The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-27
BRING THE DELEGATES IN SPECIAL CARS


out with the notion that he could exploit
it to his own advantage from an adTertis-
ing point of view. do not know anybody
who possesses Salisburys entire conf
dence and also literally to divulge all he
knows, and until this week it was not sup
posed that such position existed.
The best informed men, l do know, say
that Olney, like Phelps and all other New
England men, displays a certain cockiness
of tone toward England, reminiscent of
the revolution and the war of 1872, which
men from other sections, such as Fish,
Frelinghuysen. Bayard and Gresham never
assumed, and if there has been hitch in
the amiable parley on the boundary sub
ject it is entirely due to that as for the
notion that England intends for moment
allowing herself to drift into real misun-
derstanding with the United States about
Venezuela, it is secuted as ridiculous. The
truth is that England has vastly bigger
things on hand.
For weeks these dispatches have reflected
assurance given to me by well-informed
politicians that no matter how menacing
the immediate situation at Constantinople
might look, England's s real danger lay in
the far East, and that when what was
brewing there developed the Armenian
business and the whole Turkish question
would lapse into side issue. That predic-
ton seems now amply justified and, al
though the Foreign Office still says that it
has heard nothing, nobody doubts the es-
sential truth of the London Times Hong
kong news that Russia had made treaty
! with China, by which she secures not only
the dominant position at Port Arthur, but
the right to drive two great railways
through the heart of Manchurin which
| means the predicted annexation of that
province.
1t is true that Hongkong is an un-
likely place for such great news to reach in
advance of ali other points; but find, all
the same, universal disposition to credit
the report. In fact it is impossible not to
suspect that the substance of it has been
known In the highest circles here for some
weeks. One might even hazard the guess
that it is this knowledge which has die
tated England's otherwise mysterious
haste to wash its hands OF the Armenian
affair and allow the Sultan to make his own
terms of settlement. The extreme gravity
of this news is at once manifest in the tone
of the English press. Without exception
they say that its importance cannot be ex
aggerated, and they say it soberly, almost
solemnly, although nobody utters the ex-
act words. Every paper suggests in spirit
the conviction that England will have to
offer battle rather than permit such
treaty to go into effect.
The first evidence of this general Brit
ish perception that serious crisis has
arisen appears in the Times anxiously
| cropping about for possible allies. Its lead
| ers Yesterday made an almost fearful ap-
| peal for Germany's support, and even
went to the length of suggesting to the
French that they had better consider
| whether Russia is not playing them false
What Germany will do is indeed ques-
tion of transcendent Importance. Eng
land would not hesitate to fight Russia in
the Pacific single handed Yet with the
hardly doubtful aid OF Japan, if she could
be sure not to have France also on her
back, and if Germany would agree to COM
pei French neutrality, do not think that
the English would hesitate to serve an
ultimatum on Russia and back it up by
prompt display of force, but there is a
much perturbed doubt whether Germany
will do this.
She has been since the Cars accession
displaying the greatest eagerness to keep
on friendly terms with Russia, even to the
point of associating with Russia and
France in antieJapanese intervention and
consenting meekly to see these allies take
large profits for themselves and give her
nothing for her share. Will she carry this
complaisance now to the length of ap-
proving this fresh Russian aggression?
This is the question which the English
are asking themselves with sinking hearts.
To add pertinency to this troubled popu-
lar apprehension the English diplomatic
service for the moment is all at skies and
sevens There is no British Embassador
at st. Petersburg.
Sir Philip Currie is leaving CONSTANT
nople next Monday for good and Sir N.
O'Connor is on the point of quitting Peking
| for home before he takes up his St. Peters
burg appointment. Currie was an invalu-
able head official in the Foreign Office
here, but he has been failure in Turkey,
and get hint that Drummond Wolfe,
who left his post for London hurriedly
several weeks ago. is to be sent to Con-
stantinople to represent thoroughly the
Disraelian pro-Turkish policy and try to
| regain the confidence of the Sultan, who
personally likes and trusts Wolfe. About
Un6 I6kllV posi- GIcIc are no
suggestions. and it is possible that O'Con-
nor will remain there temporarily. To
| make matters worse whispered report is
going around that Salisbury has Bright's
disease and is frightened about it, and de-
sires to shift the tremendous burden of the
Foreign Office to other shoulders.
The circumstances of his taking the
wardenship of the Cinque Ports away from
Dufferiu has led to the conjecture that
there has been bargain, by which ne gets
the charming south coast residence of
Walmer Castle, where Wellington died, to
nurse his illness if Dufferin takes his place
in Downing street. The story seems in
genious rather than convincing, and 1
| mention it only to show what excited spec
| ulations are current
| Under ordinary circumstances the incl
dent of the baptism of Bulgarian heir
into the Greek church, which, it is under
stood will be done tomorrow, would create
a great deal of comment, but now it passes
| almost without notice,