THE RECENT AMERICAN ELECTIONS.

Hawera & Normanby Star, Volume LXXIV, Issue LXXIV, 22 November 1918, Page 5

THE RECENT AMERICAN ELECTIONS.

AN AUCKLANDER'S IMPRESSIONS

Mr L. V. Moses, of the firm of Holman and Moses, architects (the Star says) has returned to Auckland from a visit of several months f! to the United States. Mr^ Moses spent much of the time in California, and also visited Easjiern cities, including Boston. The purpose, of his tour was professional, but lit ound time to gather a good deal of information about America's war eifort and the political situation. In the course of a short interview, Mr Moses said that the recent defeat of the President's party in the Senate need cause no apprehension, for the party truce was not actually very real. Whilst public criticism of Mr Wilson was tabooed and even penalised, private criticism, in the seclusion of homes or offices, was often severe and proceeded along party lines. The Republicans resented the President's dictatorial support of certain Democratic political candidates, and felt particularly sore at his implication that a Republican majority would mean relaxed war efforts. They claimed a -right to help Uncle Sam win the war, and said that they had been treated curtly by Mr Wilson in his anxiety to "steal all the thunder." A Republican majority, they insisted, would deal even more .firmly with the enemy than did the present executive head. The Germans, therefore, would receive small comfort from the President's nominal defeat.

FRIENDS AND ENEMIES. Asked if he saw any signs of enemy activity, Mr Moses said that it was difficult to dissociate the'l.W.W. from the German agents, for both kept the police busy. "No crime is too mean for these social outlaws," he continued. "When I was in Philadelphia a munition worker was caught red-handed in the act of hammering the wooden screws into aeroplane parts; the damaged thread, would not, of course, resist any strain when the machine was flying. In Chicago I witnessed an attempt to bomb the Federal building; the net result of which was four innocent passers-by murdered and others injured, but I suppose some organisation was satisfied. However, the j American social conscience is good, and the authorities have the support of the mass of the people in the most drastic restrictive measures to curb the activities of these 'low-browed' anti-social elements."

One thing that impressed the traveller was the surprising cordiality of the Americans to strangers. Australasians, he found, were highly regarded. When he was in New York 1500 Australians passed through, and the citizens could not do enough to show their appreciation of these "Anzacs," who were idolised by everybody, from the small boys up. He personally was often greeted as "an ally" simply on account of his un-American mode of speech, and he found people inclined to broach the subject of the anti-British feeling fostered until very lately by the biassed history textbooks used in their schools. In every case they declared themselves really glad that "this prejudice had been ended by the war. "I used to tell them," said Mr Moses, "that the Boston Tea Party had signed the charter of our colonial liberties in Australasia, and that there had never been any illfeeling in our part of the world.' 5'