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Show AS OTHERS SEE US. We of America are much given to criticism of our governmental policies, and of the activity of the government in all lines. This is a condition which might be cause for a feeling of discouragement discourage-ment were it not that from that criticism has grown up a system which has the admiration of the world. No matter how much we may disagree with certain activities, the fact remains that the United States of America is an ideal government for which certain cer-tain leaders in the political world of Europe have begun an agitation, the ultimate object being the consolidation of the United States of Europe into a federation, each state independent in local affairs, af-fairs, as in the states of America, yet each united into an indissoluble union on lines approximating as closely as possible to the United States of America. Amer-ica. There assembled in Roma on Wednesday of this week a conference of eminent men from every European country, where the principal subject under un-der discussion was the federation of the European nations along American lines. This assembly is the outcome of a pilgrimage of Sir Max Waeehter, a German naturalized in Great Britain, through the continental countries for the purpose of sounding the opinion on the continent with regard to such a federation. Sir Max conceived the idea a number of years ago, and his great admiration of America and American ideas and progress has caused him to take up actively the work. He has watched the growth of America, and has made careful comparison compari-son with the decay of the European nations. He ha9 found that America has outstripped the nations of Europe in the struggle for commercial supremacy, suprem-acy, and that the people of America enjoy a far larger proportion of the fruits of their toil than obtains ob-tains in any nation of the world. His conclusions are based on the theory that the governmental system sys-tem of Europe is not right; that the system in America is the ideal to which Europeans should turn their attention and to inaugurate which in Europe should be the work of the leaders of the political and economic thought in those nations. In his own words, his conclusion is as follows: "Europe is gradually losing its position in the world, and this will in course of time be usurped by other nations which are rapidly coming to the front unless we pull ourselves together and abandon the vicious system now prevailing in Europe which handicaps us so seriously in the commercial struggle strug-gle for existence." Xo one at all acquainted with the enormous cost of the military establishments of England. Germany, Ger-many, France, Russia and the other powers of Europe, Eu-rope, which cost is a constant drain upon the people, peo-ple, can doubt that the system, as Sir Max calls, it, is "vicious." But whether the leaders of the political politi-cal life of the various nations will be satisfied, or whether the people of the various nations would be satisfied to abandon their national independence to secure a greater proportion of individual independ ence is a question which the idealists have not yet solved. The idea of a free federation of sovereign independent states, living together in fraternal frater-nal equality, and settling their differences by the impartial judgment of an independent supreme court, is one which, if carried out. will bring about the greatest revolution in European and world politics poli-tics in the world's history. Even if the idea tails of accomplishment, the fact that the Americanization Americaniza-tion of Europe is thought of. and that American ideas have penetrated into the darkest portions ot Europe, should be gratifying to Americans, who have great faith in their country and greater faith in their countrymen. That the sovereign statesmen f E'urope are not hostile to the plan is evidenced by a conversation reported in the Contemporary Review by Charles Lowe, in which Sir Max Waeehter Waeeh-ter declared that in his pilgrimage he found them prepared to consider the Americanization with an open mind, and that he thought it was recognized that such Americanization was really inevitable, sooner or later. It is the most important development develop-ment in world politics for many years. |
