To the Editor of the Sre,—The summary of American opinion ona British-American Alliance, which appeared in the V.-C. Daily News of Thursday, does not accurately state the position of ex-Secretary of State Olney with reference to the policy advised by Washington. The summary makes Mr, Olney favour the repudintion of that policy, but in the article in the May Atlantic Monthly by Mr. Olney, in which the subject is discussed, the ex-Secretary does not take issue with the Washington policy, but clearly points out, that while the general acceptation of its meaning has been correct, Washington j never intended it to be accepted as an unchangeable policy. Mr. Olney writes that the policy "could hardly have been adhered to more faithfully had it formed part. of the text of the constitution," but the very wor's of. Washington's Farewell Address show it to be of a far narrower application than the common American veneration supposes. The policy is that this country shall not. participate in the ordinary vicissitudes of European politics and shall not make a permanent alliance with any foreign power," but Washington, using his own words, maclean important exception by saying that we may safely trust to temporary alliances for extraordinary emergencies." That is, he looked forward to the of such alliances on special occasions, instead of counselling absolute international isolation. And, writes Mr. Olnoy, that Washington twas of the opinion that the regimen suitable to the struggling infancy of the nat Would be adopted to its lusty manhood ix unsupported by a particle of evidence." Washington even declared that he ''thought atime might come when our institutions being firmly consolidated, and moving with complete success, we might safely, land perhaps beneficently take part in the consultations hold by foreign States for the common advantage of the nations." The mero statement of the Washington policy hows that many of the conditions which The nation, is. no. longer week bat justified it in his time e: no longer.
strong; one of the great Powers of the world. Modern science has brought wa close to Burope in time. In 1790 Washington wrote to the French Ambassador that "at this great distance from the Northern part of Europe we hear of news they were the events or reports of another planet." It is believed that no man ever lived in favour of whose patriotism and wisdom the verdict of history is so" unani as it is of Washington's, and it is also believed that, were Washington alive, he would be the first to advise his countrymen to take their place in the procession of the great Powers of civilisation and bear their part of the responsibilities of the world.
In this connection it may be well to ro-more an apprehension which appears in one of the opinions in the summary it is, that the opposition of the German and Trish elements of the population of the United States may influence public opinion against a British-American alliance. The apprehension arises from a. misconception of German and Trish influence in the United States. There are more Anglo-Saxons in the United States than in any other country, and about seven-eighths of the entire population are native-born. According to the census of 1890, the last taken, the origin of - the foreign-born population under consideration was, United Kingdom, 3,122,911; Germany, 2,784,894. The superficial traveller as well as the superficial reader should not be accepted as authority on American affairs, for if the proper sources of information be examined the proof is conclusive that the Stars and Stripes wave over and have the allegiance of more pure-blooded Saxons than the ensign of any other nationality, and the Union of this great race is not @ shadow, but a reality, which'the march of events unmistakably foretells, Tam, ete., 8th June.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.