New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-11-10


rcsentative of American thought IN this
respect for their immediate constituencies
are by comparison. rather European than
American IN their interests English
men arc thus frequently mislcd a to
American opinion 10y eeing tho comment
Of New York newspapers. for example.
which do not I'm the least express ma
tional but merely local opinion.
The British may regret American IN
difference. American blindness. American
lack of sympathy. They may criticlse IT,
but what is Of prime importance IS that
they should recognize it for what II Is.
And 1t is not an opinion on which they
can base expectation for special favors or
liberal application of international laws.
In a word, American opinion is American
opinion: il is of it, own sort; IT grows out
OF a long history, out OF many years of
isolation from world affairs and out of a
tradition that only i'm such isolation is
there security
There are thousands Of Americans who
hope to see the Allies win. From these
there is steadily flowing money; not few
of them have sent sons to fight for France
or Great Britain. There is no hostility
outside of the ranks of the Americans
whose derivation is Teutonic. But there
are millions OF Americans who are as to-
tally unconcerned as were millions Of Brit
ish at the time Of the Civil War.
This the British must understand. The
United States is officially and in the mind
Of the majority of its citizens neutral 1t
will not favor British interests at the eX-
pense Of German; il will not deliberately
help Great Britain to blockade Germany;
il will not forego legal rights for British
benefit, because. as a nation and as a
people, Americans do not accept the view
that either British or German success is
desirable for America-or dangerous.
II Mr.. Wilson had been leader, if he
had been a forceful. determined statesman,
this country would have followed him to
any length Immediately after the Lusi-
tania Massacre. But apart from that time
there has been no considerable sentiment in
favor of any action which would enlist the
United States in the general world war.
Many Americans bitterly regret this fact,
but their regret does not change the fact, !
and the fact is for British craftsmanship
to face.
In the immediate dispute the British are
saved by reason Of our arbitration treaty
from all danger of war. Apart from the
propaganda press there is no desire or
support for hostile action to assert our
rights. The question of an embargo will
be fully debated in Congress before it is
actually settled. and no man can forecast
the outcome.
But. speaking as a friend, speaking as
newspaper which is thoroughly in sym
pathy with the aims and purposes of
both France and Great Britain in their
contest with German militarism, The Trib |
une warns the British that it is an mex
cusable and fatal blunder to persist in the
notion that America sees things as the
British do. accepts the British view that
the war is for civilization and therefore for
the future benefit Of mankind. Many
Americans believe this; their views are
constantly reported in England but they
are a small minority of Americans, and
their view will not and can not prevail.
The very best thing the British can do,
If they would understand American opin-
ion now, is to examine carefully both Brit
ish action and British public opinion as
expressed in the newspapers of the Civil
War period. Let them recall that every
Northerner, then. believed he was fighting
TO save his country Just as implicitly as
Britons now believe they are striving to
save Britain. Let them remember that
the North early convinced itself that the
battle was being fought to end human
slavery and that the war was thus a war
for civilization. Let them then recall the
Trent affair. in which they were in the
right; the Alabama case, in which they
were wholly in the wrong, and perhaps
the American state of mind will he intelli-
gible.
But whether this prove the case or not,
let them recognize what American opinion
is. They will thus save themselves bitter
establishment They will thus escape
dangerous self-delusion. There is no
sympathy for the Allied cause in this
country which will compel or influence the
President to deal gently with the British.
There Is no appreciation of the fact, if it
be fact, that the American future is
being settled on European battefields. This
country is following it's own course; it is
faithful to its history and tradition in
avoiding foreign entanglements, and as a
country it totally rejects the notion that
the war which means life or death to the
British Just now means anything to it. |
And when the Civil War was being fought !
out Europe adopted exactly the same