ANGLO-AMERICAN RELATIONS

Manawatu Times, Volume 63, Issue 81, 6 April 1938, Page 3

ANGLO-AMERICAN RELATIONS

Never Been Better in Our Time SENTIMENTS IDEALS AND INTERESTS IDENTICAL In a particularly interesting and instructing address on Anglo-American relations to members of the Feilding Civic Club during yesterday’s luncheon in his honour, Dr. Guy Scholfield, Parliamentary librarian, made it clear that if we fail to accept the friendship of America, to get to know and appreciate them, we will be entirely the losers. The American nation was too strong and secure for us to matter and whatever our thoughts might be towards tho New World, Dr. Scholfield left the impression that it was to our advantage to cultivate American friendship. The racial composition of the Americans was Anglo-Saxon—in the main identical with that of the British—but with strong elements of other races, notably Dutch, German and Scandinavian and that influence, said Dr. Scholfield, gave the Americans that attitude of broadmindedness towards other races. The Americans were in almost every respect very like the British. Their language was the same and well spoken but unlike ours knew no barriers of conservatism in the employment of new words, or expressions. Pride in literature and art was common lo both although the speaker felt that in admiration for Shakespeare the Americans outdid the English. In religion the Americans were more devoted and at all the services he attended when visiting the country two years ago he noticed that the national flag was always carried into church at the commencement of the service. This was a means towards the complete Americanisation of the people—the flag of the country was ever before the people of the country, Their hospitality was natural and entirely without affecta lion. The bigness of the land was reflected in the people and their willingness to speak of themselves and of their achievements was not prompted by any idea of boasting but sprang from the wide, open and expansive atmosphere in which they lived. They were not afraid to tackle great engineering works such as the gigantic Boulder Dam nor face up to any problem, however great it might be. Through a national policy conditioned by the need for absorbing foreigners Americans were very broadminded and although there was great resentment against Italy over Aybssinia this did not prove any bar in the political life of the people to the election of Italians as Mayors respectively of New Y r ork and San Francisco.

Our ideas of Americans insofar as they were unfavourable were based mainly upon books of American production in which American writers were quite merciless in lampooning the weakness of their own people; the films and the radio. These sources provided us with an incorrect impression and visiting America with this background one was amazed to find how normal Americans really are. The people were decidedly more frank than the English and had no bashfulness about any humble beginnings. They volunteered information about life and affairs and had no prejudice against the self-made man or woman. Their attitude towards work, however humble it might be, was that it was but the beginning and that it was open to all to achieve success. The average American workman regarded paid labour mainly as a step towards independence in industry and while that may not be true now since changing conditions had brought in its train class consciousness, it was the case in the expansive period of the nation’s progress.

Anglo-American relations have never been better in our time, continued Dr. Scholfield. They are better to-day than ever they were iu the period of the Great War and he attributed that to the fact that both nations had been brought to a common front by developments in the Far East. War debts were no longer a subject of discussion; in fact it was difficult to secure any mention of the question. It was certainly no obstacle to a good understanding between Great Britain and America. In fact the relationships between the two nations wore such as to suggest in the minds of many people that the United States was on the point of entering .into an alliance with Great Britain. In some quarters there was a seeming impatience with America for not making the move conditions and circumstances appeared to suggest. Dr. Scholfield discredited any prospect of an alliance because the American outlook was delin itely against committing the nation to obligations outside its own borders. The destiny of the American people was in America. There was absolutely no desire for adventures abroad. It was a self-contained country with no ambitions or jealousies abroad and a frontier still within the United States. The country’s policy was one of selfsufficiency with no obligations, wars, commitments or meddling abroad. This was the outlook of the people and definitely national policy. One rightly asks why the nation came into the Great War? Thinking men and women of America still wonder what brought the United States in and there is a feeling that the country was caught unawares and, carried away on the impulse, threw its might into the struggle. The only other occasion in which America intervened was in the Spanish-American War when the United States battleship Maine was sunk—an act attributed to the Spaniards. It later transpired that this was not the case and the disclosure deepened doubts about foreign wars. The feeling against alliances was very deep-rooted among the people generally and while readers of the Press might be inclined to draw conclusions from auch utterances as that of President

Roosevelt in October last when he proposed, speaking of the wars in Spain and China, concerted effort by peaceloving peoples to maintain justice throughout the world, Dr. Scholfield repudiated any suggestion of an alliance. The position of the United States was made very clear by Mr. H. L. Stimson, Secretary for State in the Hoover regime, when he said: “A cordial A:: oio- - understanding arising, not out of any formal alliance, but depending solely upon the similar interests and purposes of the two great Englishspeaking democracies, Is so important for the safety of each of them, as well as for the cause of free self-government in the present world, that it is difficult to see how anyone cannot desire and work for it.” How many alliances, sealed with mighty rubber-stamps, had been effective in the past? asked Dr. Scholfield. No, the United States would not be dragged into any war by a contract ahead. She would not gamble on “futures.” Before America would move outside her own country Great Britain must be in real danger. We must be attacked, have a just cause and be in danger before the United States would come in. The only alliance with the United States was one of sentiment, ideals and 1 common interest and that fact, Dr. Scholfield suggested, had been productive of diplomatic caution on the part of Great Britain.

The speaker was accorded an enthusiastic vote of thanks on tho motion of Mr. C. 11. Tate. The chair was occupied by Mr. T. L. Mills who cordially welcomed Dr. Scholfield to Feilding.

In the afternoon Dr. Scholfield visited the Feilding Agricultural High School where he addressed the pupils on the same topic. Afterwards ho visited Mt. Stewart in order to inspect the site for the pioneer’s memorial in connection with the centennial celebrations in 1940.