Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-01-08
BRITAIN'S FUTURE
ALLIANCE WITH U. S.
Strongest Guarantee of Worlds
Commercial Freedom in
History
BY GILBERT VIVIAN SELDES
Special Corres sDoHderce ErcJiRD Public Ledge



LONDON, Dec. IA.
rNHE NEW AGE is magazine published
i every week in London; it has what
would consider very small circulation and
it's chief purpose is TO propagate the Ideas
Of the National Guilds solution of the
lf Dor question. OF that more will he said
within tie next five years thar has been said
Of any economic scheme in the last nifty.
For the moment. however, would draw
attention to another side of this weekly's
activities No matter how bitterly its eco
nonic policy is assailed, the New Age has
established itself as a keen and able COM
mentator on foreign affairs. Whatever else
may be wrongheaded childish or stupid about
the New Age it's editorial notes on foreign
affairs written, presumably, by Mr.. orage,
and its department Of foreign ahalrs, written
BY = Verdad. are granted an uncommon de-
gree Of common sense.
The New Age has caught, a little more rap
idly and n little more clearly than any other
publication, the underlying motif OF future
diplomacy. II expresses this week the Brit
ish side of question which interests us
exceedingly; the American side OF II de-
scribed in a recent communication TO thls
paper | said then that however we Amer
leans feel about our inevitable correlation
with Britain in matters Of foreign policy.
Britain Is bound to realize very shortly that
everything she does in foreign anairs must
he conditioned by the fact that she Is our
ALL.
"World-Balance Of Power"
The New Age puts it, this way Gin para
phrase for brevity): The choice before Great
Britain is between Europe and America. Nat
ura!Iy the habit Of centuries interest and in
terfercnce in European territorial questions
irclines her TO the European solution. But
the appearance Of America makes possible
another way: that is, the word-balance Of
mower as opposed 10 the Europen Balance.
The New Age is inherently. insstently demo-
cratic. II openly advocates the American
solution and the creation of a world balance
of power.
The phrase balance of power is know,
an unhappy one. upon which the sins of ten
nations have been laid. No one cares to
argue that the idea is good one since the
practice has failed. We are not. however
concerned with the idea; but with the fact
We realize that Europe is still obsessed with
the rage for territory, and in the scramble
for possessions or for concessions or for
spheres of influence you must have diclerIng
and compromise and you must have a ball
ance of power or YOU will get tyranny The
whole idea of the League of Nations is TO
establish permanent and preponderating
balance against an aggressor,
At present the Aplerican solution is I'm the
permanent balance, the stable equilibrium
the European idea is the shifting balance. the
eQuhltS vi spdseu Oh secret treaties
open treaties. the you-scra tch-my back etc
system of national friendships. Compare tbs
speeches OF NJ. Clemenceau with those of Mr.
Wilson. NJ. Clemenceau has twenty times
the experience of the President. and he is
hard and cynical he may even be right in his
contempt for lofty ideals. But the fact is
| that he has played the ancient game Of Eu-
ropean politics so we'll that II has got into
| his blood. Or listen to Sir Edward Carson
| with his arrogant Talk to me of a Leagua
| OF Nations" Sir Edward Is not generarIr
| considered either a great man or a great
| thinker. except by few Clsterites. He 10
| fulNof the European tradition Mr.. wiIson
| is out OF 1t, and the noblest sign of our time.
| is that really great men in every countr,,
| including Germany, are falling out of ~.
| ranks of that bitter tradition. ''e
Union for Commercial Freedom
The League Of Nations Is a good ral,v,n.
point we ought not to consider IL as snv
| thing more, for We may not be able 10 put 4,
| into practice. Even II we do NOT. or ava,
| II we do. and 1t fails. we are In duty bopnd
| to consider the effort worth while Because
every convert to that idea is a deserter fron,
| the ranks Of the imperialist army hich
= sun TOO croEded tor comfor<. II Il fsii
- cfiI1 hov4 ro1>othlr1 80 ~ ~ 49,