Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-07-12
THE
BRITISH
CRISIS
IoNnnN Yulu Q 1910.

LONDON, July 2. 1910.
The English nation is obsessed by the
fear Of competition. Whether 1t be In the
matter of naval equipment, or in the
more prosaic business of making ana
selling iack-knives, the same fear. the
same dread, the same evil spirit Is In
possession of the souls of the English
neople. It is extremely difficult for an
American to appreciate the depth OF TINS
widespread feeling. but it is none the less
necessary to consider it because 1t Is the
fruitful source OF the succession of panics
which have SO upset the domestic Quie'
Of this little island. and which so seriously
threaten the future peace of King
Georges people.
The millions Of German workmen pro-
ducing manufactured wares under the
skillful direction of scientifically trained
masters brighten your thinking John Bull
more than does the army of millions OF Ger
man soldiers The subsidized German mer-
chant marine. with its depots and traoing
houses in every port of the world. Is q
greater menace In the mind Of tie English
business man than is the rapidly multi
plying fleet of German dreadnOughts IN
the North sea.
England and is the greatest manufactu-
and it's business is growing from year
to year The trouble Is that 1t Is not
growing as rapidly in proportion as is
the business of other countries. particu-
larly Germany and the United States.
These rivals, especially Germany. are
catching up with Great Britain in the
race for commercial and INDUSTRIAL su-
premacy Every day the Briton feels the
did the day before. He does not know
what to do, although he invenfs new
remedy every night only to. abandon II
in the morning. He only knows that ne
is frightened and. being English, ne
cannot, will not and does not hide 1t.
-
The trouble is old and deep seated
When all the rest Of the world was
busy with cut
Trouble Is Old ting threats in
and Deep Seated. ine mo forests In
America, England was at work calmly
applying the newly discovered art of ma
chinery to the business 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 prac-
tically no competition, and the world.
needing these manufactured wares, ac-
customed itself to buying them from Eng
land, made as the English thought they
should be made, sold In the fashion set
by Englishmen and distributed in Eng
lish ships.
Generation succeeded generation. and
these British commercial customs and
habits became fixed-became q part OF
the infiexible code Of British proprieties.
Now 1t must be remembered that many
of these habits were good ones-the
British made good wares, very substan-
tial, very heavy and rarely. II ever. bad
or cheap. Be 1t said to his everlasting
| credit that the British manufacturer
| thought more CT his reputation for honest
work than he did Of the demand of a
certain class of trade which asked Tor
| cheap and shoddy wares. But the trou-
BILE was that other habits, not SO praise
worthy, became equally as infiexible
The whole vast structure OF the British
empire, political and commercial. has
been built by rule Of thumb. Lack OF
| definite program, subserviency to expedl'
| ents and a disposition to settle every or.
| ference 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
Prussia Ab0llSheS failed to establish
M, his modern world
N"Ae VI AA""' empire. Prussia set
| to work to abolish the rule Of thumb. 1t
e,,hc xoA A. cfr nufH frSy.