The Daily News SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1904. THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ANGLOAMERICAN ALLIANCE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 307, 31 December 1904, Page 2

The Daily News SATURDAY, DECEMBER 31, 1904. THE POSSIBILITY OF AN ANGLOAMERICAN ALLIANCE.

The advocacy by the New York Sun of a defensive naval alliance between England and the United States is sure to evoke a warm response from many English journals, for it is but a weaker echo of a larger suggestion which has often emanated from British sources. ISut considered from j tho point of view of established facts 'nnv such mutual arrangement on | formal terms is yet %ui-to outside the domain of practical politics. That I Ureal' lirituin would be willing 'enough may be la km for granu-d, I but Unit American statesmen should I make any serious eil'ort to brill;,' | about such an agreement is conilrary to the declared policy of their Government, and is not to be expected by any but persons with whom , the wish is father to the thought. For years American public men have 'again and again freely expressed I their belief that live best and wisest I policy for their country is to keep I clear of entangling European alliances, ami there is no reason to suppose that there is any serious change in that opinion to-day. It is the fash-ion with British writers on | the subject to base their arguments on such wholly sentimental grounds las the community of language and | the llritish origin of u large section of "the American population, i'-lllood," 4hey -assure the world, "is

thicker than water," and by such a priori reasoning convince themselves in time of stress neither of the related nations would stand calmly by and sit the other crushed. The weak spot in these praiseworthy sentiments is that they ignore patent facts. In the history of the world community of language has served rather to foster ill-feeling and promote national -dilTerences than to make for peace. The rationale of this fact is elementary. Criticism, contumely, insult, olTercd in a foreign tongue appeals to the sensitiveness of the few, and that- few necessarily the most cultured and self-restrain-ed. Tlie many never hear the hostile words of the foreigner, and therefore are stirred by them only indirectly or not at all. Any survey of history will show that community of language never ameliorated interna-tional'ill-feeling among the (lermanic peoples of Europe, between the Spanish States of South America, or even between England and the I'nited States. Ancient history abounds wst-h similar evidences, and therefore the argument of linguistic wynipath.v may be dismissed as of negative value, and even as having within it a large element ol positivefalsity.

The argument of a blood-tie is similarly historically unsupported ami actually refutable, and in the case ol the United Slates and England is furthev awakened by tlie fact that perhaps the larger part of the people oi the former country is of other than English or Scottish origin. The Irish element in tho States is and always has been avowedly anti-Eng-lish, and there is no reason to suppose that the German, Slavonic, Scandinavian and Italian elements should have any particular sympathy with British hopes and wishes. The admittedly English section itself consists largely, of Americans of many generations, into whose minds from early infancy has been instilled the true belief that America became a nation only through English misgovernment, and in spite of English cfl'ort. It is not natural ito expect that the young American : whose d-aily school reading consists partly of tales of the .Revolution, of homes harriud by the English-paid Indian and the Hessian mercenary, and with stories of the naval battles of 1812, fc liMy to have innparticular auction for tlie English nation. And when he grows to be a man there is nothing in his life or literature tending to undo the teaching of his youth. If he reads and thinks of his own Civil conflict of the sixties he lenrns that British etatesmen almost uniformly looked hopefully to the triumph of the confederacy and the disruption of the t'nion, and that only among the artisans of the north of England was theru any sympathy with a prople struggling to maintain the principles of freedom ami national integrity.

Facing these l'acts oi' American education and American lii'e it is absurd to postulate any real sentiment of sympathy between the American nnd whali be calls the "Hritisher." England has doubtless quite forgiun the American for standing up /or his rights and wimviHg the day, but it is too soon to expect the national memory of the latter to become blunted to the pas>t and to the newer stunt-intent of sympathy. The immediate suggestion of a naval alliance si) easily thrown out by the Democratic Sun is one which is utterly impracticably. The American spirit tours neither an anti-American coalition of European States nor the expense of maintaining a fully etlicient navy and 'the idea that the American nation should rely for its coast protection on the friendship of any outside Power would he rejected with scorn by every section of the American people It is better and truer and more manly to face these facts, than to delude ourselves with false hopes and prematurd aspirations. Community of mercantile interests and other business investments may cause the people gf the States to act in conjunct ion with England in anv crisis, bill, this business spirit is the only tie bet ween them. Jn as far as they more and more become business rivals so they will more and .more "look out for number one," and no mere j theorising will make any real difl'erlence in their national relations.

On tlie Fourtli Pago.

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