People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1893-06-02
France and the Moparcbies.

Whenever France shows signs of
her ancient potency in European af-
fairs, England or Germany manages
to divert the energies of the Republic
by sudden outbreak in some distant
colony. These tactics have marked
with almost recurring regularity
every recrudescence of French as
tendency since 1876. just now
France and Russia, with something
like 100000 armed men, are recog-
nlzed as more than a match for the
ripple alliance. Thisl attitude is a
menace far graver than war to Eng
land, Italy, and ultimately Austria
and Germany and Spain. Cabinets
and courts all over the continent
have intrigued against the Republic
since 1876, for the definite establish
ment of the democratic principle IN
France must eventually result in a
tidal wave of self government in all
the neighboring States. Bismarck,
IN the earl Wyears after the cataclysm
Of 1870, encouraged the Republic as
the form of government least threat
enlng to the new empire. He counted
upon the party dissension and ex-
cesses of former democratic regimes,
until it was seen that the most radi-
cal and wrong headed partisans in
France had learned caution if not
wisdom.
1t was the intrigue and money of
other States that kept France in the
turmoil that preceded the fall of
Theirs in 1874; that maintained
MacMahon's bootless struggle with
the Assembly down to 1879; that
compromised the Ferry ministry
that made Gambetta's cabinet helpless,
that forced Grevy's resignation and
brought on IN swift succession the
paralysis of all the cabinets since
GreVy's fall. England contributed
her part in keeping French states
men at home by concocting colonial
wars in Madagascar, on the banks of
New Foundland, in Dahomey, in
Tonquin, and now she has startled
the Republic by a cunningly con-
ceived diversion in the French col.
ony of Siam. A horde of freeboot-
ing natives, armed by the British,
and it is said differed by them, be.
gan operations against the French
commercial outposts, and the first
known of the situation in France is
that the whole colony is in peril.
This continually recurring scheme
has divided French statesmen into
two groups; one favors the relin.
gushing Of all or most of the foreign
conquests, while the other advocates
a still greater expansion. Frances
foreign possessions are only second
to England's in extent, but are not so
rich or powerful as those Of Holland.
The anti colonists point out that it
was through her vast colonial pos
sessions that Europe and England
brought France to ruin in the eigh-
teenth century. 1t was in the de-
struction of French armies in India,
Canada and the Caribbean Sea that
Louis XIV and Louis XIV were
brought to bankruptcy and France to
exhaustion. Nearly all the colonies
IN America and Asia now under the
British flag were originally civilized
and made habitable by French en-
ergy, French tact, French money,
and, until England stepped in, war
and bloodshed were hardly known in
settling the vast areas now gov
erned by England. The French
missionary and trader were always
more potent in the civilization of bar
barlan peoples than French arms,
and 1t was largely because this peace
full system succeeded that the French
lost their possessions. For. in every
case, England in time of profound
peace insinuated herself into the
coveted territories.