AMERICA'S ATTITUDE.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 66, 17 March 1916, Page 2

AMERICA'S ATTITUDE.

NO PARTISANSHIP. "AT PEACE WITH THE WORLD." XO BENEFIT FROM THE WAR. i ; In December last a Ohristchurch in- ' dent firm wrote to an American hard- • ware house with which it has been i accustomed to do business, expressing the feeling that America was making ■ capital out of Great Britain's efforts to i overthrow Prussianism. A reply to that I letter ha 3 just been received, which, , according to the Chrlstchurch firm receiving it, "shows the other side of the » caee. which is good for colonials to i read." . Tie letter states that people living 1 outside of America, especially those so • much as 12,000 miles away, cannot know the real attitude of Anjerica—"particu--1 larly the attitude of America as a • nation, from the unfortunate day on • which war was declared up to the pre-, 1 sent moment; and when, in the course of ■ time, the misrepresentations, the mis- " understandings, and the multitude of ■ perverted facts have been clarified, f America will be found to have mainj tamed throughout a position of absolute ' integrity." 1 The letter goes on to state that the ' situation on the money market has not 1 been of America's making, but has been • created abroad. The hardships which ' the state of the market imposes on New ' Zealand and other British Dominions • gives absolutely no corresponding advan--1 tage to the American manufacturer. The freight difficulty is a very serious one, as evidenced by the fact that New 1 j Zealand ordere Teady for shipping on ' I November 18 were being stowed only on ' February 2, this being the first opporM tunity of securing space. The very high 1 rates quoted had induced antiquated ' sailing hulks to enter the service, and ■ frequently the quotations made by cargo • steamers one day were next day de--1 manded, and secured, t>y sailers. It must not be forgotten that the principals in r the New York-Auetralaaian service are ■ British. America has nothing whatever 1 to do with the fixing of theee rates. Regarding the general question of America's attitude to the war. the letter ; goes on: —"There can be no doubt that every one of the warring nations looks 1 i upon America as having failed to live nn I• to her opportunities —i.e., opportunities J for entering the European conflict. You I have called the American attitude weaki f. We credit you with believing this when I you write it, but if you will take a single ! fact, and carefully consider it, that dur-' ' j ing the progress of this terrible war, i every law laid down by man and God l :has been disregarded, you will perhaps j \ \ appreciate the difficult position in which ! ' ' the American nation has been placed, , \ almost times without number. You do . ' not know, because you are not here, all \ ! that America hae meant to the Allies. \ ! The war would long ago have passed ] ] • into history but for the attitude Ame- , j rica has maintained in covering, without ' j stint, the demands made upon her by all '' of the Allied belligerents. We know of I your wonderful contributions to all of . i the various funds which been gath- ' j ered for the abrogation feic)! '6P sufferv I ers by the war, and America, 'too, has j I poured out almost innumerable millions f • and shiploads of supplies, and has f I equipped many permanent and 'temporf I ary hospitals and ambulance corps, all I 1 supported by American money. Perhaps f it will never be known how many hundreds of Americans have, through Can- . Ada, enlisted under the British Flag. . . . i When we read of the manner in wbicb , you present the attitude of the New . Zealand merchants towards American ~ goods, we hardly know what to think. .J We cannot believe that the sentiment is , materially different in the South Island , J than it is in the North Island. Our reI; cords show that the North Island maini! tains more than the usual volume of . business, and that there is a material ' falling off in the business of the South , Island. . . . J " The melting pot of nations," as Ame- ! Rica has been aptly called, has contributed many alien residents, not yet I naturalised, to all of the warring naj I tions. You will readily percieve that , I there must be of necessity in a cosmopolitan population, a love and adher- ! ence to the Fatherland, but notwithI standing any reports which may have , appeared abroad to the contrary, we do ' not know, as a nation, any sentiment f which could be termed as partisan. In i making this statement selfishness seem* to play no part, and there is a most poei- | tive feeling and heartfelt regret for the . I daily carnage. Many erratic minds, in \ I different parts of the world, have conceived that America would be drawn into I the present conflict, but it is hard to j j conceive of conditions which would bring j about such a situation. Our relations 1j as a nation with all of Europe and the i United Kingdom, social and commercial, JI have always been maintained without ap- [ parent favour or prejudice, and to-day, in the world stress, we can ccc no percep- : tible change in that attitude. In addi--1 tion to a strict maintenance of the international laws of neutrality, our Gov- ' I ernment. which most naturally voices ' I the sentiment of its people, has pro- ' claimed for, and of both citizens and 1 aliens has »»l-od. calmness and imparti- ! ality even in personal conversation. • " Britain, has accepted the American ' attitude at its full face value, and has ' so handled the European end nrKier her control that she eeems to be well satis- " fied, and in fact it can be said that she ie continuing to-day to draw from Ame- ' 1 rica a maximum of support, regardless of ' what any nation or world section may believe to the contrary. The essence of ! all the forcgoinjr can be better stated in ' seven words—' We are at peace with tha ' world.' "—" Christchurch Sun."