The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-02-02
When the Snow Melts the Car
Will Send an Army Corps
Into Armenia.
ATTEMPTS TO PLACATE FRANCE.
Preliminaries on the Part of England.
to Gain Support to Answer
Germany's Affront.
copyright, 1895, by the New York rime..l

LONDON, Eng, Feb. Ever since the
revolving butchery of StambouIoff the
people of Europe have been keeping one
eve on Prince Ferdinand, watching to see
his feet slip in the blood of his victim, and
there is heightened dramatic excitement
about the task Just now, for it looks as if
a week or so must bring this cowardly
Coburger to reckoning of some sort
He is arriving in Sofia tonight, after hav-
ing been to Paris, where his doings remain
unknown, thence to Rome, where the Pope
sneered at him IS too despicable for the
church's wrath and RampolIo showed him
the door, and to Vienna, where the i'm
perial officials declined to see him at all.
In his absence the Bulgarian Ministry
has issued invitations to the ceremony of
Prince Boris conversion to the Orthodox
faith, called out the military to suppress
any possible disorder, and stand ready ap-
parently to dictate terms TO Ferdinand.
He left Vienna, saying sorrowtully to his
friends that probably he will have to
abdicate and that he must reach final
decision within the next few days.
cision is any longer in his hands, but it will
be no surprise if next week sees him
either quitting Bulgaria altogether or pub
licly submitting to the baptism of his son,
which viii be tantamount to putting the
principally into the pocket OF the Gar.
Bither alternative must bring Bulgaria to
the front. in Enrope's anxious eye and
keep IL there. There are other ways in
which all men see it likely that the East
ern question will be reopened next spring,
but none of which threatens the general
. peace so nearly as this Bulgarian busi-
ness. II is conceivable that Russia may,
under the gulse of an arrangement with
the Sultan, march an army corps into
Armenia when the snow melts, as she Is
expected to do without meeting with
practical resistance from any other power,
but it is hardly believable that Austria
can sit still and see Bulgaria substantially
under the protectorate of the Gar.
AS the Triple Alliance makes common
action binding only when one of the -.
ties is invaded, Austria could not claim
Germany's assistance in such an emer-
gency; but 1t is now clear that she is striv-
ing to form another combination of her
own with England, Italy and Roumania
TO help her to meet this impending crisis.
1t may be taken as fairly certain that
England's recent attempts to placate
France are prelimlnaries or accompahi-
ments to the proposition that she will
quit Russia and join this new league to
answer Kaiser Wilhelm's affront to Eng
land and his practical betrayal of his al.
lies for the sake of the Cars friendship
by arraying against this new Russo-Ger-
anti fnrifa 1ao
and this would delight Vienna and Rome
scarcely less than London. France, however,
weighs her enthusiastic hopes of Russian
assistance against her fears of Muscovite
treachery and her memories of German
conquest and spoIiation, and hesitates.
If the matter could be fairly argued in
France her choice would be less doubtful
but her press is SO largely under the con-
troll of German syndicates and of others,
whose business it is at all hazards to keen
her making friends with England, that
there is rather dubious chance of the
Chambers being brought round to see
things as they are.
Meanwhile the British flying SQUADRON
which was modified with such startling
display of urgency, is being calmly held in
the Solentto take part in Prince Henry of
alteration of plans is ascribed to difference
to the Queens wish, but it is hard to sup-
pose that this would have been done if
something else had not happened to
change the situation. 1t is more likely
that the funeral services are in the official
mind as welcome pretext for keeping the
squadron where it forms in practice a
huge addition to the channel fleet. and yet
affords no ground for diplomatic inquiries
IThe notion referred co last week that there
was III feeling growing up between Sails
bury and Chamberlain has made marked
advance in the minds of the politicians
since then. Salisbury's speech last night
has been studied to-day with great intent
ness, and people find in it all sorts of hints
to confirm this suspicion. Especially does
his jecose treatment of the Transvaal busi-
ness, in which he seems on the whole
rather to approve of DR.. Jameson than
otherwise, read like deliberate attempt
to belittle Cham mberiain's performances.
His curious and unsatisfactory eulogium
OF the Monroe doctrine, too, though nomi-
nalIy in answer TO John Morley, is visibly
by way OF rejoinder to Chamberlain, who
was shrewd enough week ago tonight
to see which way the cat was jumping,
ana suddenly posed as more ardently de-
sirous OF American friendship than any,
body else in the Ministry.
In TACT, when Parliament meets ten days
hence it will be with the feeling in the air
that new and large party combinations are
possibly impending. The two by-elec-
tions IN London this week have shown the
Liberal party to be even weaker now than
it was when it amazedIy picked itself out