El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-07-12

ONDON, England, July 12.-The
English nation is obsessed by the
fear of competition. Whether it
be in the matter of naval equipment, or
in the more prOsaic business of making
and selling jack knives, the same fear,
the same dread, the same evil spirit,
is in possession Of the souls of the Eng
lish people. 1t is extremely difficult
for an American TO appreciate the depth
of this widespread feeling, but it is none
the less necessary to consider it, because
ii is the fruitful source of the success
sion of panics which have so upset the
domestic quiet of this little island, and
which seriously threaten the future
peace of king Georges people.
The millions of German wOrkmen
producing manufactured wares under
the skilfuI direction of scientifically
trained masters brighten your thinking
John Bull more than does the army of
millions of German soldiers. The SUBJ
stdized German merchant marine, with
its depots and trading houses in every
port of the world, is greater menace
in the mind of the English business man
than is the rapidly multiplying fleet of
German DreadnOughts in the North Sea.
Manufacturing interests Large.
England still is the greatest manu-
featuring and mercantile nation in the
world, and its business is growing from
not growing as rapidly in proportion
as is the business of other countries.
particularly Germany and the United
States These rivals, especially Ger
many, are catching up with Great Brit
ain in the race for commercial and in
dustrial supremacy- Every day the
Briton feels the force of this cOmpeti-
ton more than he did the day before.
He does not know what to do, although
he 1nventS a new remedy every night
only TO abandon it in the morning. He
only knows that he is frightened and.
being English. he cannot, Will not and
does not hide it.
The trouble is old and deep-seat ted.
When all the rest of the world was busy
with cutting Threats in Europe and fell
ing forests in America, England was at
work calmly applying the newly dis
covered art Of machinery to the bust
ness of turning raw products from every
part of the world into manufactured
wares to be sold back to every part of
the world. 1t had practically no COM
petition, and the world. needing these
| manufactured wares, accustomed itself
| TO buying them from England, made as
the English thought they should be
made, sold In the fashion set by Eng
ishmen and distributed in English ships
Reputation for Honest Work
Generation succeeded generation, and
| habits became fixed-became a part
of the inflexible code of British pro-
prieties. Now 1T must be remembered
! that many of these habits were good
ones-the British made good wares
very substantial, very heavy and rarely,
| If ever. bad or cheap. Be il said to his
everlasting credit that the British man.
| ufacturer thought more of his reputa-
| ton for honest work than he did for the
/ demand Of a certain class of trade which
asked for cheap and shoddy wares. But
the trouble was that other habits, not
so praisewOrthy, became equally as in
| flexible.
| The whole vast structure of the Brit
/ ish empire. political and commercial, has
been built by rule of thumb. Lack Of
a definite program, subSeryiency TO ex-
| pedients, and q disposition TO settle
every difference by a compromise. are
| the chief characteristics of British
| policy.
After the French revolution had de-
| stroyed the old order in Europe and after
Napoleon had failed to establish his
modern world empire, Prussia set TO
work TO abolish the rule of thumb. IT
substituted scientific strength for brute
strength in its military arm, it began TO
/ consider men more valuable assets
! than dollars, and it compelled every
| thing and everybody to work with
Z
toward the accomplishment of a def
mite purpose. It required many years to
do its work but Prussia took no backward
step. 1t wrested and sceptre of
German power from Austria. 1t broke
the spell of French magnificence, It
united Germany under its captaincy,
and then it set to work to build up its
commerce.
German Advance Steady.
The German commercial advance has
been steady and rapid. 1t has left
nothing to chance. The government has
aided and encoura ged the manufacturer
by substituting a merchant marine, by
granting special privileges TO German
trading houses abroad. by furnishing
cheap transportation at home and by
conserving the brain and Drawn of the
workman. And the Germans have no
habit or custom in business which they
will not change TO suit the within or con-
venience of prospective customer.
In the recent general election cam
paign in England the Conservative
party capitalized the fear of competition
and was able to create a great popular
sentiment In favor of protective tariff
despite the sacred memory of Golden
and the "reminiscences of those old men
who had lived through the hungry for
+, ties" Any speaker who could paint the
German as q business competitor fitch
ing the bread from the mouth of the
British workman was sure to win the
enthusiastic plaudits of his auditors. 1t
was device which rarely failed.
4