The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-01-08
SNUBBING UNCLE SAM.

Public opinion IN England Is oegln-
ming to make itself felt in opposition
to the understanding by which Eng
land and Germany have agreed not to
participate in the Panama Exposition
at San Francisco. Among the many
influential papers voicing protests
against the governments action are
the London Times and the London
Economist. The London Times is so
astonished by the compact between
Great Britain and Germany that 1t re-
fuses TO believe the understanding
"consists OF any moro than an in
formal exchange Of views containing
at most an assurance that one country
will not participate officially without
informing the other Throughout the
Times s. editorial can be detected an
undertone Of serious alarm at what it
considers an unwarranted slight put
upon the United States. The Times
says:
VIC refrain from discussing the
misconceptions 10 which this negative
arrangement may give rise In the
United States; hut we arc at loss
TO understand how our government
came TO he yoked with the German
government in regard To a mater
which concerns Great Britain and inc
oversea doninions much more nearly
than II can possibly concern the
government or the people OF the Ger
man empire Some Of the British DO
minIons arc taking part officially In
tho exhibitions Germany has no DO
minions in a similar position. 1he
exhibition is being organized In con-
nection with the opening OF the Pan
anna canal: II was Great Britain. not
Germany. that facilitated that gigan-
tic enterprise, now nearing compile
ton. by abrogsting the Clayton-Bul-
wer treaty. We arc moreover, cele-
brating a centenary OF peace between
Great Britain and the United states;
century ago the German empire
did not exist, and Prussia had hardly
thrown of the yoke of Napoleon.
Germany does not and cannot stand
I'm the same relationship as does this
country TO the United States. We
and the Americans have our differ
ences, despite ties Of blood and lam
guage- We arc often woefully ignor-
ant and sometimes prone to suspicion,
OF each other; but when all is said
and done We stand AZ near TO each
the civilized world and II is not right
or desra BILE that our participation in
each othor's enterprises should be eff
fected by any cXtraneous con5idera-
tions
The people Of this country will share
the astonishment OF the Times editor
Boycott is an ugly word, and yet the
agreement between England and Ger
la, ~, %l
nature of a boycott 1t is, of course,
understandable that Great Britain, if
she did not wish TO place an official
exhibit at San Francisco, should seek
to prevent official participation on the
part of her chief commercial rival in
Europe. But why should Great Britain
Wish to withhold an official exhibits
The suggestion that the question of
cost weighs with the English govern
mcnt would appear TO be frivolous. The
fact that misunderstanding exists
with regard TO the Panama Canal tolls
is no reason why great and friend
" nations such as Great Britain and
the United States should break of
friendly trade relations any more than
il is reason why they should break
off diplomatic relations.
Our export business is growing rapid
Iy in most of those markets where Ger
many and Great Britain have been
dominant for many years. 1t is only
natural to expect that both Of these
countries will seek TO maintain their
lead, and Will use all fair and honor
able methods in the competition. But
il hardly seems fair and honorable on
the part OF Great Britain and Germany
to boycott the San Francisco expo
sition.
The United States is the greatest
consuming country in the world, and is
customer Of both Great Britain and
Germany. No country can long buy
more than it sells. Apparently Eng
land achieves this economic paradox
because she puts all the rest of the
world under tribute TO her by carry.
ing freight in her ships and by her in
vestments and loans in foreign coun-
| tries The returns 10 Great Britain
| from these sources make mp what has
|