Trench and camp., 1919-04-03
some FACTS ABOUT THE BRITISH

consAituti0n en- English lines" (Con-I
ysrs Reedl. So did Italy when de-
moeracy triumphed there; 30, too, did
other states.
They stand for civilization. The
record of Germany in her African
colonies has been q record Of ex-
ploitation and alaughter-everyth
for the German-nothing, not even
life, for the native. The English colo
NAL policy has been founded on the
principle that "the interests Of the
native subjects are to be consulted I'm
preference to those Of Europeans
wherever the two come in competi-
tion." In the English colonies slaugh-
ter and slavery have ceased. The
antaGenism Of tribe against tribe has
given way to political unity. The
arbitrary life and death decrees Of
petty chiefs have given way to the
enforcement Of q common law that
all men may trust. Constant warfare
has given way to peace. Roads and
railroads have been built; postal IA
cilities provided; and the great doo4-
way Of education has been opened.
They stand for fair play. That ia
why they have safeguarded native
rights in the colonies. That is why
they have enforced q common law.
They stand for fair play In trade.
Other nations have tried to monopo-
lize the trade of their own colonies.
England has always given to every
nation Of the w0rld full trading rights
in every English colony. England
has outstripped US in social justice.
Nowhere in the world, perhaps, has
recent legislation been more, liberal
in providing for the necessities Of the
poor. Old-age pensions for the aged
poor and national insurance against
sickness, disability and unemploy-
ment for the laboring classes are suf-
ficient evidences of that fact. More
than that, in child-welfare acts,
sweatshop regulations, minimum
wage laws, and national employment
bureaus England has gone much far
ther than we have ourselves in the
direction of preventing the expfoita-
ton of the poor by the rich" (Con-
yers Read). And it was the sense OF
fair play that brought England In
when Germany tore up the neutrality
of Belgium like a scrap Of paper.
What the Tommy Stands For
Perhaps the Englishmen you saw
seemed to you a clannish lot. Per-
haps they seemed to you ofish and
reserved. Perhaps they didn't talk
the way we do. Perhaps they didn't
laugh at your jokes. and perhaps you
couldn't laugh at theirs. Well, what
Of II? The chances are that II you
had only stayed with them long
enough to really know them you
might have come to see the sterling
heart of them underneath.
The 27th Division trained with the
British and fought with the British.
The chaplain of that Division was
Father Francis Kelley, who received
the American Distinguished Service
Cross for bravery under fire. He
knows the British, and this is what
he says: Friendships were soon
struck between the British Tommy
and the Americans Of the Twenty
seventh and the Thirtieth Divisions
friendships many Of which continue
to the present and will continue long
into the future.
Gen. Plumner, with whom we
first served, greeted US with the re-
mark that the best they had was none
too good for US and that anything
which we wished would be ours for
the simple asking-provided, OF
course, it was within their power Of
giving, and this we found to be car
ried out in perfect truth during our
sojourn on the British front.
"Our first real engagement with
the British was at Mt. KENNEL, and
here we found not the social but the
fighting Tommy. We soon discovered
that he could be as brave as he could
be kind; that he could be as courage
GUS as he was affable-and after the
first ten days Of work in the lines our
lads came cut vouching for the state
ment that the Tommy was for Us q
splendid fighting companion.
1T is needless for me to detail to
you all the wonderful qualities Of the
lighting Englishman. Well nigh onto
four years cs ferrous warfare, We
found them strong ard valiant as well
ss spierdidiy disciplined. Never, foE
q 2:oYnsnt, did we see any eyidenee
Of roer rlnrale; on the other hand
we continually found in them every
evidence Of an army well trained
both at home and in the field.
'"The splendid impressions which
we received OF our English allies In
the beginning lasted to the end and
shall last while memory serves IN
We carried back to America with al
nothing hut kindest thoughts Of those
with whom We served. proud to have