The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 1914. NORMAN ANGELL'S WARNING.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 286, 6 May 1914, Page 4

The Daily News. WEDNESDAY, MAY 6, 1914. NORMAN ANGELL'S WARNING.

The present sceptical and self-sufficient age would probably pay no attention to the most solemn warning of "an angel from heaven," and therefore it has not been much impressed by the admonitions of an Angel of Earth—Mr. Norman Angell, author of "The Great Illusion." His demonstration of the wastefulness and futility of war has not caused the nations of Europe to abate one jot of their enormous expenditure on armaments and engines of destruction. Perhaps, however, his specific warning in the case of a campaign against Mexico in>.;v

have produced some impression upon tinAmerican people and may to some extent account far the readiness of President Wilson to accept the mediation of the South American Republics, "the A.B.C. of South America," as they have been called, Argentina, Brazil and Chili. Mr. Angell, though famous as an English journalist and author, is a citizen of the United States, and can speak freely»to his own people. In the course of an address delivered in San Francisco towards the end of March, he cautioned the American people not to make the mistake of thinking [hat loss of temper was patriotism, and he counselled theim to exercise patience lather than rush into armed intervention. He asked them to remember that Mexico was a country of 16,000,000 inhabitants, a people that had already resisted the invasion of two Powers, Spain and the army of Maximilian. He continued:

"Of course, you can go into Mexico. But it will not be a matter of pushing on to Mexico City, there to issue a proclamation and then come back. If we go ,tnto Mexico, it will be for permanent settlement. The undertaking is rather a large mouthful. It will not be a matter of a year or two. It will be a matter of a generation. And, in the meantime, what will become of the development of American institutions? All our thought, all our energy, all our emotion, all the attention of our public and our press will be centred on this one problem outside our borders. Intervention in Mexico might be a, good thing for the Mexican people, but it will be a mighty bad thing for the American people."

Mr. Angell's views were challenged by Professor Barrows, of the University of California, and by a military man, Major Kowan. The Professor contended .that it was the duty of the United States to intervene, with a view to restoring law and order in Mexico—by war, if other means failed; while the Major strongly argued that Mexico should bo "absorbed"' by tho United ■States, whose "intuitive instinct" led not only into Mexico, but through Mexico and on to the Panama Canal. The thoroughness of the warrior's method lias something to commend it, for tho work of restoring law and order in Mexico might have to be repeated again and again, whereas, conquest by the United States would do the work once for all. Nor is there much room for doubt that the Great Republic will ultimately dominate the territory right down to and beyond Panama; and the "instinct" which tells the Americans this is analogous to that mixture of trade, philanthropy, pins and fiospel which has impelled the British to subjugate many inferior races, for the good of all concerned.- Mr. Angell's reply to these arguments—that the civilisation of Mexico is too "set" to be overturned by any other Power—does not-seem to have much force when wc remember what British rule has accomplished in India and in the ancient land of the Pharaohs. The Americans, however, would bo more impressed by his warning that tin; conquest of Mexico would riot be "a oaying proposition," and by his caution "not to fall into the Old World mistake of lii'ing fooled by the dazzle of bayonets, the glamor of arms." All lovers of human progress will rejoice if America should show a more excellent way than war of teaching a turbulent people the arts of civilisation. During a former Mexican campaign James Russell Lowell pictured the pious American editor as declaring:

"I do believe whatever trash Will keep the people in blindness— That we the Mexicans can thrash Right into brotherly kindness; That shells and grape and powder and ball Are Goodwill's strongest magnets. And Peace, to make it stick at all, Must be druv in with bay'nets!" It is to be feared that the average editor has not made much progress in the half-century that has elapsed since then, while the young generation of Mexicans lias grown up with an intense hatred of Americans than their fathers had.