AMERICAN OPINION

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2387, 17 February 1915, Page 6

AMERICAN OPINION

"MORE THAN PRO-BRITISH"

PRESIDENT WILSON UNPOPULAR

All Americans do not approve the vacillating policy of their Government —a fact which is made abundantly clear 'in a letter from a representative American business man writing to a friend in Wellington.

Referring to President Wilson he writes: "I have no use for him or for liis Secretary of State, Bryan, and the majority of voters in the United States are against him. The real fact of the matter is that Wilson was not put in power by tlie majority of voters by a long way. Taft and Roosevet together polled a good many more votes than Wilson did, but Roosevelt's so-called scrap with Taft was the means of electing Wilson and his party. You can rest assured that there are a good many like myself 'that have no use for Wilson, and at our last election his majority in Congress, which was very large, was cut down to a muoh lower amount. However, the new Congressmen do not go into power until March 4 next-, so until then his party havo control of both Houses.

"The majority of us here are against his Shipping Bill. We thought it had died a natural death last August, but believe there is so.me Gorman influence bringing it before Congress again. . . . We all sincerely hope that Wilson, will not be able to pass the Shipping Bill. He certainly could not after March 4, when the new Congress goes in, and we all hope that the Opposition will keep him out of it until then. We, however, will have to put up with* Wilson for two year's from March 4 next, but after March 4 a lot of his party now in Congress, will go out, and his powers will not be as strong as they have been. .

"You .seem to have the impression that this is the land of the almighty dollar. You must get this impression from some of our trade papers. All of them have been trying to get advertising matter the Yankees since tho war broke out, "and telling them what fields they can reach. , They are all doing this for business reasons, and if they get any subscribers the dollars ceme out of no one's pocket, but the subscriber's pocket. "Somehow the people at your part' of the world seem to havo a wrong impression about the American public in general, and think we are pro-German, which is certainly not a fact. Surely, you/ have not had correct reports from here since the war broke out. Had you done so you would have known that this country is more than proBritish. Your papers' say wo are not neutral because wo ship goods to Germany. Well, tho only thing going from here to Germany is cotton, and that only lately, and with the consent of England. Without England being willing, how could anj; ship land goods in Germany? Certainty, you do not expect us to stop shipping goods to other neutral countries, and if such countries re-sell the goods to Germany it is not our business, and we could not stop it if we wished. A. neutral country should treat all belligerent nations alike. By far the largest export of food, clothing, grain, and war material have gone to England and France. Suppose we should be more neutral, and stop all food shipments, as suggested by Germany. Haw long would the war then last? It certainly would make the cost of living here very much cheaper than it now is, and help a lot of our people who are out of work, and are really in need of some of the clothing and food-we are sending to Belgium.

"You al! say you are sure to win, and that Germany is sure to lose, and soma at the same time seem to be surprised that the U.S.A. has not gone to war with the Allies. If you are sure to win, why do you want us in it? As I have said before. (leaving out our Germans,'who were bom in Germany), the American public are 99 per cent. proBritish, and there is not a paper in New York, printed in English, that does not favQur England. Let it be shown to the American people that England is unable to defend herself against Germany, and the Stars and Stripes will surely be lined up alongside of the Union Jack in this war, and backed up bv all tho resources and.men this country can command. This, even though President Wilson objects, for our Congress has the ,right to declare war."