The Daily Missoulian. [volume] (Missoula, Mont.) 1904-1961, 1918-01-06
Unity
Greatest Entente Weapon
Against Prussianism

Have you ever heard anyone say that
he was good American" but "a poor
Englishman?" Did you realize that
that utterance was consciously or un-
consciously. for the most part let us
hope unconsciously, the result OF def
mite propaganda created, nourished
and paid for by agents and money that
came from Berlin any time in the last
30 years? Today we are the COM
rades in arms OF Great Britain and
France. Nothing Is so imperative for
the successful prosecution OF the war
as corporation, harmony, and an alb
solute unity of aim. an absolute trust
each in the other. Scarcely anything
Is therefore more to the German pur-
pose than the preservation and develop
ment Of the old antipathies and feel
ings, based necessarily on past issues
n century or a century and half old.
long since forgotten and never very
real; past errors and blunders upon
most of which the best English and
American historians have been pretty
thoroughly agreed for the last genera
ton were errors of misunderstanding
and not the result of real antipathies.
Sometimes this propaganda is pretty
direct, as In its espousal Of the Irish
home rule movement, the denunciation
OF the sins OF the English against Ire
land. At other times it attempts to
maintain the racial sentiments of the
non English speaking elements OF our
population with the general idea, bet
n apvthipp than IN u1ioh
In all seriousness. do you wish to
take your thinking from Berlin? DO
you like to have it delivered to you
wrapped up In Il package and paid
for? Have you the faintest notion that
that was where a great many ideas
came from which you embraced simply
because you had heard them or read
them great many times without in
the least having Investigated their
origin or basis?
There are apparently not great
many people in the United States who
realize that there are no independent
states now in existence in Europe or
elsewhere. whatever their attitude to-
ward each other at present, who have
not had in the past very real grew
neighbours. here have been times
when Belgium was as much afraid Of
England as she was later of France
and as she is now of Germany. Italy
has had old scores against France,
Austria, Germany and England. One
has merely to think of the relations of
England and Scotland no longer ago
than the fifteenth and sixteenth centu-
ries to realize how very great antipa-
thies have been between nations whose
CO. operation and respect for one anoth-
err Is now taken as truism.
Time, indeed, Is a great clarifier,
great explainer of misunderstanding
and wars are great periods of crises
in which realities stand forth naked
and unashamed. and when the false
and the sham disappear into the ten
uous misty background Of oblivion.
Then the real interests OF nations ap-
pear and their real friends rally to the
cause.
Yet there are many who for want of
a moments thought do not realize that
the wars and quarrels between the
United States and England never were
at any time, not even during the revo-
luton, as serious. as real as the great
bulk of differences and antipathies be-
tween European nations. Historians
have seen pretty well agreed for a gem
Grafton that the American Revolution
was misunderstanding on both sides,
a misconception due very largely to
conscious Misrepresentation at the
time.
Today every issue raised at that
time is dead. Every difference which
either country thought existed has cer-
tainly disappeared. Every interest
which seemed at that time to clash no
longer exists and there are very few
states in Europe today which have
not more real grievances against their
neighbors and friends and allies than
those which we fancied we had against
England a century and u half ago.
Take, for instance, the fact that
France holds a large part Of the north
African coast between Gibraltar and
Egypt. 1t Is not to the permanent in
terest of England to have France be-
tween her and the Suez Canal, occu-
plying so strong a position on the road
to India, nor is it to the advantage Of
France to have England in Egypt.
The two countries nearly came to
blows over this situation in 1898. On
the other hand, the fundamental in
terests of both countries in defense
against the German military machine
at home are so absolutely identical that
their differencies in Africa sink into |
in comparison.
Yet the divergence in interests be-
tween America and England at the |
time of the war of 1872 was infinitely |
less vital than the question of Egypt |
is today for both Britain and France.
No one is contendng that there We're |
not differences, that there was not jus
LITIGATION for what the Americans |,
thought and for what Enelishmen did. |
The contention which is correct is that |
there are few nations in history who |
have ever existed for as many years |
with as few disccrds and with as little |
reality behind their antipathies as
there have been behind those of Great
Britain and the United States.
The realization of this fact is one of
the most important things in the pros
ecution Of the war; the spread of this