New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1917-04-24

should have ceased to have any real tie
binding us to all the other peoples who
spoke common language No one can
have been in England, in Canada, IN
Australia. since the war and not have felt
low greatly American neutrality had
changed the conditions of other times.
Conversely, having entered the war we
have created relation far more intimate
than had subsisted since the American
Revolution. The fact that the United
States declared war upon Germany, that
the President Of the United States in his
declaration Of faith repeated the words
and reiterated the sentiments that have
expressed for all men else Of English
tongue the purpose and the character
of the war, will be remembered when
much else Of greater Importance to the
present generation is forgotten.
Not easily, not promptly, did Englishmcn
understand this war or the underlying
issues. Like ourselves, they long believed
that it was impossible that men supposed
" civilized, presumably animated by high
purposes and responsive TO the instincts
of humanity and decency, could do what
the Germans were doing in France and
Belgium. Long after German crimes had
become notorious there were Englishmen
who refused to believe that even German
would war on women, murder children, set
an iron heel upon all that was sacred and
binding upon men of honor the world over.
Once, however, this fact was borne home
upon England, once the truth of the Ger
man assault became established, then the
war took on a new character for all Eng
lisbmen, character that it will have until
the end. To-day the least educated, the
least informed, of Englishmen has a single
simple formula for the war. He Will tell
YOU in his own phrase, "This sort Of thing
must be stopped" He means Prussianism,
whether expressed in murder in the air, be-
meath the water, or practised upon the I'M
fortunate victims Of Belgium and France.
Had we in the United States remained
neutral in such a war, there might never
have been again chance of real friend
shin between our country and the men
not merely of Great Britain, but Of Can
ada. Australia, New Zealand, South Afri-
ca. We should have seemed in their eyes
TO have remained silent in the presence
Of a great wrong, to have given by that
silence color of Endorsement TO all that
Germany was doing in the world, not to
the harm Of Englishmcn, of citizens OF
the British Empire, but to civilization,
to the ideals we still professed while others
nations fought for them.
All this has vanished now. We have
entered the war, and the hour that we
entered was an hour favorable to new
understanding between the English-speak-
ing people of the greatest Republic and
of the greatest Empire in the world. The
coming of Mr.. Balfour and his associates
is only one sign, the first. Never in our
history has there been a moment when
the future relations between our country
and Great Britain could be placed on so
favorable a basis for both countries and
basis 50 valuable to the peace and to
the progress of the world.
For nearly century and half Rev
dictionary memories have been cherished
as basis for hatred Of the British people
and of Great Britain. The stupidity
Of school books has seemed almost to
take on the character of German propa-
canda. The incitations of Irish agitators
have been permitted to influence interna-
tional relations and to accentuate inter
national bad feeling. We have continued
to hate the English, from whom we won
our independence, at precisely the time
that Englishmen admired US most for
fcb+inC for exactly the same ideals they
have served and fought for through long
centuries.
It will be a thing of incalculable ad-
vantage to ourselves, TO the cause Of
liberty and democracy the world over, if
for the future American and English re-
lations can be placed on a basis Of real
friendship, of mutual trust and equal re-
gard. Between Britain and France there
IL