New-York tribune., 1916-07-29
A MORAL ISSUE INVOLVED
Great Britain Deserves Support Regardless
of Business Considerations.
o the Editor Of The Tribune.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: After reading Mr. Quigg's letter ia
your issue this morning I spent little time
in reflection thereupon. Ny mind went back
to the time of the War Of the Rebellion. whes
| was travelling salesman working in Ii.
counties of Lancashire and Cheshire, in Eng.
land. There found the cotton mills Of tho
whole district shut down for want Of cotton
Workingmen who had saved a few pounds
had TO draw out their savings. sell Their bits
OF furniture and live on charity as best h.y
could. Others who had had no chance to save
were from the first dependent upon charity
for subsistence. IL is said something Ike
three millions of men, women and childrr
were in want for no fault Of their own, bv.
simply because the blockade of the Confei.
eracy kept cotton from the English mills.
II was not TO be wondered at that there was
a cry raised in favor of cooperation with the
French Emperor to raise the blockade Nov,
what was il that restrained the British gov.
ernment from such action? Great Britain
was making nothing out of the war as this
country is now doing out Of the European
war II was not fear, for there is no cues.
tion at all but such recognition Of the Con.
federacy would have resulted in the estsb.
ernment There might have been some minor
reasons for her restraint. but the chief on.
was moral and religious conviction ths.
slavery was at the bottom of the controversy
Self-interest apart from this, did not cone
into effective consideration. II was not Eng
land first" it was not safety first" nor anI
such motive. II was felt by the thinking
people. with the Queen at their head. that
take the course referred 10 would result ia
the establishment Of a slave power among
the Christian peoples. The idea was abhcr'
rent TO all the ideals of the British people
Now, if you please, compare this attituds
with that represented by Mr.. Quigg and those
writer's in the public press of the day. Can
il not be said with absolute truth that the
moral question, not to say anything OF the
religious, has no place at all in their writings
on the subject? The complaints against the
British government are all based upon money
considerations No account seems 20 be taken
of the immense undertaking England has on
her hands. No account of the fact that she,
with her Allies, is fighting the battle Of CIV
lization, justice, honor and freedom. No se'
count even of the fact that our country h"
been made richer by the war. and, according
20 Republicans, thereby saved from the dread
full results of the Underwood tariff law
All the cry is: "Our rights have been De-
MED u.s.; "Some Of our citizens have been
prevented from helping the Germans; "son'
of our letters have been delayed; "Ameries
first; safety first" II is true there IS 70
suffering 10 complain Of, no injury 70 boF
or mind, no lives taken, no property tsni
without payment, no homes destroyed-tn
simply matter Of financial gain preyenteS
How different all this from the attitude
England when three millions Of her peeps
were starving or kept by charity, and y
dispatch of her fleet would have opened y
ports of the Confederacy and started all
cotton mills and filed the empty stomaehs"
the workingmen of the two countresl ;"
was restrained by moral and religious consF
erations
In all the history of England there IS nov
ing more noble than her action IN keepis
faith with France and Belgium and her coz
templated destruction OF the hated Gern''
militarism, with its cry of Germany 0"'
all"
received word from an old chum OF niy
years ago that he has nine children gr'.,,
children and nephews at "the front"
brother-in-law. the leader in three mlsslo.'
tells of all the young men gone and Irs Is..
ing list of them kept. My grandson, w
leyan minister, reports similar condition.
SAMUEL II. HODGES
Crawford n ! July "a 1916