"A GREAT DANGER."

Auckland Star, Volume XLVI, Issue 72, 25 March 1915, Page 7

"A GREAT DANGER."

a Under this heading the "Spectator," in its iFßue of January 23, refers to the attitude of America in iregard to the war. The article saye:— "Englishmen who love and admire America and desire to maintain our friendship with her unimpaired—m spite of all appearances, they two the vast major it}' of the British people—cannot help feeling at this moment acute anxiety and alarm at ilrte way in which we ore drifting towards the danger of :i collision with the United States. The force of ciTcumßtaneep may aa. any monrant undo all tin? good dom> since the Treaty signed at Ghent one hundred years ago. When we say this we aire no* aiaTmed about any special incident or any visible rock ahead. No doubt we shall get over the commercial intrigue under which the ■'Dacia' has been bought and set sailing at a tost case. Again, even if President Wilson is able to convince his country men tha.t -there is nothing unfriendly in th» United. States first providing our enemies with a million or Cnvo of ready cash, land then employing tlie fcormor Gsrman I mercantile marine to supply the commercial -needs of our onem-KM under the protection of the American national flag, it iis very possible that tbe good sense of the dipkimato and naval officers of the two countries will be able to accomplish a miracle and prevent a regrettable Incident on high seas. What arc we much more concerned about than specific plans for bending the neutrality of America in such a way that it will bring material aid to Germahy is the want of the undereta.iiding of the situation, both military and moral, which is shown by the American Government and by large secfkuiE of tha Americaai people. THE BRITISH FEELING. "We are quite sure that tlie bulk of them, even if owing to distance and want of knowledge they seem callous about the sufferings of Belgium, of careloss as to the results which must flow from the triumph of IJcrin-in militarism, do not at heart wish ill to this counury, or desire to take advantage of the [eril in which she stands, or, again, wish to bring her in ruin to tlie ground. We entirely acquit America of any desire first tJ humble us, and then to take our place in the world. On fhe contrary, we arc very ready to believe tshat the majority of Americans arc at lieairt on thy side of tifc paswsrt m ot only do nob wieii us ill, but would ve-ry much prefer to see u» win if we can do so I without mailing things uncomfortable for ! them. Unfortunately, however, they do not realise what is tlie temper of the British people at the present moment. They do not uaiderefcMd that, instead of our being less inclined to stand up to them now than we were in peace time, we arc ten times more likely to prove combative, or. as they would say, unreasonable. They think that because we are in a tight piac? they can ask things irom us which they would not have asked in peace, and that we must yieid to necessity. Y«l, in reality, exactly the I contrary is tnusv. . . But there ia a wanse danger behind. i "It fc the growing soreness omd dteapIpomtniaat felt by the British people in Iregard .to the attitude of the Americttn | Government. We realise, and arc deeply j grateful for, the splendid stand which j individual Americans and a great mamy American acwepapers leave taken with i rcgaird to the merits oi tne war. Whon the attitude of tlie American Govcnim&ut is considered, it is impassible to deny that it causes deep resentment here, even amongst thaw wlio, like ourselves, were so pro-American in their eympaiiiias that six months ago the satirists were ineliued to teU ttreni that they imagined America could do no wrong.

! "We can only compare the feeling that now exists In England to the feeling of | bitterresss uiihl disappointment whiiih i Loweli e.xpresEed so poignantly in his i iamous ballad ot" 'Jonathan to John.' Every word of it stings like a wbip on our "mm. The Amencajis of the north felt very ©ore at the time oi the Civil War because they hid counted so confidently 'Upon English public opinion being against .slavery ax <al! ecste. Yet they aiii- many mon of ligfe and leading here ! going wrong and helping (the cause of elavieny, though at fhe same time professing to be dead against slave-owning. "PLAYING TIIE GERMAN GAME." "Jußt in the same way the British people t r aought the American Government would be certain to be against the treajty breakers and against the men who have fannied Belgium. Yet they suddenly find Ameraca officially playing tihe German game, and in effect trying ito prevent oar bringing Germany to her knore and driving 'her out of Belgium. The disappointment is the greater because we,, like the Americans 50 yeans ago, fancy that our own flesh and blood across the water are influenced by the thought of profit, just as Englishmen were believed to be influenced by the thought of profit in the case of Civil War. Bagebcft pointed out 'tihat the city was on the side of the south, not because it really caired for the southern cause, but because it wanted cotton, and trade with the south geatmally, and found that the north interfered with its profite. So now America wants to make profite out of copper, and iAvo American Government oomes out on the side of Germany,, and in effect nlaims the right to provide Germany with the means •oi hokSng down Belgium, and killing Eng34sh •oMiem, and. freely to supply <hbe material oequxnodc for -bombs (to slay raon-eombataiste. Can it 'be wandered at that, even thengh. it may be unraMonabic, and thougih, of oounge, we ought bo 6ue the American ea«e, and so fortih, we fed cut to the heart that America eeema to reckon up the matter in cold diollare and eerata rather-than in tarns ot flesh and blood, and of human BufScring? , , , "Gnee aga.-i*v ittnewi i*~<iaiigar in. tha-. -pgeaegb. Briiaaln m. If the Washington Xionanmnent fiMnte onr dflßmtMafeß will (huts In peace time,, they are-very muchtmiatalßen. We - would «nduxe harsh treatment Sxtm them in peace time far more easily •tiha-n we i eaai endure it now. That is foolish, per- | nape, but It ie o fact." j