The morning call., 1890-08-10
WILLIAMS wANDERINGs.

The visit of the Emperor William the
Second to England, which is now to be
followed by a visit to the Emperor of
Russia, is regarded in Europe as significant.
To Americans it seems but natural that the
young man should pay visit of courtesy to
his grandmother; but in Europe every
movement of sovereign or prime min
lister is supposed to mean a move on the
diplomatic board. The French argue that
William is aiming at a new alliance with
Great Britain as against France and Russia,
and they fancy that his object in going to
ST. Petersburg is to try to persuade the Gar
to refrain from the hostile policy toward
Turkey which he is supposed to be ma
turing.
Il Is difficult for Americans at this dis
lance to determine how much of all this is
groundless guesswork, and how much
plausible conjecture. Two eYentualities
seem reasonably probable. There is no
reason to believe that Russia has aban-
doned her designs on COnstantinople, and
the non- payment by Turkey of the war in
demnity stipulated in the treaty of Berlin,
and the recent outbreaks among the Ar
menians, afford convenient pretext for a
renewal of hostilities, if all other condi-
llOho uAC plOpilAUuS' ARdlus IL oCculo q
certainty that sooner or later the Franco
German frontier must be rectifed. for Paris
cannot rest easy so long as Metz is in
foreign hands. Keeping in view these I'M
pending events the problems of the day are
which of them will come first. and for
which of them, if either. is the dominant
power-the German Empire-making secret
preparations.
TWiPn within the mamnrV 0f man mt far
advanced in life Russia has deemed the
lime appropriate to absorb Turkey in
Europe. Each time she was foiled by Great
Britain. But on the first occasion the Suez
Canal did not exist, and Russian occupation
Of Conslautinopie might have barred En-
glands road to InGi2, vhilo on the second
occasion spirited foreign policy was the
fashion. Al the present time the Russian
flag might float frOll tue minar5ts OF 5tam-
boul without menacing England SO long as
the SueZ Canal remained open ana Cyprus
was still in English hands, and certainly
what is called a spirited foreign policy
could hardly be expected from the admins
tration which surrendered Heligoland II
is not at all certain that new Russian ad-
vance upon Turkey would be followed by
resistance in England, and it is quite Ger
tain that it would not be resented by
France. The only powers which would be
likely to protest with arms are Germany
and Austria, and their objection would arise
from vague fear that if the Russian
Empire extended from the Gulf of Finland
to the Bosphorus she would be too strong
for the comfort of her neighbors.
The difficulty Of the situation arises from
the fact that the future will be largely
shaped by one young man, and that he is a
sphinx. Thus far William the Second has
given the world no inklng of his quality.
In dismissing Bismarck he encouraged the
world to expect of him liberal policy; but
the hope vanished when he proclaimed that
lie reigned by the grace of Goa. When he
called labor congress men thought that he
had awakened to the Importance of the
problem Of the age-the condition of the
wage-earner; but when he suppressed
meetings of Worklngmen he proved that he
was unwilling to undertake that problem
in the only way in which it can be solved
No single word has ever fallen from his
lips to encourage belief that he appreci-
ates the democratic tendency of the times
in which he lives, and he has resisted, as
Obstinately as his grandfather did, every
effort of the Reichstag to resume control of
the public purse, or to diminish the power
of the army. With all this those who have
access to his person describe him as a gen.
erous. genial, welLmeaning young man.
who is really anxious to promote the pros
perity Of the German people,
The march of events will probably devel-
op him. 1t is hardly possible that another
Frederick the Great or another Napoleon
can grow to maturity in this age. But it
may take war. and bloody war, to force
William into the niche where he properly
belongs.