St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-11
A MADMAN MUST DECIDE.

It Is the lamentable truth that the
peace of Europe today hangs upon the
chance caprice of ruler who is less
than sane The German emperor is a
man of strong force of character, i'm
perious WILL and, in many respects,
clear views of life and duty; but there
is that strain in his blood which, joined
to a physical ailment that subjects
him to paroXysms of pain, throws him
occasionally off his mental balance.
More than once since he came to the
imperial throne he has surprised the
world and amazed his own people by
some Of his utterances on public af-
fairs His latest outbreak in the case
Of the relation of Germany to South
African matters is scarcely explicable
otherwise than as one Of these period
ical alterations. Germany has no di-
rect interest in the Transvaal; but,
if it had, that would not give to the
emperor warrant for declaring that an
arrangement between the Transvaal
republic and Great Britain which has
existed for eleven years, by virtue of
a treaty arrangement entered into
freely by both parties, would not be
recognized by Germany as a power.
This utterance of his is hard to con-
strue in any other way than as an
unprovoked attack upon Great Britain.
1t is impossible that she should yield
her position in this instance.
The thing at stake is not some in
tangible claim, nor is it even a dis
puted boundary line, as in the case Of
the Venezuelan controversy. The is
sue raised is one of right that has
been unquestioned, that exists by ami
cable agreement Of both the parties
concerned in it, and in which no third
party can be allowed to intervene I'M
less Great Britain might wish to be-
world. We cannot think that the pol
icy which Emperor William has an
nounced will be carried by him to it's
necessary consequence. We hear much
VI q O. C1I oiOpCcih ctilidiiCc NY pre-
concerted arrangement, toward which
William is said to have been working
for years, and which is to consolidate
Germany, France and Russia for the
the sort of stuff which the war cor
respondents love to conjure up out of
their imaginations after the event 1t
is much more likely to be that than
it is to represent any actual fact.
To begin with, there is no reason
why Germany or it's emperor should
have conceived and silently executed
a plan involving the practical extinc-
ton of Great Britain as a power in
Europe. They have nothing to gain
by it, and Germany least of ALL In
the next place, any project which re-
quires for its contamination an offens-
i've and defensive alliance between
France and Germany has the SEM
blance Of an extravaganza. Between
no other two nations in the world is
there such deadly and deep-seated ami
mostly. 1t IS not war OF govern
ments, but an opposition of people to
people. Go where you will in France,
from the highest government circles to
the humblest peasant hut, and you
have but to touch the subject of Ger
many's aggressions and the loss of
Alsace7 and Lorraine to fire the French
mans heart. Every man in the re-
public will declare to you that that in
jury has not been forgotten, and will
not be until it shall have been wiped
out by revenge and restitution Now,
to conclude a compact between these
two peoples for common attack upon
England, without further offense on
her part, would require more cogent
diplomatic reasons than any that we
can think might have been supplied
from Berlin.
This scheme, therefore, of a triple
alliance against England, appears to
be an afterthought. Without such
alliance, it is clear that Germany could
not afford to encourage hostile action.
France is ever ready to spring upon
her from one side. Without the aid
of France, her navy. such as it is,
would be sealed up Theoretically in her