The Irish standard., 1896-04-11
ARE WE GETTING TOO GAY?
From An English Standpoint This COun-
try WnI Get itself into
Trouble.
VIZ ARE EcW nEDDLIHG IN EUROPE
Our Growtti Is So Great That We Can
not Prevent the In-
eviteb!a.

we Wonder if sensible Americans, who.
we suppose, i'll the last resort. rule the
United States. AS sensible Englishmen
rule Great Britain, says the London Spec
tator, have. any idea OF the pace at which
their country is rushing toward a new
policy. Their settled idea up to the
present tins has been to avoid mixing
themselves up in European politics, and
to confine their activity, If possible to
North America, but at all events, to the
two continents in the Western -HeMlls-
phere. In theory they still adhere to this
idea, which they regard as sacred, pc
cause it was Washington's, but In practice
they show q strong, though as vet an un-
Acknowledged. disposition to depart from
It'll They have become enormously nus
merous, being the second white state, In
point OF numbers, in the world; their
wealth has for Baational purposes, Brac-
tically no limit and they feel in their
prosperity ana their pride an impulse to
activity in all directions As the New
York Outlook recently observed, they are
faced in their own hemisphere by states
which are not their equals: they have
never experienced any necessity for eau
tion iii foreign relations; and they are in
clined To believe, not onM that their own
view as to foraign affairs is correct, but
that whenever. it is FULLY presented to for
eiga nations, the latter will agree, and
cheerfully resign any pretensions Of their
own. The only canditicn by which the
americans limit this view is apparently
that the particular cause Of quarrel in
each case shall have some relation 10 a
state OF a ship sailing under an American
flag.
They think, naturally enough, peghaps.
with their training, that this condition
liplits ali once the sphere of their ener-
gies and the number of their foes, but
they will speedily find themselves mis-
: taken. When they threaten state like
Chile, al they did a few years ago. the af-
fair may be- a sort OF a duel, because no
other state has any direct interest in it.:
but when they threaten a European ma
tion, they disturb arrangements Of the
most complicated kind, and rouse up en-
ergieS in quarters Of which they never
think. Europe chuckled a little when
they threatened Great Britain the other
day, because Europe is at once olit of
temper with this country and confident
that she can take care or herself; but
Europe was dead against the Union all
the same and had the struggle gone on
TO the bitter end, the world might have
tions Napoleon HI conquered Mexico
during the great American civil war, and
because that war was raging; and IL the
Union were exhausted or even occupied
by great war with England prizes
would lie open for seizure in South Amer
lea. which would incite in many nations
a fury az greed. Imagine how open the
ear Of the Great German emperor would
be, under such circumstances, to the
grievances real and imaginary, of the
great body of German settlers in South
Brazil, and now the Colonial party in
Paris would lecture on the anarcy reveal
ed By the metbodgof the recent Brazilian
invasion OF French Guiana With Brazil
partitioned between Germany and France
II might not be so easy to turn them out
as ii was to turn out Napoleon Ill.,. who
left MaXnlilian TO be shot without risking
battle. Similarly In this Cuban affair
the Americans imagine they are only
risking an alteration In the relations Of
all Europe
We do not profess final opinion as to
che merits Of the struggle IN Cuba. The
history of Spain gives us strong prejudice
against her modes of colonial govern
ment which are always selfish and
sometimes cruel; but, on the other
hand, we are unable 10 feel attracted to
Spanish American independence. The
gtate3 might have fourished as principal
fties, as one of them, Chile has fiourished
under an oligarehy but under republican
institutions the mixture of colors In the
populations appears TO produce a ten
dency toward anarchy, which has con-
Ginued to manifest itself for 70 years As
regards the special case of Cuba, ii is
even more diffieult to form AZ opinion,
owing to the excessive care with which
the Spsniards conceal information, and
the excessive careleeapess OF the Cubans
as to any raiatton between Their accounts
and aetual occurrences. That the Sban-
iards have right to put down rebellion
is clear, il only from that greatest Of
precedelitsl the American subjugation of
the South; but, if, as one senator alleged
the officials I'M Cuba. are hideously cruel''
the sympathy of Americans with the suf-
ferers Is as much justified as our own
sympathy with Armenians. We do not
know for ourselves whether the Spanish
accounts on the American stories are cor
rect--though we do know that the rebel
lion of IS6S-T6 was put down with shock
ing cruelty-and il is, therefore, as im-
partial observers that we point ont To cur
American friends the consequences Of
recent incidents. The senate and the
. house Of representatives haye passed res
oIutiols calling on the president u ac-
cord 10 the insurgents beMiga1ent rights
and the senate, besides denouRcing all
Spaniards in furious language. has asked
Mr.. Cleveland to advise Spain TO grant in
\ dependence to the Island
What is the result? Not only does
Spain Immediately declare her readiness
for war and call out her maritime re-
serves, but she Immediately shifts hef
place In Europe, and, having previously
displayed Slight bias toward the triple
alliance, makes overtures to France of I
most serious kind. II France viii lend
her diplomatic assistance in her Amer
lean dispute, she will opencall her ports
to France In the event Of war, and viii
help her to obtain all she wants in the
Hinterland of Morocco. These terms have
it's said. been informally accepted while
1t is certain that the French government
has encouraged great bankers to offel
large financial assistance to Spain. which
as it Is based upon the revenues OF Cuba
must have been preceded by at least
HI moral guarantee that Spain should retain
the island /"
In other words, the American Senate
by rashly threatening Spain, has run tbs
ultimate risk Of war not oaly with
Spain, but with France. besides endan-
sToI.iY1o aS We have ,0intnI o,,f y I,o,.a ~,