| Show ENGLISH VIEW of the proposed anglo american alliance they ask what has america to offer in return for english tige and then proceed to give the answer new york june 6 one of the ques tiona asked by englishmen binca mr chamberlains unexpected advocacy ct an anglo american alliance is a practical one says the london correspondent of the tribune what have the americans they inquire to offer ua in return for our moral support and naval prestige ye can understand bow much they have to pain from an alii ance with the power having the strong beet fleet afloat especially if they are bent upon changing their foreign policy and taking an active part in east indian as well as west indian affairs bat must be based upon equivalent advantages advant agee what compensation will there be for england in return for the tremendous power of the navy these are questions which are constantly put to americans living in london the best reply which can be made to que etione of this kind is that an alliance with america will be the et eale cuard against the failure of food supply in time of war the statisticians have shown hat the wheat harvest 0 the united kingdom ie equal to the requirements of only fourteen weeks and that daring the remaining thirty eight weeks an imported supply ie the only source during the greater part odthe year there is never more than six weeks supply of wheat in england if importations of food were cut kofl or partially interrupted the price of bread would rise and a large portion of the population would be exposed to starvation this is the real source of danger in the time of war as every sober minded englishman Engli ahman knows the united kingdom with its insular position and its powerful fleet would be secure from invasion but it would not be protected against famine no safeguard would be so invaluable to england as a good understanding with america where the largest share of the imported food supply ie drawn such an understanding would be worth as much as a powerful auxiliary navy the herburg commission on national wheat stores has recently made an on the subject of food resources of the united kingdom and recommends the purchase and storage by the british government ot echt million quarters of wheat as a reserve supply for the emergency of war taia storage scheme is advocated on the ground that a fourteen weeks supply of food is an indispensable requirement of national defense it is not likely that any action will ba taken by parliament upon this report with the relations between england and america constantly improving there ia certainly no urgency for this storage project 0 the panic bongers mongers mon gers but the fact that such a report with ua unimpeachable proofs of the dependence depend enc of england upon imported food haa not been without significance the report ia a storehouse of practical for englishmen who are seeking for evidence of the utility of B treaty with the united states there is another comment which is frequently made by englishmen upon the proposals for an anglo american al lianca this related to the necessity of imposing upon the united states an obligation to increase its standing army and to develop the fighting resources of its navy the objection is raised that an ally who could not be depended upon to mobilize mobil iza an army of men at short notice would be of little use in an emergency emerge acy men who take this view refer to the fact that the american ron at the china station while sufficiently powerful to crush the spanish fleet in the philippines has been unequal to the naval kotcis england france germany and russia have in waters and must be largely increased and supplied with coal from the stations and dry docks it there is to tee operation cooperation co with great britain on equal terms otherwise en alliance would be a one sided bargain with the obligations saddled mainly upon england and the by the united states at a minimum cost and without an adequate sense of those who discuss the subject in this spirit contend that one of the conditions of an alliance must be an obligation on the part of the united states to increase the efficiency of the navy to maintain a powerful fleet in the west indiee with a bas 0 under american control and to double the of the standing army on a peace footing any proposition for an effective alliance between two countries relates to au exchange of territories to by effected for mutual advantage englishmen who have accurate knowledge of the condition of their are in despair over their future ahn balgar islands are doomed they as bert fla dependence depend enc ea of a country whose aroa trade policy doea not permit tariff discriminations in great favor the united states on the other hand with its tariff system and nith its treat market for sugar may be able to develop their resources and restore their prosperity why should not jamaica and other islands ask these candid englishmen be added to the american union after cuba bee been redeemed from misery and ruin will it nut be possible to arrange a basis of by which islands like the philippines can be transferred to england with her superior for governing them in connection with other remote etalee of the empire and bome of the west indian possessions be banded over to the united states with a tariff system and a market precisely adapted to their economic requirements quire ments there are illustrations 0 the practical spirit in which tha projected alliance between the two countries ie tentatively discussed by the thoughtful men in england En cland the idea of placing tie united states bonds to double the peace establishment of its stand ing army and to enlarge the ite naval activities may be 9 chimerical as the notion that an exchange of territories ri can be effected these principles it is necessary from an american point of view to discuss cither proposition seriously bat the tact that reflecting men of light and influence care to make practical applications of the action ie of real significance the leaven of international good feeling is working A year ago england was conjuring with the high sounding phrase splendid isolation american opinion and mr chamberlains has suggested an alternative policy based upon the common interests of the english speaking world it may be premature it may be a vagary ot optimism ant athas made a deep impression upon the english people and with their instincts they are discussing it in a calculating elint from the point of view of enlightened self interest |
