New-York tribune., 1891-04-29
NEWFOUNDLAND HINTS At ANIMATION

NrRFoUNDIAND HINTS At ANNEXATION.
Lord Sasburys attitude toward the demands
of the Newfoundland delegates is brutal but
frank. He will concede nothing. They have
advanced the position OF the colony far to meet
him, but he will not bulge an inch to meet them
They must accept his policy or he will choke IL
down their threats They must pass coionlai
act to enable him TO carry out his a9rcemonts
with France, agreements which he Will not at
tempt to force France to modify, or he will pass
an Imperial act and carry them out anyhow
1t was quite improbable, as we said long ago.
that Lord Salisbury would in any material re-
spect qualify his policy to suit Newfoundland,
hut we scarcely expected such a display OF
downright ugliness in his declarations Its
effect upon the colonists will surely be to in
creose in manifold power their spirit OF resist
ance. They, too, are Anglo-SaXons, and the
answer of Sir William Whiteway, who at last
seAms 70 have made the inevitable choice be-
,voen his duty and his ambition, that the Brit
;sb nation cannot retain Newfoundland ana per-
NIT Lord Salisbury to enforce coerclve measures
against the oOlony's will, is an answer character
i.tic of Ango-Saxon temper. The issue, there
fore is iojned Lord Salisbury must accept the
| coIony's proposals or the colony will appeal to
the british public. Failing there, it will with
draw from the Empire. 1t fails to perceive
wherein a wound is less severe or more endur-
able when administered for France by England
than for France by herself.
There is sound sense in this. The British
Foreign Office, while protesting to 90 with the
colonists in their Interpretation OF the french
Shore treaties is in practice accepting the IN
terpretation of the French. 1t says TO the New
foundlanders Your view Is correct, but
France will not accept it, and 1t IS necessary
until we can persuade France to agree with you
that you shall submit to her demands VI
course, if British protection is worth no more
than this, if it has not the courage TO MAINTAIN
What it acknowledges to be the right, II 1t Is
to serve only as another arm in enforcing French
DEGREES, it will not strike the Newfoundianders
as of much value. They might better deal with
France directly, appealing as weak and needy
people to gallant and generous enemy than to
deal through nation with which France has
other quarrols, which has no claim upon bel
generosity, and which is unwilling to risk con-
flict in aid OF cause admittedly just.
Sir William Waterways statement that in the
event of the passage OF the Knutsford bill he
should consider union with the United States
is possibly intended more as an argument Il
the British public than as anything else. Wha
we should do if the quarrel were thrown on oul
hands is one thing but whether we should wisi
to acquire it is another. But there is undoubt
ed force in the argument that, whereas trade
with the French OF bait for their shore priv
ileces would be ruinous to the colonists unde
present circumstances, it would be a small mat
ter if they had free entry to our markets. Frame
and Newfoundland are now bitter rivals in tn
same markets and free bait to the French woul'
80 increase their catch that Newfoundland woult
be everywhere driven from the field OF com
petition But with the American market at it
command, it would be more than compensate
for the loss of its Mediterranean trade Thes
considerations create the belief among the col
onists that as American citizens their contro
yersy with France would come TO peaceful an,
I harmless end. France could take what sh
, really wanted, and thew would get their she.-