The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1881-01-05
E RIVER S.
proving ourselves united for the sphere OF
independent Journalism and ignorant,of the
laws of common good breeding.

ton and revolt which to US seem the pre-
monilions of disintegration, and 1t IS dlnlcult
to see how she will surmount the dIf1lcultles
surrounding her. She has surmounted others
apparently as great, in q way which IS the
glory Of her history. But never have the
conditions been so heavily against her, nor
has she ever had to meet such a combination
of unfortuitious circumstances as the present
| crises present. Not even in the dark hour
of Austerlitz was her case SO desperate, Tor
she had millions of sympathizers on the Con
tinent, and the connivance Of every govern
ment in Europe, except the French, and her
| success in the long struggle was due rs much
to the fighting qualities of her allies, as their
organized existence was due to her staying
qualities and money. Now she is isolated and
her deciding weight in the balance OF power
in Europe, which she has held since Henry
WILL, destroyed. Passive rebellion in Ire
land only waiting for an opportunity to be-
come open and active, and this rebellion half
supported by England's own population, who
are suffering from a decadence Of her In
d~ustries, and a monopoly OF her lands only
a degree less oppressive than lreland's oWn.
Far off South Africa IN arms, and shoot
ing in cold blood the remnants OF the little
army spared by the deadly miasma. India,
starving and wealthy, miserable and magnif-
icent, is praying for a day Of deliverance and
the Russian. British troops, leaving poverty
stricken and warlike Afghans, whom it is nos
worth while to rob, and desolating the sclen-
tifc frontier won at terrible cost and good
for nothing. Canada quarrelling over a dl-
vision of imperial subsidy which can hardly
be afforded, but which must be paid as the
purchasing factor of her own independence,
which will fail to further influence when her
moral strength is most needed. France, with
no good will, will not trust to her again, re-
Numbering the days of hesitation Of II, and
only just dow deserving her in her naval dem
onstration on the unsavory Turk. Germany
keeping one eye on France and one on Be-
hernia, which Austria would willingly ex-
change for the position OF leader OF the
southern Sclaves and still more Bulgarian ter
ritory, to which Germany would be equally
willing if it did not throw Italy into the arms
Of Russia. Russia pursuing her destiny in
the Orient, conquering and civillzlng the
nomadic Tartar and freeing the oppressed
Iranian. China waking up to a sense OF dam
ger and power, and looking a little to Eng
land, but more to Germany for a helping
hand. And the whole world getting ready
for war, forced on by the irresistible pres
sure Of overcroWded populations and com
mercial CO mp%etition, which has lately grown
so intense.
England may be enabled to and q prof1ta-
BILE alliance among this Heterogeneous mass OF
conflicting interests, but it is difficult to see
Just where; for she has nothing to offer but a
status quo, and this not any will take as the
price of an alliance of certain sloWness and
questionable strength. America is destroy
ing her old-tlme poWer-herp productive inter
ests, which at present are being rapidly con-
tracted into starving human beings-and the
Continent is no longer dependent upon her to
supply its .commercial and financial deficien-
cies. She will not get France SO long as
she is opposed to Russia, for Russia is the
only hope Of France with hostile Germany
and Austria watching her moment OF weak
ness, and Italy will not see anything bus her
two millions Of Tyrolese under the Austrian
yoke, which she must depend upon Russian
strength or diplomacy ever to get. Ger
many and Austria can do nothing but watch,
and by diplomatic intrigue strengthen q
Chinese sentiment of fear and hatred for
Russian power, in which ENHANCEMENT lies
their strength as the arb1trators of Europe.
The forces are unbalanced and the dream OF
Metternich Of a perpetual %equipoise Of power
changed to nothing by German and Italian
development and the growth of chronological
sentiment.
England's supremacy on the sea is reduced
to a mere expression by the iron-clad ana Jne
torpedo, and noteyen peaceful America would
permit her to close European ports again
as in the days of 18O6-15, and the day OF bat.
ties On the Continent with nineteen millions
Of soldiers and railroads, must be f%earfully
sharp and short, and English troops toe
scattered and English strength too slow tt
render her power an acceptable factor il
Continental combinations, as was demon
strated in her failure in the Observation-Disclosures
affair, in the crises of Sadowa and Sedan
and still later in Turkey, where she was al
most ignoredin the calculations Of Bismarck
Gortschakonf and Gambetta. A combina
| ton with Russia or q hopeless Russo-Chines
ENHANCEMENT are her only sure means 9
safety; the former, the English people ar
hardly ready to accept, though believed i
E by Gladstone, and supported by the ultr
? Liberal leaders; the latter among the possibi
{ tiles of the future, but likely to be offset by
Russian combination in Asia Of Persian, A
4 I.lananl Tndinn- fnrnna -