THE
ENGLISH-SPEAKING WORLD.
By EVELYN WRENCH.
WELCOME to Mr. Frank Kellogg, the new American Ambassador, who sailed for England on December 22nd, which was his sixty-seventh birthday. Before leaving Mr. Kellogg declared, " My ambition is to preserve and make stronger the present peaceful and cordial relations existing between Great Britain and the United States."
Mr. henry Ford's statement last week that he supports Mr. Coolidge and will " never for a moment consider running against him " eliminates the possibility of a three-cornered contest for the Presidency in November. Hitherto the situation was rendered somewhat obscure owing to the probability of a third party coming forward in support of Mr. Ford. Had the latter stood, the defeat of the Republicans would have been by no means unlikely. Hence Mr. Ford's announcement has been greeted with much satisfaction by the Republicans. His withdrawal has, however, caused no less jubilation among the Demo- crats. Undoubtedly Mr. Ford's support means a great accession of strength to Mr. Coolidge.
* * * * The Berlin correspondent of the Times sent an extra- ordinarily interesting dispatch to the issue of last Saturday on the epoch-making advance in fighting sleeping sickness achieved by the Bayer Chemical Works of Leverkusen. From the results obtained so far the new remedy, " Bayer 205," must be put alongside Ehrlich's famous " 606 " as one of the greatest synthetic drugs known to chemistry. If the optimistic prophecies concerning the effectiveness of " Bayer 205 " prove to be well founded, civilization will have been endowed with weapons of inestimable value in its task of opening up tropical Africa. For it is hoped that not only will sleeping sickness be mastered, but that cattle suffering from tsetse fly disease may also be cured. The results achieved in the experiments with the tsetse fly have not hitherto, however, been as successful as in the case of sleeping sickness.
* * * * The arguments for and against granting a bonus to the War veterans in the United States has by no means been disposed of. It is a subject to which a great deal of pub- licity is being given in the American Press. Senator Carter Glass, one of Mr. Mellon's predecessors at the Washington Treasury, states the alternatives as " lower taxes and no bonus and higher taxes with a bonus." In other words, as one American journal puts it, the alterna- tives are, " a bonus for all the people and a bonus for the world-war veterans." The Hearst Press has come out strongly in favour of a bonus, and declares that it is " a too-long defaulted debt of national honour." Opinion in the American Legion, the ex-Service men's organization, is said to be by no means unanimous in favour of a bonus. The various arguments on this much-discussed question leave the reader with the conviction that the bonus will not be granted, however eloquent some of its advocates may be apart from the fact that President Coolidge in his message to Congress stated, " I do not favour the granting of a bonus." * * * * The extension of the Uasin. Gishu Railway to Uganda has been decided on by the Government, and is a matter of the utmost importance to those sections of the British Empire lying in equatorial East Africa. To link up the existing railhead with Jinja in Uganda will take about two years. When the new route is completed it will become the main traffic artery to Uganda and will enable the increasing cotton production of the country to be exported. Ultimately it is hoped to bridge the Nile here and continue the railway north-west to the Sudan frontier. * * * * A delegation of Filipinos has arrived in Washington to plead for their country's independence. President Coolidge made use of the occasion to explain the atti- tude of the United States in carrying out the " white man's burden." The President stated that he believed in the withdrawal of the United States as soon as the Philippines were deemed to be fit for self-government. Until that time arrives the United States should contribute towards the training of the Filipinos in self-government through the maintenance in the island of a capable and effective system of government. So far there has been a divergence of views on the part of America and of the Philippines as to the island's " fitness " for self-govern- ment. Sooner or later the Philippines will undoubtedly • be independent. The attitude of the United States shows how far we have progressed from the time when the ruling of subject races in the interests of the governing power was considered the legitimate function of colonizing nations. * * * * The Times has printed a letter from an American reader about the settlement of the British Debt which deserves the widest publicity. The writer refers with surprise to the criticism of Mr. Baldwin for his part in the settlement which has appeared in certain British journals. To readers of the Spectator, who will recall Mr. Strachey's strong advocacy of the Debt settlement all along, it will be gratifying to read this point of view of the average American. The correspondent writes, " It is our firm belief that Mr. Baldwin established for the British Empire, for all time, a financial _foundation and basis of credit that has never before been equalled in an international way." And he continues, " Should the day ever come when the Dominions and colonies looked more to our country for capital resources, which they will all require in greater amounts as-they progress, I believe they will all look back on the action of Mr. Baldwin with very grateful thoughts." There is every reason to suppose that an increasing amount of American capital will flow Dominion- wards in the future. Since the earliest times the British Empire has been singularly fortunate in its proconsuls. In days gone by; with little encouragement from the home Government,' they have steadfastly continued to do their share in' bearing the white man's burden. A very distinguished public servant in the person of Sir George Lloyd, the retiring Governor of Bombay, is a case in point, for he is entitled to rank alongside the great proconsuls of the past. Sir George Lloyd's term of office has been. a difficult one, and the problems which have confronted him during the past five years have been many and varied. When he went to India Sir George had the great advantage of having previously travelled in the East ; he was, therefore, familiar with Asiatic conditions. His tenure of office will be remembered by the great schemes of public utility and development associated with his name, and like Sir Bartle Frere he will be remembered as " a maker of modern Bombay." After seventy years of discussion the great barrage across the Indus below the Sukkur gorge has been commenced, and, at a total cost of £12,000,000, when completed will be a great factor in creating prosperity in Sind. Sir George Lloyd was also responsible for the first effective and comprehensive labour bureau in India. Let us hope that Sir George Lloyd, once he has had a rest, will not long remain unemployed. * * * * The Boston Globe contains an amusing article concern- ing " Jingles," President Coolidge's cat, which can now claim the title of " the first cat in the land." On the night that the President was elected Governor of Massa- chusetts, in 1919, a half-starved kitten strayed into the Coolidge home. Regarding the little visitor as a har- binger of good fortune, the family adopted him, and he became the special pet of Mr. Coolidge. The article tells us that President Coolidge has taken a hand in the education of " Jingles," and took special pains to break him of the habit of chasing birds. When a kitten, our informant states,. "Jingles " presented Mr. Coolidge with a dead bird. Mr. Coolidge refused to pay any attention to the offering, and " from that day to this Jingles' has never been known to chase a bird" ! Truly a remarkable cat. Let us hope that he will continue to deal kindly with brother bird when he roams round the gardens of the White House. " Jingles " is also stated to have the same retiring disposition as his master.
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