Washington Journal., 1914-12-12

Europe on O national basis.
We do not believe In incorporating
in u Empire any parts of nations
that are not Of Il own language and
ace The history of Europe has
shown us the danger Of such a thing,
The difficulties between France and
Germany are over the French-speak
ng population in Lorraine; the small
Internal differences in Germany came
because OF some millions of Poles and
thirty thousand Danes; the trouble
between Austria and italy Is because
II a few hundred thousand Italian
speaking people under Austrian gov
eminent. England had what nearly
amounted to a civil war because OF
Ireland. The trouble in Russia is on
account Of the Poles, Firms and Baltic
Germans: and Austria, the country OF
many nations. is not very strong just
for this very reason. And as to over
sea possessions, as | said before. there
are enough To be had without borrow
ing trouble; especially IN Africa,
where considerable parts OF land lend
themselves TO colonization by the
white man.
Even there our ambitions do not go
very far and we are quite content with
What We have, and with our spheres CT
influence in Mesopotamia, and some
countries such as Morocco, thai o civ
ilized nation with great resources an6
inventive genius might open to the
worlds culture. All assertions tina
our ambition goes beyond this are i'm
true, and simply invented for the pur
pose Of rousing distrust between tho
United States and a country that hli
Tor generations been the friend of the
Stars and Stripes. and that has neve.
gone to war with you as England hat
done.
| have read in your papers state
ments to the effect that probably ths
next thing Germany would do afte
the close OF the present war would be
to invade the United States or take
Brazil. Why not say the same of Eng
land? She has always had 4 navy
twice the size Of that of any other ma.
ton; she is now creating a big army
she has always been aggressive; she
has conquered half the world; she mas
shown utter disregard OF treaties: she
has coaling stations all along the
American coast, which form q lighting
basis from Halifax down to the Falk.
lands and from Chile up to British
Columbia; she controls the entrance.
to the Panama Canal; she Is even new
debating to Uncle Sam her own rights
and laws in regard to c%ontraband.
seizing American petroleum, selling
American ships flying the Stars and
Stripes, ~harrassing American citizens,
cutting wireless stations as she pleas
es, manning the trade of America,
locking up the Mediterranean, the
North Sea. the Red Sea and the Per
sian Gulf.
Why not consider navyism under
the same light that we do militarism ?
| ask, who is b%ulldozlng the world, in
GLIDING America, at this present mo-
ment? England wants to rule the
seas There lies her power; thence
comes her commerce and therefore her
riches. Whenever a nation that 10 but
humans | think the English are
poses as being ON a higher level than
any other nation, doing everything
for the benefit of the under dog, be-
cause of altruism and a recognition
of the ~sacredness Of her given word
disclaiming emphatically any self-in-
terest. while at the same time adver-
Using through her writer's the lofti-
ness of her intentions, ! cannot help
feeling suspicious, and everybody else
should, it seems to me, feel the same
way.
Americans have been hearing a
great deal about the English angel
without wings standing with a sword
drawn for the protection of liberty,
! freedom and humanity and just
causes. using as w%atchwords the fight
against m~ilitarism, the principle that
might Is right, the infringement of the
Monroe Doctrine. and so on. She has
sem q host of English authors OF a
very special type to defend her case.
read articles by w. X. Chesterton.
Hall Game, II. G. Wells Sir Arthur
Conan Doyle. and other writer's OF
fiction. They consider the American
people q sentimental people, prefer
ring humane stories to the cold truth,
(, fiction 10 facts, and unused to doing
their own thinking. Well, fiction is
what these men are writing; that Is
their business. and the gentleman who
detailed the English case In the issue
of The Saturday Evening Post Of
October seventeenth. Mr.. Arnold Ben
nett, Is an artist of no common attain
ments.
But | shall make free to dig some
what deeper into what | see to be the
reason for the English attitude. ENG
land has created q large shipping
trade and acquired enormous pos
sessions oversee. and she felt secure in
her supremacy. She was uneasy only
no account OF the United States. which
Until Germany doomed up IN the
horizon as q big power-she tried 10
treat as she was treating Germany be-
fore the war. But now she feels that
her absolute sway is in danger. Even
in her own domain she does a very
large share only by foreign help.
Most OF the big bankers, from Roths-