A Summing-Up

Sir Auckland Geddes, ex-British Ambassador to the U. S., was entertained at a dinner by the Pilgrims Society on his return to England from Washington. In his speech Sir Auckland touched upon several points:

Rum Running. He was glad that the treaty to put an end to rum running had been successfully negotiated. Nothing, he said, had humiliated him more than to have to go to the State Department, week after week, to request the release of some wretched schooner, sometimes rightly and sometimes wrongly flying the British flag.

Prohibition. Given the American problem and the American climate, Sir Auckland thought he would become a prohibitionist. A cheer came from a corner of the hall; the speaker added that, fortunately, he was not "given the American climate." (Laughter.)

Debt Settlement. He said that he did not think Britishers realized how far the U. S. had met them in regard to the debt settlement. He said that it could never have been accomplished had not the American negotiators shown every desire to aid in securing a settlement.

Architecture. The ex-Ambassador said that Britain had much to learn from the U. S. about architecture.

Labor Conditions. On the whole, working men were better housed and better clothed than their comrades in England. During his many visits to industrial centres he had frequently inquired how the well-being of the wage-earner had been achieved. He always received one answer: "Well, we 'believe in keeping a big share of the home market for our own people." Turning to J. R. Clynes, Lord Privy Seal, he urged the Government to take care of the working people and to see if there were not something which it could learn from the U. S.

Reply. U. S. Ambassador Kellogg spoke next. Said he: "You have been represented in Washington by a long line of distinguished statesmen, but no man has held a higher standard of statesmanship than Sir Auckland Geddes, statesman, soldier, scholar of the highest order, orator and a man who knew the American people through long study of them."