The Waikato Times With which is incorporated The Waikato Argus. SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 1919 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Waikato Times, Volume 90, Issue 14024, 29 March 1919, Page 6

The Waikato Times With which is incorporated The Waikato Argus. SATURDAY, MARCH 29, 1919 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Before the war, when people wrote or lead of the “.'tblkin “ between any two coir: trios, they almost always thought of the relations between the Governments of those countries, and not the relations between the two peoples. International relations were regarded s very largely, if hot entirely, the private business of the members of Governments.' , A Minister would occasionally inform a rather surprised public that “our relations with Barataria” had become exceedingly cordial, and the public, if it cared 1 about the matter at all, would conclude that some prolonged negotiations, conducted in private, had ended with a very satisfactory private arrangement. As for themselves, they had been thinking as little of the Baratarians as the Sanitarians had been thinking of them. Now all this, we are all teaching ourselves to remember, is to be changed. The proceedings in Paris have as their background the new doctrine that the relations between two countries must in future be the relations between the peoples themselves. The world \s basing its hope upon the disappearance of what may be called extra-national relations of any kind in its affairs. For good or for ill, the destiny of the world is to be taken from the hands of Cabinets and placed in the hands of the ‘.people. Let this bo done, many arb saying, and there is an end of wars and the causes of war; there will be no more disputes, ho more friction, but goodwill everywhere. We hope it may so happen, but that it will not necessarily happen is the lesson of AngloAmerican relations at the present time.

It is undeniable that although, as we believe is the case, Mr Wilson and Mr Lloyd George arc working together in perfect harmony, each helping and strengthening the oilier, there is some irritation amongst the people of the Empire and the people of America (says a contemporary). For the moment Mr Wilson is not popular, here. The coldness of the public towards him is due almost entirely to misunderstanding and ignorance, but it exists. There are many' people, also, who are annoyed by what they feel is an insufficient appreciation by Americans of the great sacrifices made by France and Britain before America entered the war. We do not think that- New Zealanders have in their hands the evidence that would justify resentment on this ground, but there are American newspapers which write as if there were facts to Justify passing wave of anti—Ameiicanism. The New York Post, for example, writing of “A Certain Condescension in Americans" declares that although the stupid game of twisting the British lion's tail has been abandoned, yet America is “in danger of assuming tint rather patronising and superior pose towards Europe that Lowell complained of at Europe’s hands a generation a cr o .” The Post discusses the attitude' of the American and the Englishman one to the other, and points out that Britain did not -go through an inferno of four and a-half years to make good an effete civilisation. “Therefore,” it adds, “we should not be surprised if, despite our great services, the British continue to cling to their own personality as something peculiarly valuable to them. They think of us as a chap who, at a ticklish moment, stepped in and helped man the pumps of the endangered snip of human freedom. We arc entirely too apt to let them know that we are the boys who Jumped in and rescued them and the other Allies from drowning.” For our own part we think there is no profit in discussing questions of debit and credit in this matter. All that is is needful to say is that American braggadocio is no more and no less offensive than the inclination of some hasty people in this cquntry to deride the greatness and splendour of Ainehica’s efforts.

The jslighl irritation will soon pass away, liut the fact that, it exists is of importance. Here is a clear case of relations between two peoples, neither of which has harmed the other, neither; of which has any material grievance against the other—two peoples, which, if troubles between nations could only he caused by secret diplomacy or trade disputes, would he in perfect harmony. Yet national pride can hero cause soreness which, in less happy circumstances, might become in-

curable, and, therefore, dangerous to peace. In accepting the control of their own destinies the peoples are not relieving themselves of a burden and a danger. They are assuming a very heavy responsibility. They will be free, so it is hoped, from the risk of wars engineered by diplomatists and Governments and military ambition-# but they will not be free from the risk of wars brought on by their own unruly passions. That risk they can reduce, to insignillcancc by schooling themselves to mutual understanding—to a fixed resolve, not to regard all men as brothers, and all nations as members of one family, but to treat each other as reasonable and self-re-specting neighbours, and to lose their tempers only when it is clear beyond a poradventure that they will suffer injury by keeping them.