I needn’t and can’t write more.  Of course there are more important things than English respect.  But the English think that every Power has lost respect for us—­the Germans most of all.  And (unless the President acts very rigorously and very quickly) we’ll have to get along a long time without British respect.

     W.H.P.

P.S.  The last Zeppelin raid—­which interrupted the game of cards—­killed more than twenty persons and destroyed more than seven million dollars’ worth of private business property—­all non-combatants!

     W.H.P.

     To Edward M. House

     21st of September, 1915.

     DEAR HOUSE: 

The insulting cartoon that I enclose (destroy it without showing it) is typical of, I suppose, five hundred that have appeared here within a month.  This represents the feeling and opinion of the average man.  They say we wrote brave notes and made courageous demands, to none of which a satisfactory reply has come, but only more outrages and no guarantee for the future.  Yet we will not even show our displeasure by sending Bernstorff home.  We’ve simply “gone out,” like a snuffed candle, in the regard and respect of the vast volume of British opinion. (The last Punch had six ridiculing allusions to our “fall.”)

     It’s the loneliest time I’ve had in England.  There’s a tendency to
     avoid me.

They can’t understand here the continued declaration in the United States that the British Government is trying to take our trade—­to use its blockade and navy with the direct purpose of giving British trade profit out of American detentions.  Of course, the Government had no such purpose and has done no such thing—­with any such purpose.  It isn’t thinking about trade but only about war.

The English think they see in this the effect on our Government and on American opinion of the German propaganda.  I have had this trade-accusation investigated half a dozen times—­the accusation that this Government is using its military power for its own trade advantage to our detriment:  it simply isn’t true.  They stop our cargoes, not for their advantage, but wholly to keep things from the enemy.  Study our own trade reports.

     In a word, our importers are playing (so the English think)
     directly into the hands of the Germans.  So matters go on from bad
     to worse.

     Bryce[9] is very sad.  He confessed to me yesterday the utter
     hopelessness of the two people’s ever understanding one another.

     The military situation is very blue—­very blue.  The general feeling
     is that the long war will begin next March and end—­nobody dares
     predict.

     W.H.P.

P.S.  There’s not a moral shadow of a doubt (1) that the commander of the submarine that sunk the Arabic is dead—­although he makes reports to his government! nor (2) that the Hesperian was torpedoed.  The State Department has a piece of the torpedo.

V