Evening star., 1921-03-01
Editorial Digest
War With Britain"

War With Britain"
That anonymous and mysterious
warning from an official of the British
foreign Office to the effect that his coun-
try and ours are "treading the path that
ieads to war" is not taken very seri-
ously by the American press. 1t is,
however. discussed from a number of
angles. The possibility of actual physi-
| cal conflict between Britain and the
| United States is dismissed by the majori-
| ty of editorial writers with the one word
'unthinkable." But at the same time
it is felt that if conditions exist which
would justify such a statement from
an accredited diplomat, even though the
1orelgA Office disclaims any responSibli-
! " in it's utterance both countries should
! need the warning and find out exactly
now Tar apart they are drifting.
SO far as the public knows now the
Kansas City Star independently believes
that there is nothing to justify any
such statement and the man who made
it gives the impression of suffering
from high temperature and case
of nerves. But from the point of view
of most writer's the matter cannot be so
lightly passed over. The St Louis Star
tindependent welcomes the "salutary
4 'iitNt biiftt d W di ilIHS iSSucu uiIuCh Su>ii
circumstances is bound to have. because
1T is well TO have the instructive revul-
sion from it which all but a few Ameri-
cans and Britons must have felt: and
the Binghamton Sun tindependent dem
ocratic) feels that it was well spoken"
even II 1t was intended merely as "a plea
to exercise patience and guard against
statements or actions which might serve
to arouse feeling in America or Eng
land
The Pittsburgh Sun (democratic)
seems inclined to place on the United
States most of the blame for the present
lack of friendliness. and construes the
statement in question ''as plain warn
| ing to this country that the temper OF
the British people. historically slow to
wrath, is sorely tried
Aside from such absurd conse-
quences as war" the Corning On. "
Leader independent democratic) feels
that there are "unqueStionab blYefactors
|of growing Importance in the reia-
tions between the United States and
Great Britain" which, .'in the interest
of friendship between the two coun-
tries" must be discussed frankly and
without "camoufiage." especially since.
as the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
(democratic) puts it, it is certain
that just now our relations with
England are more delicate than with
any other nation on the globe
The New Orleans Item Gndepend-
ent), however, expresses little SYM
pathy for British resentment against
the American attitude on the various
matters which are causing friction.
The American fleet. it holds. 'is a pro-
lection. not a menace to Great Brit
ain. and further: "Dscusson of the
settlement of a debt is business
proposition. Discussion of the Irish
question is one that our people as
lovers of liberty and as champions of
humanity have a right to engage in.
discussion of the payment of just
debt is human nature. Discussion of
war between the English speaking
peoples on these grounds in absurd"
There is. as the Springfield Republican
independently sees it. a simple explana-
tion of the 'maladju justment which the
two countries are discovering in their
relations What has happened is that
ain and America have been wrenched
and twisted by the war. They now find
themselves in touch under strange con-
ditions. often with divergent aims and
interests. The entire world is undergo
ing new orientation; Britain and Amer
lea are Whirling in the vortex of it.
A more positive explanation is offered
by the Norfolk NirginianPilot demo
cratic). The British officials statement.
it finds. is but one of several indica-
tons of spirit of distrust." large part
of which doubtless arises from the fact
that the United States has showed a
disposition to keep the world at arms
length and arms length dealings tend to
create suspicious" The Charlotte IN.
Co News Gdemocratic) shares this view.
declaring that we are merely getting
what is coming to us If the rest of the
world is suspicious of us. regarding us
with envy and jealousy, and are prepar-
ing to lay down the law to u.s."
The Lynchburg (Va.) News demo
cratic) warns that neither country
! should. in good sense. embrace as
sumption that no matter what hap
pens or what nature of provocation is
offered dangerously strained diplomatic
relations will not result
Attaching more Significance to the
warning itself than do most of its CO.
temporaries, the Durham (N. c. Sun
independently thinks cit is probably in
tended to express the possibility, not of
war now, but of war within the next
half century," when it may easily be-
come necessary