we shame both nations upon whom
the claims of the afflicted are the
strongest and who should be the first
to do what we have done. We are
not callous as the one and phlegmatic
as the other. The cry of distress has
reached our ears and those who rep
resent us in the government of the ma
ton with the spontaneity ever char
acteristic of the American people
when suffering demands our attention
vote with generous hand to give of the
nations stores that suffering and dis
tress may be alleviated as far as hui
man agencies in a time like this can
alleviate them. While our congress
is acting, a British cabinet gives the
cold comfort that is to be derived from
the solemn and complacent assurance
that it has 'the matter under consid.
Grafton" Precedence entering large
ly into the deliberations of all legis-
lative bodies, it is to be hoped that
the one established by the American
congress in the present instance may
not be without results and that the
English gentlemen sitting in parlia-
ment may cov sufficiently from
surprise occasioned by the acts
of Il own body of like character to
enable them to follow the example
now before them. AS one of their cab
met expressed himself when the prop
osition of voting aid by parliament
was suggested, such a thing may have
never been heard of in that body, but
it would be the proper thing to do to
break the rules and give assistance
where it is sorely needed.
It is admitted that right now Eng
land is not as wealthy as it might be
and that it cannot afford to be as gen.
as the United States, but for
all that it should not be content to
act in a merely perfunctory manner
when it's people are In distress
and allow the much ridiculed yam