The Washington herald., 1920-03-07

in the hands of those two classes.
In them there is hope, my friends
tell me, of England's rise from the
chaos of the war. But SO many
things are happening in England to-
day. Not only the foundations, but
the subfoundations, are moving, and
there are undercurrents and coun-
ter currents.
Home-Groyvn Bolshevfsfs.
They; have Bolshevists here, too.
Revolutionists and radicals are
numerous as they are elsewhere,
and few of them are foreigners.
Some wish to reconstruct England
by destroying everything-the so
cial order. the industrial system and
the political structure. The con-
servatives are fighting a hard bat
tie to stave off all changes. The
radicals are clamoring for action,
and there appears to be fair pro-
portion of citizens ready for a
change, but they want to know
what they are changing to before
they give their approval.
England is, indeed, in a state of
transition. Capital, labor, aristo-
Gratis, politics, statesmen-even rad
icals-are changing. The world
wide revolutionary movement has
touched these shores, but the revo-
luton is becoming more and more
one of opinion instead of action, and
there is a very general feeling that
England will come through" with
changed ideas and without a phys
ical upheaval. That Is the hope. any
way, of many citizens in all classes.
Like Americans, the British are
critical. An American banker told
me he had noticed a change in the
attitude of the British bankers to-
ward him since he reached here
from Chicago last June. Secretary
Daniels and Secretary Glass not only
are criticised. hut denounced. John
Bull, one of the newspapers, now
is covering the billboards with ad-
vcrtisements Of articles denouncing
America, but John Bull. to most
Englishmen. is worse than a red
flag. Another morning newspaper,
strangely enough, is conducting an
anti-American propaganda here. and
its American coworker, with a
string of newspapers and magazines
in the United States. is adding oil to
the fires of anti-British feeling in
America Strange bedfellows, in
deed!
Better Glasses Deprecate Surliness.
But the Englishmcn who consider
themselves really English because
they are looking forward to a bet
ter understanding between the two
countries deprecate this agitation
just as we dislike in the United
States those who aid the anti-for-
eign campaigns. II Is all, neverthe-
less, one of the results of the war.
1t appears to be difficult to fight to-
gether without fighting national
friends later.
Coming up in the train from Ply
mouth, sat at table with three
Englishmen-one a Socialist, anoth-
er a soldier and a third a small
trademan. All were criticising the
United States for not sanctioning
the peace treaty, for boosting" the
exchange and for making money
out of the war, but the Socialist,
when I cited to him some things he
had overlooked concerning our coun-
try, finally conceded that the war
made millionaires in Europe just as
II did in America and that our coun-
try should not receive all the blame
for those who made fortunes out of
slaughter. The manner in which he
changed his ideas when he heard
some new facts is typical of the
manner In which thousands of peo-
pie are changing their ideas over
here.
England is. ! repeat, in the midst,
of great changes. They are having
a revolution OF opinion over here.
and opinion IL changing with the ra-
pidity of flashes OF lightning. Some
thing will happen. they say. and
that something will probably be the
formation of labor cabinet.
Lord Haldane may be reading the
on the wall when he
states that the future" looks to la
Dor because. he adds. labor alone
has a vision. But By labor in Eng
land is meant combipation Of the
two classes mentioned earlier In
this article-the serious. earnest
leaders Of the workers and the far
4