Evening star., 1924-08-10
What Europe Is Saying
About America
GREAT BRITAIN.-H.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE

dl1erent aspect; that there would
have been lower taxes and less un-
employment in Great Britain; that
commerce and industry would have
revived instead of drooping;. and
that instead of five years of endless.
eXasperating trial, trihulation and
the other, the Old World long ere
this would have been on it's legs and
going strong. These lugubrious
thoughts have been harbored so long
ana so bitterly by the average Briton
that they have become an obsession
with him. He is morally certain that
our aloofness and isolation from
Europe's distractions have been the
nam factors in prolonging them: He
thinks-one of the ilk thought it
aloud the other day for the benefit
of this writer-that if John Bull had
been less polite to Brother Jonathan
since 1919, and told him some Brit
ish truths" things might have been
better The month of July in London
was distinguished by a deluge of
ands-across- -the-sea post prandial
gush. Sane, hard-headed Britons,
like sane, hard-headed Americans, de-
plore these artificial stimulants to
angie american understanding. They
thlnk vastly more good is achieved
Dy iact-faclng and the recognition of
realities.
Have Own Troubles.
Undoubtedly the fact that is being
every day, and the reality that is be-
ing correspondingly recognized, is
the determination of the United States
TO order its own international desti-
mes In Its own way and in it's own
time. The notion that America is
deus eN machina which will come
along, as if by magic, and right all
| the wrongs and cure all the ills there
are in the world is taking wings. In
formed Britishers, a growing COM
munfty, know that we, like them
selves, are deeply immersed in our
| own immense domestic problems
! They are indeed anxious to see Eu-
| rope settled in order that they may
| concentrate. more than ever upon
nome issues. The Britisher knows he
| has troubles of his own" here in his
| home islands and far off in the mys-
| tic East. The impressive empire exhi-
bltion at Wembley is an expression OF
Brltalns increasing an even passion
| ate interest in her imperial interests
| She would turn her hand to them as
soon as possible and as exclusively as
| possible. To that end she desires and
| requires tranquility in Europe. One
gathers that if Britain could secure
| that repose she might almost be will
! ing to forego her share of the Ger
| man reparations.
Britain comprehends American de-
| sires to concentrate on things nearer
| home, too: appreciates that when you
| get beyond our Atlantic seaboard you
| strike country from which Europe
is very remote and which has little or
| no interest in its brawlS and broils.
| Briton has learned that the Middle
| West has become the pivotal political
region of the United States, and,
looking at the geography under
stands why far-off European troubles
| make relatively little appeal to our
| people as a whole.
Question L. 8. Vision.
Yet, taking all these things into
| consideration, BritonS sometimes ask
| themselves whether America has a
| sufficiently long-range view of her
| international relations. Those of
| them who are interested in foreign
| affairs-and that includes all well
| read and intelligent Britons-wonder
If we are always, for example, going
| to be able to live from our own home
market. They are curious to know
| whether our vast agricultural indus
| try and our manufacturing industry
can perpetually rest content without
extensive and regular foreign outlets
for their produce.
A good many Britons are not yet
persuaded that Mars has gone perma-
nently out of business-that war has
vanished from the face of the earth.
One is asked on all hands. for exam
pie, if America measured the full con-
sequence of her procecure in the mat
ter of Japabese exclusion. The writer
meets Englishmen who inquire how
the United States expects to induce
the naval and military powers to con-
tinue the policy of disarmament when
she herself has ignited the spark of
another possible international con-
f1agration in the Far East. The Mac
Donald government recently decided
not to proceed with the construction
of a great British naval base at Sin
gapore. The British dominionS of
Australia and New Zealand. in incur
able terror of a con=ict with Japan
some day, deplore that policy. 1t was
adopted mainly on the ground of
economy. AT political club in Lon
don this week the suggestion was
made, half jocularly, half seriously,
that America might strike a blow for
white civilization" by devoting one
semi-annual interest payment from
Britain 5,000,000) to the construc-
tion of the Singapore base! That is
exactly what it would cost.
Copyright 1924D
Note: Mr. Wile's next article. written in
Paris. will discuss the French state of mind
toward the United States.