The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1894-09-17
WHY It MIGHT CAUSE WAR.
How Europe is Interested in the
ASiatic Trouble.
MUCH DEPENDS ON THE RUSSIAN CzAR
Possibilities of General lHostilitiesAmong III o
European Nations-what Such q War
Would Mean - The Czar Can Decide
Whether There VIII be War or Not.

1t is rather a bold assertion that it
is the personal will and wish of the
Gar of Russia alone that stands be-
tween Europe and the catastrophe of
a general European war at this time,
but that is the opinion of many who
have studied the situation. So many
changes have been made in the Rus.
sian army and so much hard work has
been done that the officers are really
anxious for a war In order to test the
value of their work, and if it was put
the Japan-China war, the decision
rendered would be in favor of doing
so, says the Washington Star.
Such an act would, of course, not be
countenanced by the other Powers,
and hence there would be general
European war. The possibilities of
Russia taking such stand are many.
Russia has long desired Korea or
Japan as its own possession, and he-
efforts to obtain a footing in the latter
country were watched with consider
able interest as far back as the last
century. Her possessions in Asia, her
seizure and occupation of some of the
Kurile Islands, which belonged to
Japan, and her colony at Sitka, on
American territory, have placed her
at times on every side of the Japanese
empire but the south. The acquisi-
To 1nr ;o
tress of the Pacific, and would enable
her to control its growing commerce
Then there comes the announcement
of recent date by Russian officials at
Shanghai that il Russian trade suffers
too severely by the present trouble
Russia will intervene, and such an in
teryention Will not be in the way of
an amicable settlement, but in efforts
for conquest. Following this come
the differences between England and
Russia on the same question, and it is
naturally expected that England will
protect her interests against any act
of the great Car.
ENGLAND AND FRANCE.
The extraordinary policy of the
French Government toward Siam is
still ranking in hearts of the subjects
of Great Britain, and has attracted
the attention of the world. Lord
Rosebery at the time said that at the
moment when the Siamese Govern
ment acceded to the tremendous de-
mands of the French war was more
imminent between England and
France than it had been for seventy
five years. 1t is also generally con-
ceded that if the Siamese had
held out against France, and tho
French had shelled Bangkok, whose
commercial interests are almost who'll
ly English, British guns would have
answered the French assault. This
Siamese question affected the interests
also of China, SO that an alliance be-
tween England and China, and Russia
and France, is TO he expected. The
reasons of this are that from q COM
mercial point of view Great Britain
shares in the discontinue of Siam.
The supremacy of her counsels at the
Siamese Court is threatened, her trade
with the provinces east of the Mekong
will be exposed to French diffeTential
duties, while west of that river her
merchants, who have heretofore al |
most monopoliZed the external COM |
merce of the country, will meet with |
serious interference. 1t thus adds to |
the difficulties of British administra- |
ton in India, which include the neces- |
5lIN OI ever hctDiDS 4
upon the advances of Russia from the |
west and the further encumbrance of /
guarding also on the east against tho |
of a power at present |
allied with Russia. OF course this was |
all settled by England giving up strip |
Of territory belonging to British Bur- |
nah and France foregoing her claims |
to a portion of the northern Siamese |
territory. Notwithstanding this set |
tlement the eyes OF the English have |
been opened to tie real state of feeling |
Of the French toward them, which, for |
a time, seemed to have subsidized, and !
whatever good feeling there was in
England toward France is now gone.
For years the English, while lending !
some support 10 the Italians in certain
have carefully held aloof
from the triple alliance, and an i'm
portant element in this policy was the
desire of Mr.. Gladstone and the liberal |
leaders to preserve amiable relations
with France. 1t is apparent that the
revelation of the bitterness of the
French toward them has produced
CT a shock, and the English
that a war with France il |
a possibility, as the French are begin |
ming 70 certainly assume very ag-
gressive attitude toward the British |
The English know that the French !
are angry because England has OBJ !
tanned control of the Suez canal, be- /