The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-09-20
Attitude of This Country a Keen
Disappointment to British
Statesmen.
eLADsToNE's VIGOROUS POLICY.
vii Advocate the Immediate Seyerine
of Diplomatic Relations With
the Sultan.


been facing for week what on all sides is
described as imminent danger OF war, and
on the whole she is not as sure as she was
last week that she likes i. Then the most
interesting feature of the situation was the
fact that the Tories were helping to work
up an Armenian agitation; now the most
significant thing is that they are turning
round and almost tearfully deprecating it.
1 get from a source which I respect a hint
that this change has been influenced by a
message sent through royal channels from
the Danish court that the Gear was best to
be handled some other way.
1t is on this question: bear IN mind. OF
how far the Gar can be handled at all at
Bernsdorff and Balmoral that the situation
now most largely turns. Upon the effort
to bring him into sympathy with the
English point of view as much energy as
was deemed safe has been expended inside
the Danish royal family. 1t was at Copen-
hagen alone in Europe that the late Gar
used TO hear the truth, but he was an I'M
known man TO tell truth to, and when he
did not sulk in solitude for days there
after he had an unpleasant way of split
ting table with his giant fist as token
that he had heard enough.
His successor is wholly unlike the
father, so far as externals go, but how
amenable he is to influence no one knows.
By some accounts he is of a gentle and
amiable temperament; others say that he is
tact urn, suspicious egoist with the obsti-
macy OF a mule. HoweY-r that may be,
bis Danish and English relatives will have
had 9 month in which to do what they
can with him
Russia's notification TO the powers made
in August of last year that she uld re-
sist any attem pit on the part of any power
to intervene on its own account in Tur-
key still formally blocks the way. Prince
Lobanoff Ieatfirmed that position in
Vienna, and on the strength of this the
Austro- German decision 10 go with Russia
was made absolute. Apparently Loban-
offs spectacular disappearance from the
scene did not alter Russia attitude, as it
was reattirmed again at Breslau. Both
the German and Austro-Hungarisn papers
OF the inspired sort have been conducting
campaign OF buster against England
all the year, but their turbulence was
never so marked and confident as in the
past week or TWO. The same class of Rus
sian journals, too, now talk with more
assurance III an ever before about league
vi ali Europe against England.
So far, therefore, as diplomatic records
go, England continues to be confronteG
by Russa's threat of war. If she VEN
lures 10 take independent action in pro-
tecting the Armenians and ignoring the
fact that nomlnally, at least, the concert
OF Europe stands behind Russia, and butts
her head straigh against this wall, it NAV
be magnificent, but it will not be what
England upon reflection is at all likely to
do. There may be ways of weakening the
wall or OF turning past it. Lord Salisbury
has been toiling all the year to detach
somebody from this European concert. II
is generally understood, both here ard
abroad, that Italy is more or less commit
ted to England's assistance, but this bv
itself is not good enough. France is
Tisibly feeling the effects of the humanlta-
rian upheaval in England, and her papers
do not revile the British agitation as do
those of Berlin and Vienna, but diplomat
icaIly France is in the Cars pocket.
There remains then the possibility OF
winning over the Car himself
There is also another alternative which
one day seems very remote and the nert
advances into the foreground. This is the
fact that England may discover sufficient
reasons for believing that in case she took
bold course the old rivalries and iealous.
les of her existing on the continent vouId
really paralyze action against her. 1t is
of course, huge risk to run, but En- land
has trusted before now to the chance that
Europe would remain motionless in the
face OF a fat accompli. She did it when
she bonn barded Alexandria, and she came
off then with safety. Adventurous spirits
are urging Lord Salisbury to take this
chance again, and last week, as was said,
it looked as if he had nerved himself to do
it, but this week it ooks different.
Little is said about a matter whic NAV
easily have very significant bearing on
this phase OF the outlook Germany and
Russia have begun what practically
amounts to revival of their old customs
war. The ratification of a Russo-Ger.
man commercial treaty in 1898 was really
the foundation on which the political rap
prochement between Berlin and St Pc
tersburg was reared.
In his recent retro rade course. how
ever, Emperor William has tried to curry
favor with the Agrarian nobility OF East
Prussia by allowing officials to interpret
this treaty 10 the detriment of Russian
food products. Russia, after vain re-
monstrance, has =etaliated by trebling the
duty on German leather goods, and it is
expected that in few weeks the whole
ia brio of the treaty viii be in ruins. The
Berlin official press has already got to the
point OF threatening that the ReIchs bank
will be again forbidden TO deal i'll Russian
securities All this is rather striking proof
in favor of the contention that the Euro
pean concert is really a name rather than
a fact, and that it is ready to fall to pieces
al a resolute touch.
AS another Hypothetical way out OF this
slough of world disgrace, it must be said
that the English abandon with profound
disappointment Their transient hope hat
America m git join them in a holy cru
SADIE AS was pointed out last week, this
was at best rather rmid and despairing
hope.
The ST. James Gag tie raised it almost
To the Sanguine point by talking of the