New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-10-01
FRANCE AND RUSSIA.
DEMONSTRATION At TOtI.ON TO OFFSET
THE TRIPLE ALLIANCE.
Paris. September 10.


THE TRIPLE ALLIANCE.
Paris September 10.
| 4 note. cmanatng from Russian official sources
| has Just declared that the approaching reception
| of the Imperial fleet at Toulon by the President
| If the French Republic il not intended as
provccation 70 the nations Of the Triple Alliance
but j. simply n pacific act sOlcmnlv cons"cratine
the political solidarity of France and Russia
| That some sort of FrlncO-Russlan alliance mao
| been conclnlrd was a secret 70 no one after the
| Cars official reception Of IN" French he"t M
| Cronstadt in 1891. But il was still uncertain
whether Til, reached further than friendly I'M
dcr~tandine chiefly useful as means of publ"
demonstration against the turbulence Of the young
German Emperor. Even now the exact nature oil
tho alliance j. not disclosed. but the Gar is leav
ing nothing un,aid or undone TO make known tho
clos. union of the two nations in all that con-
cons their political action toward other countries,
Tho sweeping nature of such an alliance is
something Of surprise in recent European poll
,ic. lis bearings are Of far greater moment than
a mere counior-coaliton TO the Triple Alliance
| II does more than break down tho Chinese wall
with which Bismarck strovc 10 isolate France in
Europe: and il NOR. than answers any threatening
movement Of B-rnarck's successorS against the
Colossu. of the North In favor Of France. il
keeps open the question Of Fngland's occupation
IF Egvpt. and il gives confidence to the march OF
Russian soldiers toward British India. Ii bodies
no rood ~ Russia's immediate rival, Austria,
already torn with aqitating Pan-Slavism at home
and rrroccupied with Bulgaria and other com
plications in the States of tine Balkans. And II
open. the Mediterranean 10 that naval power which
Russia has been silently nursing into existence
and which now suddenly appears as a check TO
| Germany in the Baltic, and. with the help OF
France. f. England, where Gibraltar. Malta.
Cyprus and >n'7 seemed 20 make her empire of
the sea- secure The count"r-d"monsration Of an
English fleet uniting with the Italian navy will
not close the door which has thus been forced
open nor would the turning of the Triple into a
Qnadrupl" Alliance by England'S adhesion give
hack the oil points Of vantage. France has more
than regancl her former position as the centre
round which Europe must turn cautiously: and
Russia he's made giant stride forward in her ad-
vance Along the lines laid down by Peter
the Great;
The nrw allAnc. l. thIs likely 70 troublc
ambitious governments quit" ~ much IA II To-
| assures their peoples, who are anxious for prnc'
,rd clad OF any obstacle TO impending wars. How
ong il will delay the Inevitable future war r"
mains To- bc scrn Meanwhile il - a brilliant
revival of the system o. international politics
which ruled Europe from the fall of the First
Napoleon in 1915 TO the downfall Of Napoleon III
in 1870 This WIS the system of the balance OF
rover. Of which Englishmcn fondly proclaim
Theirs 10 have becn the latest advocate
\ similar revival has taken place in the sys
tenn Of protection The recent treaties Of com
mcrcial reciprocity among nations. and this new
balance of conflicting political powers. results
Al, ,nl I1tpv mn vet m ~
England regret her arrogance in the palmy days
~ her naval supremacy and monopolizing free
trade This Franco-Russinn Alliance gives a les
son 10 the world of what is really meant. at our
prc.rnt point Of civilization. bv the society OF
nations Social philosophers find that progress
makes for co-oporation among the masses Of men.
Inf There j. certainly sign of intcrnationaliSn
IN T'usopo The B.hring Sea arbitration may have
persuaded some few Americans Of tn" good time
coming: bat a short application Of their home
made tariff for revenue only would soon show that
feir commerce. if not their politics is subject "a
t1c general laws Of the struggle for existence and
the survival Of the strongest. Here in Europe,
where commerce and politics and the play of
ra.ionati,4, are ncxtrically mixed. the operation
Of thcs, inevitable laws has already driven free
trade and universal peace to the same limbo OF
amable speculation.
After the crushing defeat Of France by Ger
many in 1871 the relations Of the former conn
trr with Russia remained for many years what
they had always been. SO lat" 1s 1888, VI
Anatolc LEROY Bcarlicn, the chief French au-
thortv on matters connected with the Empire
Of the Cars wrote in the Revue des Druy
Nondcs' to show how few points Of contact OK
isted between the two nations. how widely di-
vcrgcnt is their whole scheme OF politics. Til"
only Frenchmen who looked at this time for
ward with hope to an alliance with Russia, to
save their country from its painful isolation III
Europe. had made themselves utterly dsrrcdited.
Tho suct eslors of Theirs in the administration OF
the Conservative Republic especially the Duke
Decayoa naturally looked to Russia for a rcstora
tion of the balance of power dear 10 them
I'm, thc complete overthrow Of the Conservative
Govcrnmcnt by the Radicals in 1879 was not
calculated To inspire confidence in the pcrina-
hence Of the Republic. II must also be con-
tossed that the leaders of Radicalism, ending
with NJ Cemenccau, have never taken the ntia-
tive in seeking To ally their country with
Prussia The Bouangist freebooters, who tried
IN proGt by the Conservative reaction few
veors LATER only frightened the Gar with the
violence Of their protestations OF friendship. a
h,rror of the French Revolution is traditional
with all the Cars But the Republic triumphed
u,d.r tho strong hand of VI. Constins manag-
inc tho general elections Of 1850: and the Depn-
tics allowed NJ Freycnet TO remain in the
Ministry of War long enough 10 put France on
a u,r footing that seriously disquietcd Germany.
With the esteem thus won from him by the