LETTERS TO THE EDITOR ON HATING AMERICA - [To the
Editor of the SPECTATOR.] article on hating America, in , your issue of January 30th, makes interesting reading. It is indeed a surprise to learn that after all the efforts in recent years of the British Press—andmore especially of the Spectator—to culti- vate friendship With tile United States, the Englishman is now less friendly than he was. There must be a reason for this, and a frank statement Of the causes might lead to a better understanding.. In your last paragraph you say that Englishmen whO have personal acquaintance with America do not hate her. Thii is natural, for contact with individuals reveals many charming personalities. :What the Englishman resents or dislikes is the spirit which appears toanimate the American nation as shown by its Government. Englishmen chi not bear a. grudge long, and while they have forgotten Venezuela and the Yukon, the War is too recent to allow us to forget. the. attitude of America in, the early part of it, as shown so clearly in the Life. and Letters of _Taller Page. Page, himself loved and adthired England, but it is abundantly clear that his Govern- ment did not.
Again, in the post-War financial arrangements we feel that whfte,England has made great concessions in thecause' of the settlement of tor*, America throwing overthe." League of Nations " and disclaiming any responsibilities in Europe ha.. seemed anxious to exact the uttermost farthing. At the same time she shirts out our gOdds by 4. high tariff Wall;thirs
pelling us to repay in securities:
rigli-shm-en dislike, too, what appears to them the' Self:- righteous attitude of America on some questions. We have
heard criticisms of our rule in India, but know that Indians are much better treated in this country than Negroes in the U.S.A. We read recently of America trying to force the hands of the Indian Government in the matter of opium, but according to report there are graver abuses of drugs in America, and only the other day a lady was forbidden to land ap- parently on the ground that she had been divorced, while. -statistics tell us that divorce is particularly easy and frequent in that country.
I think if there is one thing we hate it is cant.—I am, Sir,
[We should have no objection to publishing frank opinions as to why Americans dislike Englishmen and why Englishmen dislike Americans. We can easily believe that such a discus- sion if conducted in a scientific spirit—with candour and know- ledge and not with prejudice—might do a good deal of good., In our judgment the English-speaking peoples in combination —we do not mean in formal alliance—can keep the world straight and nobody else is likely to be able to do it. Obviously, therefore, if internal dislikes ,stand in the way these ought to be removed, and we know of no better way than discussion which is not afraid to tell the truth but never descends to abuse.—En. Spectator.]
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