LETTERS TO THE EDITOR.
THE ANGLO-GERMAN ALLIANCE.
[TO THE &Duos OF THE "SPECTATOR:I Si14-41aving carefully followed your admirable articles on the Anglo-German Alliance, I cannot forbear from sending you a copy of the Nuestro Tiempo, a review published in Madrid, which quotes largely from your columns, and as early as January 2nd expressed the same views as are contained in your issue of December 31st. The article on the Venez- uelan conflict in the above review is exhaustive, and gives an idea as to how educated Spanish-Americans view the whole subject. I have marked some of the most important passages, and for greater facility beg to translate at the foot of-this letter
one or two paragraphs, which possibly you might find worthy of reproduction or reference.—I am, Sir, &c.,
Calle de Jesus y Marfa, Madrid. C. S. MAYNE.
Translation of paragraphs on p. 58.—"To emigrate beyond the seas for the purpose of continuing' in the new land to form an integral political part of the European nation from which one emigrates—barring the case of the British, who learned the lesson of 1776, and who have succeeded in creating that marvellous confederation of nations which is now the British Empire—would be simply to carry with oneself all the burdens and vexa- tions arising from the errors, accidents, and crimes of past generations, and to renounce the advantages of beginning a new life in a new country. It is not human to do this, no matter how deeply the teachings and traditions of one's fatherland may be engraved in one's heart. As long as a given individual may remain in a given European country, he will advocate the doctrine that any new region beyond the seas should be colonised by and adhere to the national political organism. But when that same individual may have himself become an emigrant to a foreign land, and when he will have to judge and cut off his own flesh as it were, his opinion will be greatly changed, as happens with the millions of Germans in the United States and the hundreds of thousands of other nationalities (Italians, Austrians, Swedes, Russians, &c.), and also with the Germans in Brazil and Chile, and the Italians in Argentina. To believe that such colonies may be made the vanguard of an invading army which will enforce on American regions the obligation of paying a share of the enor- mous debts contracted for past wars is absurd. The Germans and the Italians, taking two instances, once emigrated, will con- tinue, in the first case, to cling to their music, literature, their romantic traditions, their Wurst' and their Sauerkraut,' while the Italians will continue to love, in the same way as the Germans, their music, their native tongue, their literature, their traditions, their 'Mortadella' and their macaroni ; but neither of them will want to come back to their former masters, least of all the Italians, who come in 90 per cent. of the cases from the poorer and humbler classes. These things are so obvious that it would be superfluous to insist on
them. Furthermore, history proves the assertion The excess of population in Europe should go to America, and will continue to do so, where they find all the gates open, and will form part of the American nations, contributing their develop- ment as a factor in full play with all its potentialities!'
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