A Straight Deal; Or, The Ancient Grudge

thodically mad, and that the European War vitally concerned ourselves. This convic

. You shall see some of these. They are of help. Time has not settled this question. It is as alive as ever-more alive than ever.

s, whose names, of course, do not appear, and who, should they

; second, certain policies and actions of England since then, generally distorted or falsified by our politicians; and lastly certain national traits in each country that the other does not share and which have hitherto produced perennial personal friction between thousands of English and American individuals of every station in l

ldier, an enlisted man

a feeling of resentment against our democratic cousins across the Atlantic and I was only too ready to accept as true those stories I heard of England s

as it was and that we had yet much to learn. Soon my opinion began to change and I was regarding England as the backbone of the Allies. Yet there remained a certain someth

succeeded in converting one who neede

ecomes must depend not alone upon the personal experience of each man. It must also come from that liberality of outlook which is attained only by getting outside your own place and seeing a lot of customs and people that differ from your own. A mind thus seasoned and balanced no longer leaps to an opinion

ude toward England. I have argued with lots of them and have shown some of them where they are wrong but the Catholics and descendants of Ir

e Irish question should defeat an understanding between ourselves and England would be, to quote what a gentleman who is at

tten by a business man. I must not omit to say that

permit me to give my personal view on

language of England, because our laws and customs are to a great extent of the same origin, because much that is good among

ve race-no more English, nationally, than the present King George is German-

ly as rival corporations. We can unite in a common cause, as we have, but, once that is over, we will go our own way-which

pt up indefinitely as regards an act of any country. A responsible nation must bear the praise or odium that attaches to any national action. If England has experienced a change of

nd unscrupulous. She is no worse than the others probably-possibly even better-but it would be doing our country an ill turn to persuade its citizens that England was anything less than an active, d

ligence-even grudges cannot live without real food. Should England become helpless tomorrow, our animosity and distrust would die to-mor

al control of the seas-which threatens and irritates every nation on the face of the globe that has maritime aspirations. She may use it with discretion, as she has for ye

e world will never be a free world until the seas and trade routes are

ations with the Englishmen I have met have been very pleasant. I can readily believe that there are no better people living, but I feel so strongly on the subject, nationally-so bitterly opposed to a continuance of Englan

ith much that he said, but that even so it did not in my opinion outweigh the reasons I had giv

ays, as two rival corporations. Again I agree. Has it not been proved this long while that competing corporations prosper through friendship? Did not the Northern Pacific and the Great Northern form a combination called the Northern Securities, for the sake of mutual benefit? Under the Sherman Act the Northern Securities was dissolved; but no Sherman act forbids a Liberty Securities. Liberty, defined and assured by Law, is England's gift to the modern world. Liberty, defined and

is letter, but proceed to the remaining letters that I have selected. I gave one from

home a few facts that I am sure some do not know and throwing a light upon a much discussed to

olution, some of which I had named as being guilty of di

with trade; page 135, The King proposes to tax the Colonies; page 136, 'The best men in Parliament-such men as William Pitt and Edmund Burke-took the side of the colonies.' On page 138, 'William Pitt said in Parliament, "in my opinion, this kingdom has no right to lay a tax on the coloni

nce words in naming several of the worse offenders." (He means cert

rom Pittsburg

onies were in the thick of it, she, herself, seemed to be sparing herself, but after reading this article... I will frankly and can

assach

etary of the Navy asks a Boston audience (Tremont Temple, October 30, 1918) to believe that it was the American navy which made possible the transportation of over 2,000,000 Americans to France without the loss of a single transport on th

Americans will learn here for the first time that more than half of our troops were not transported by ourselves, and could not have been transported at all but for British assistance. There are many persons who still believe what our politicians and newspapers tell them. No incident that I shall relate further on serves better to point the chief international moral at which I am driving throughout these pages, and at which I have already hinted: Never to generalize the ch

tary's brag. What is the moral? Look out how you generalize. Since we entered the war that tribe of English has increased who judge us with an open mind, discriminate between us, d

ems to me, the American feeling about England-partially justified by instances mentioned b

ny of your statements are absolutely true, and I recognize the fact that E

ded and disabled in our Indian wars... I know a

history and forget it if possible. 1812? That may go in the same category. Bu

ate Commissioners (I know you will say we were wrong there-and so we may have been technically-but John Bull bullied u

ent war to protect small nations! Heaven save the mark! You surely read your history. Pray tell me something of England's policy in South Africa, India, th

he great British fortunes came from the loot of India? upheld

hey American citizens? I had almost said, 'No, not one.' Sneering and contemptuous of America and American institutions. Cont

gland? Am I pro-German? I should lau

rious specimens, high and low, of the English race. But something I did reply, to the effect that I asked nobody to consider England flawless, or any nation a charit

principles, and dignity!... Oh! my dear Sir, you surely do not advocate this? I inclose an editorial clipping.... Is it no shock to you when Winston Churchill shouts to High Heaven that under no circumstances will Great Britain surrender its supreme control of the seas? This in reply to President Wilson's plea for freedom of the seas and curtailment of armam

inclosed with the above,

ext to France he led the way and said, 'Come on, Yanks; we need your help. We will put you in the first line of trenches where there will be good gunning. Yes,

ictly in the middle of the road. His determination to down the Kaiser with American men

is as seriously embarrassed by facts as a skunk by its tail. Had its author said: "The Declaration of Independence was signed by Christopher Columbus on Washington'

s would we give up control of the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal is our carotid artery, Great Britain's navy is her jugular vein. It is her jugular vein in the mind of her people, regardless of that new apparitio

ll give is from an America

m and representative government in England, used the American situation as a means to that end; that the English people, in so far as their voice could make itself heard, were solidly against both his English and American policy, and that the triumph of America contributed in no small measure to the salva

or America and Britain, but for the entire world, of these two great democratic peoples knowing each other as they rea