The New York herald., 1921-01-02

Americans with whom he had talked few
days before as he was leaving home.
Speaking from personal experience I re-
member nothing in my life at once more
arresting and more astonishing than this
sentiment which found everywhere in
London in January. 1919. 1t was easy to be
stampeded by it, and it was hard to utter
anywhere any such warning as was appro-'
pirate in the circumstances, for 1t was man.
ifest at once to all Americans, save the few
whose long residence in England had blinded
them to American facts, that there was
nothing in the least corresponding to this
sentiment in the United States
This British feeling dictated British policy
at the Paris Conference. On two subjects,
and only two, were the British condemned
by their own national interests to oppose the,
United States, if President Wilson insisted
upon pressing them-namely the freedom
of the seas" and the question of the German
colonies. At the risk Of American friend
ship British statesmen felt condemned to
stand fast on these points. But when Pres
ident Wilson tacitly dropped the first and
accepted the mandate compromise with re-
spect of the second. British support for the
President was assured Internationally for
all else in his programme.
Threw Over Other Allies
To Back President Wilson
The result was this: In effect Lloyd
George turned his back upon his Continental
allies France, Italy and the smaller States
whose aspirations found themselves in con-
flict with President Wilson's ideals, were
suddenly faced with the fact that so far
from having British support they had TO
reckon with open or only slightly concealed
British championship Of the American thesis
and the American President Lest it be
thought that as an American speak un-
fairly on this matter 1 quote the words of
LII. Maxse. editor Of The National Revteso.
in the December number of that well known
British magazine:
CAT Paris.) I'VE threw over NJ Clemen-
ceau to ingratiate ourselves with President
Wilson,"
So much for the recent and. the more re-
mote past All through the Paris Confer
ence British delegates supported Presiden.
Wilson, and there was an open revolt on
the part Of Italy and some other Continental
nations against the so-called Anglo Saxon
domination. A general revolt was only
checked by the bestowal upon France of
the Anglo-American guarantee of French
frontiers against a new German attack And
even here British assurances were made
contingent upon American ratification of
this three-sided agreement Since the
United States Senate has failed to ratify
this agreement and will in all human prob
ability continue to refuse ratification, II will
be seen that the abandonment of France is
complete.
AS consequence of the British course at
Paris, British prestige in Europe was un-
mistakably shaken. France felt herself
abandoned and said So Perfde Albion be-
came again a familiar phrase in France.
Nor was Italy less bitter, since she had re-
coived from Britain guarantee for her
claims in the Treaty of London in 1e16
whereas, after entering the war on this as
surance and suffering unexpected trials she
found British sympathy aligned with Wilson
and not with Orlando over the Fiume dis
pute. Quite inaccurately this British course
was laid to British shipping plans in the
Adriatic and the resulting bitterness may be
easily calculated