New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-12-23
FRANCE, ENGLAND AND CHINA
UNEXPECTED CoMPLICATIoNs-FER AND
CLEMENCEAU.

qun enterprise has brought forth dne Studt0R Craze
That negligible quantity" China. as the fatul-
tous RepubRqe Franchise called it, is found to
have behind il powers and interests which are not 10
be treated lightly. NJ. Jules Ferry and the OPP
portunsts who impel him on in his, or rather their,
forward policy, treat nations as entities England Is IN
their minds incarnate in a small group who are
charged with the task of managing her Imperial
affairs They do not SEQ the active eating and
drinking community who are behind the few states
men, and who must work tremendously to be able TO
eat and drink and who would drop down into bottom
less pit of misery if the commercial enterprise into
which their activity is forced to flow were by any
accident brought to a stand-still for few weeks.
England without tea would be like New-YOrk III
summer without milk and ice or like Paris without
wine, or like German town without beer Thepriva-
ton would be as keenly felt at the breakfast-table
of the operatives family in the Queens household.
Fancy Mrs. Camp and Betsey Prig cut off from
their tea supply. Sir Charles Dixie, who is a tea
bibber could obtain at great price what he needed
from Russia But the poor the struggling, the
fairly wealthy, the Miss Gabithas, who love the cup
that cheers but not nebriates the journalists who
have e-cheYed gin and water and who spur their
brains with the Chinese beverage and the sailors,
slpowners, merchants, dock porters warehousemen
and groccrs who are engaged in the colossal tea
trade, would be soon in state of open rebellion.
The whole molecular economy Of the British nation
would be disturbed.
CI6menceau, who in walking the hospitals re-
ccvcd a scientific education, understands this.
Ferry dimly understands it, But the forward party
OF whom no became the weapon when De Frcycinct
dropped from power three years ago. have no con-
ccpton of it. England is simply England in their
minds-a sort of pertdous and powerful, being, half
goddess, half-heud, wearing royal crown, flanked
by proud arstocracy and sturdy, plodding and yet
enterprsing commons rising from the mud of pau
perism and having at her orders the greatest navy
that ever existed. This England has delegated her
authority to Queen, TO Gladstone, Chamberlain,
Dixie and few others. Her chief delegates some
years ago were Palmerston and Earl Russell and
little later Lords Braconsfeld and Salisbury. The
Tipcs i, their collective mouthpicce. In 1881 Eng
land struck up or affected TO strike up, friendship
with her old enemy France, and has ever since, OF
course for interested motives been trying the cor
dial dodge with the latter, who believed IN her pro-
fe,sions aud to oblge her went TO war with Russia
and invaded the Crimea. As one good turn de-
serves another the insular Power in honor bound
to give u helping hand to France in case her troops
and ginboats should stick in the mud Of Tonquin
aud Of the shallow seas of China. England the
entity WAS only thought of. Mrs Camp, Betsey
llIg tue b'tAl-A i'ln ti4' Ni'l'i''f N'~'> '''
groc,rs. buyers, tca-ta-tcrs and 50 on were not
taken into account by French Ministers.
70 their painful surprise they are beginning to
Gud out that the tca-drnkig interest Is like those
cobweb-ookuq corls with which the Liputlans
tied down CULVER. Earl Granville processes the
most cordial sentiments. But what can he do
against such an apglomeration Of interests as the
teapot svnboiilcs all tending in the same direction
g. "A Al If Ilua
viii see a cd,us b,T in what NM. Jales Ferry and
Waddinrton term the assertion of French rights,
and these claims are defended hy artillery and bay
onct the Government of her Majesty viii be obliged
~ consider chiefly how IL can best prevent The trade
between Great Britain and the treaty ports from be-
iug3 .thrr seriously mcuacod or suspended. II she
took part with tho French she would throw the
business now transacted at Shanghai and Canton
into German and other hands. iulsmuch n, China
,ould be made too hot to hold an Eugli,hman.
Tho English Government long ago aFpr>rd NJ.
Ferry through an indirect and uou-utncal channel
and then through direct, that il could not iecos-
niyc any paper blockade of the Chinese ports. |
Luov that he was startled when be- received what
va, intended 10 bca friendly warning. But he did
not py thc attention to It that il deserved tor two
REASONS. Ouc was that hc looked tor aid to Russia
and Tap1n and The other was that ne thought Eng
land would pay high price to get the French to r.
uou,cc their traditional claim go mctdlc IN
Eryptinn affairs. OF bismarck be was not afraid.
The German Chancellor bad often said that the tar
tier France went ahead IN lndo-Chna ard North
Africa the easier he would bc the subject of the
,er1reIe In speaking thus he spoke the truth bat
not the whole truth Fiat part of 1t which lac held
back might be thus expressed: II she advances Tar
Italy and Eng and Will stand in her path and be-
come hcl enemies. When she Is br-ct with foes
Will be down upon her and lutiI't ou her a blow
winch will disable her Tor long time to come.
~ Ferry and those who were behind Inn believed
what they liked 20 believe The latter had made
such a good thing of Tunis in the face of English
and Italian opposition 10 be- embroidered to 90 for
ward in the Tonquin enterprise. Touquin ports.
docks. canal. and mines were to have been financed
ON tbc Bour,c. Labor was cheap on the Red River
and there wonld be the forced labor OF Rcdlyiyi,s.
A delightful fools paradise was created and 1t was
,xrcctcd that the savings of the working classes
Nould bc largely invested in this Eden. am not
aware that VI. Ferry himself had an interest IN the
brilliant bubble; nor do | suspect that he had' but
hi, tenure of Office depended on the votes OF group
IN the Chamber which for Boursc motives had be-
come the patrons OF Dupuis the explorer, and ms
brother Charles Is professional dabbler IN bogus
finance.
NJ. Clfmcnceau often says in holding councils OF
war with his subcditOrs and colleagues IN the
Chamber: Let ~ get at facts and stick to them
I'm iudVng Of the Chinese difficulty he has always
held that one great fact is patent which shond inn
pose on every French Cabinet policy OF concentra-
tlon and of consistent adherence to those principles
the respect for which could not fail to secnre tho
sympathy of all men of liberal minds and noble feel
ing, This fact il that it is Bismarck's interest to
attack France tho moment lac can safely do 50.
Seeing this, and for no other reason CIemrhcean mas
brrn thorn in the side of the chief OF the forward
Marty. Yesterday he broke another lance with NJ.
Jules Ferry and under circumstances which do
honor To his courage and show him to he a true pa
irut On the afternoon of Tuesday there was
Kind OF panic in the lobbies of the Chamber. The
uneasy air of the members of the TOnqun Commit
ices and the crcstlallon look of NJ. Ferry were
thought signs of coming accomplished disaster
NJ Riyierc "a committeeman who seeks to form
pnrty not 80 advanced ~ that of Cl6monceau and
morS Rndica than that of NJ. Forty. owned that