The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1927. BROTHER JONATHAN.

Hokitika Guardian, 31 October 1927, Page 2

The Guardian And Evening Star, with which is incorporated the West Coast Times. MONDAY, OCTOBER 31, 1927. BROTHER JONATHAN.

When the Mayor of Chicago was last elected, a good deal ol prominence was given to a feature of the election that Mr William (“Big Bill”) Thompson, the gentleman in question, won the position in an election in which he raised a distinctly anti-British cry. Accord ng to the late cable news from Chicago, Mr Thompson is continuing his anti-British attitude. Judged by happenings at Chicago under May oi a 1 guidance, the outlook for Anglo-Ameri-can relations cannot be considered promising. Certainly Mr Thompson is going as far as lie can in his policy of being distinctly anti-British. His latest move is to place the superintendent of (schools on trial for “disseminating proi British propaganda.” and the Mayor has instituted an investigation ot all the histories in the Chicago Public Library to discover if they are afflicted with a pro-British faint, and lie has developed his attack upon Superintendent McAndrew into an anti-British crusade of the most offensive and virulent character. The position might easily assume a, delicate, not to say, dangerous situation, if it were believed that Mr Thompson represented American opinion. As a contemporary puts it, these eccentricities, which could he possible only among people almost wholly ignorant of the facts of contemporary life outside their own narrow parochial limits arc in some ways amusing enough. But it is an interesting question how far Mr Thompson’s views command the approval of the American public, and it is just as well to remember that there is a great deal more in this than meets the casual eye. In the first place, Air Thompson’s wrath against Mr McAndrew is by no means due only to anti-British prejudice. Mr McAndrew has objected strongly to Mr Thompson’s proposal to fill some .300 positions on the clerical side of the Education Department with his own supporters. For Air Thompson holds to the traditional American principle of “the spoils to the victors,” and cannot see why his friends should not enjoy his triumph and secure good “billets’’ for themselves. Further. Air Thompson, in his anti-British diatribes, is evidently “playing politics” in another direction. For an impressive feature of his crusade has been the presentation of a long, series of addresses from “all the German societies in Chicago” denouncing George A*, and expressing their objections to all things British. The German vote in the Middle West is well worth an effort to secure, and we may draw inferences accordingly. Finally. Afr Thompson, in his mayoral campaign, described the League of Nations as a cunning device employed by Britain to enable her to evade her just debts to America. Putting together all these things, we can easily unerstand that Afr Thompson has gone much further in his Anglophone crusade than the majority of intelligent Americans are prepared to go with him. At the same time, AD' Thompson must represent a considerable section of public opinion, and it must be something of a leaven in the nation. We should say that Great Britain cannot ignore the situation as

it is revealed. The condition it creates must have an effect on the mind of the British public at a time when armaments are under consideration. A check to serious progress is certainly made by so ill-timed an Anglophobe crusade, and that is certainly a very serious result from the recent happenings caused by the Mayor of Chicago.