The San Francisco call., 1896-08-16
His Empire Is Being Gradually
Isolated by the Other
Powers.
LIoNIzING Ii HUNG CHANG.
England Takes the American View
of the Cuban Question-Com.
ments on Nansen's Work.
rCopvrigbt 1896 bv the New York Times. !

concerted those about him. It certainly
caused deep disappointment to specula-
tive citizens in LONDON. When Mondays
sudden furry sent down American prices
here in many cases below the level
touched in last winters Venezuelan panic
thousands of buyers were restrained from
investing by rumor that everything was
going to be still cheaper on Thursday. 1t
was said that Bryan's reception and
speech on Wednesday would "stand Wall
street on its head so that American Sc
curities could be picked up in the streets
next day when New York quotations
reached London, and this obtained general
credence. When Thursday passed without
a CONFUSION word went around that 1t
was to take place on Friday. Now, with
prices rising and lot of confidence re-
fected from America which has not been
heard before for month, people abandon
with sigh the idea that American prop
critics are going to be had for nothing this
year and blame the evil luck which kept
them from rushing in on Monday.
Personal letters from Germany empha-
size the impression given by the German
press that grave and increasing uneasiness
rules in the fatherland. The Emperor's
sudden retirement to country chateau in
Cassel, where he takes long solitary walks
in the forest and is seen to wear a somber
and distraught face, has given rise to a
wildly careering flock of rumors about the
state of his health. These reports neeu
not to be closely examined, but there is
more substance in the view that Germany
finds herself wading in deep and danger
Gus waters, and that the Empe ror's mood
only mirrors the perplexed and apprehen-
sive feeling of the Empire at large, which
is the result of two years of juggling with
diplomatic dishonesties and of sacrificing
half million Armenians to the Turkish
beast.
Germany now discovers herself to be
rather worse off than before. Her aim
was at all hazards to isolate England.
She offered Russia and France an abso-
iutely free hand in destroying British
prestige in the far east, and even Joined to
help them on the Pacific if only they
would givc England the cold shoulder in
the Levant. This was Bismarck concep-
ton of the way to keep peace in Europe,
which, 10 his mind, hangs on the question
of main tanning the Turkish Empire intact.
This policy involved some of the most
atrocious crimes against civilization that
are recorded in history, but Bismarck in
sisted that it was only thus that Germany
could cape being crushed between Rus
sia and France and the Emperor, ag ainst
his own better feelings, took Bismarck's
advice. He has incurred all the odium of
upholding the Sultan and of holding the
rest of Europe back, when every humane
impulse tugged to draw the sword of
Christendom against the Turk, and he has
worse than nothing to show for it.
Russia and France have left Germany
absolutely in the lurch, and at the present
moment it is understood here that they
are ready to agree with England, under
certain conditions, to tell the Turk that
he has been in Crete too long and must
get out. / have extremely good authority
for the prediction that these three powers
will arrange a scheme of Cretan autonomy
similar 10 that of Bulgaria in 1873 which
will remove the Turkish officials and
troops from the island and reduce the Sui
tan's sovereignty to the receipt of an an
nuity tribute.
The Cretans have already 10000 breech-
leaders and more are being landed regu-
larly from Greece. In all, Crete can raise
10000 fighting men, not counting Greek
volunteers. Turkey has So, 900 troops in
the island, but if independence were de.
clared she would need 100, 600 more to cope
with the islanders. Moreover, if actual
warfare began and the Turks started in to
fight as they understand fighting, it
would be absolutely impossible to hold
Greece neutral and almost as hard to
keep England from intervening. Hence,
my informa ant thinks the Sultan will ulti-
mately choose the wiser course-make as
good bargain as he can and let Crete go.
Two possible obstacles are foreseen.
During the delays which the Turk always
demands in which to consider things,
events may happen which will set the
east afire and force immediate armed ac-
ton upon the part of those concerned.
Again, the pro-German palace clique in
Russia may find means of reasserting
itself and putting the power once more
into Lobanoff's hands; but, as regards
this latter chance, fate fights against Ger
many.
The Gear is to first visit Vienna for a
couple of days, but will return again at
once into Russian territory. Then he is
to come westward into Germany but lit
tie way, seeing the Emperor only at Bres-
lau and GorlitZ, where immense army
maneuvers will enable him to appear as a
strictly military guest Instead of proceed
ing to Berlin or through Germany he will
then turn again and go to Denmark by
water. and thence to Scotland. Both at
Copenhagen and Balmoral the Cars
visits will be of a friendly nature and all
luOSc dOOub Will OC ana
Cretan in sympathy. From England he
will sail to Cherbourg and travel on to
Paris, where his reception will be some
thing to remember for the rest of ones s
days.
In all this programme the enemies OF
Germany play huge part and the effect
of this is bound to culminate at the French
capital, where already there is observable
an extraordinary and quite unexpected
recrudescence of anti-German bitterness.
All the forced poiteness that has been
shown in the relations between Berlin and
Paris during these past few years has been
totally forgotten now, and the mere hint
that the Kaiser was trying to arrange
meeting with M. Faure and get presi-
dental invitation to visit the Paris exhI-
bition of 1900 has drawn roar of enraged
protests from the French press.
So the lightnings will continue to play
around very dark and unpleasant inter-
national situation for couple of months
TO come.
The Parliamentary session now closed
was one of the shortest on record, lasting
only IA days. but l have rarely seen a