The Daily Alaska empire., 1928-12-29
AMERICA AND BRITAIN.

The Manchester Guardian one of the greatest English newspapers says:
 Not for many years have the Am ercans and the British been on terms as bad as they are There is ill- feeling suspicion, misunderstanding and estrangement between the two nations That is true, yet there is no thought of an American and British war. l. is agreed that there can be no war between the two great English speaking peoples. We say this in spite of the admitted intense trade rivalry that exists and will continue to exist. In the last analysis neither the British the Americans exalt trade above everything else. Higher ideals than dollars and cents and pounds and shilings serve mainstrngs for both countries. Keen as is American and British rivalry for foreign trade both countries realize that it is a rivalry that could not be settled by War would but add to it, if indeed it did not come nearly de- stroying the trade that there would be none for either country to quarrel over.
 The menace of the strained relations between the two governments at the present time is not war, but that it may result in cessation of cooperative efforts toward world peace If we to make progress toward permanent peace friendly cooperation between the United States and Great Britain is absolutely essential World peace could be brought about in other way. If America and Britain cannot get along, what is the of talking about comity of nations? :? It could not be.
 It is unfortunate that things have been per mitted to drift into the situation that now ob- tains. One for 1t all has been that statesmen have been giving too attentive to Admrals and jRgoes. The Manchester Guardian says "Admirals have talked too much and states to little" Clemenceau said that war is too serious an affair for Generals" He was right, and the applies to Admirals. And if is too serious matter for Generals and Admirals, certainly peace is for peace is the most serious of all international problems. When countries allow themselves to be influenced by strategy rather than statesmanship they not preparing for peace but for
 The Manchester Guardian says:
 It may be that there are British and American Admrals who would like fight If so, it is for the govern ments to make them keep such mis- chievous ideas to themselves. Anglo American naval parity has been cepted and nothing that the Admir- altes think, say, do should be allowed to circumvent this parity If, within the framework of broad and general parity, the obtains arthmetical advantage over the other, it does not matter at all. The Ameri- cans not trying to outbuld the British, but if they show a preference for a certain type of vessel and
 
 when this preference has been granted the American fleet will be stronger than the British it does not matter, for the problem is, should be, dominated by deeper and wider considerations than usually enter the heads of the Ad- miraties.
 But there is further source of Anglo American estrangement. It is what Viscount Lee of Fareham calls the
 "ignfs fatuus"-the will To the wisp- of ententes and alliances. And in this case the mischief has been done on this side of the Atlantic and again largely
 because the simplieties of strategy are much more convenient and allurng than the complexities of statesmanshp. Viscount Lee of Fareham is perfectly right when he says that Great Britain is Euopearn but not Continental, neighbor of Continental nations but not one of their family. Nevertheless she has associated herself with one of the Continental Powers. She is entangled in the fine and barely visible but cling ing and tenacious web of an entente
 The effects already apparent. Not that the danger of Anglo-American war has arisen. but Anglo-American CO., operation has been suspended and the
 fires in the forges and armories that were creating the worlds peace have . died down. To establish peace is more
 than to avoid war. It is an eyou-
 tionary. creative act that cannot he ae
 compished save under strong and unit ed leadership Great Britain with Am
 erica is alone capable of giving this
 leadership, and by British and American
 cooperation the worlds peace lives or
 dies