The San Francisco call., 1896-09-27
People of All Nations Eagerly
Await the Result of the
Conference.
FRANCE IS ACUTELY ANXIOUS
BiSmarck's Alleged Letter Favoring
Free Silver Is Ridiculed in
England.
Copyright, 1896, BY the New York rlme..l

LONDON, Eng, Sept 26.-Last week
the sound which rose above all others
here was the grinding of the Tory brakes
on the wheels of the popular Armenian
agitation. This is heard no longer, but in
Its place the echoes OF Liverpool's cheers
Tor Mr.. Gladstone reverberate everywhere.
The spasm of party fright which pos
sessed the Conservative leaders a few
days ago has passed away, and its disap-
pearance leaves Lord Rosebery in a Gu
rious plight. He had counted on it's per-
manency, and under it's shelter he had
talked loudly about the impossibility of
England acting alone, and the certainty
that an attempt to do so would provoke a
general war.
Mr.. Gladstone brushed this aside with
such lofty contempt and drew such an al
Turing picture of what England really
could do alone that the Tories found
themselves reading his speech that night
with the feeling that it expressed what
they had thought all along. By the next
morning they were as ready as the Liber-
ais TO ask what craven it was who said
that England could make no move with
out bringing hostile Europe down upon
her in war.
The inquiry revealed Lord Rosebery
standing well in front of everybody else
and he became on the instant une ouantite
negligeable in Great Britain's foreign
politics, as be has been for a year in its
domestic affairs. Since Mr.. Gladstone
spoke the agitation has automa tically
adapted itself to his key. 1t is now more
restrained in tone and less hystericaL 1t
has a new gravity, a calm solemnity OF
movement, but once more it is carrying
along both parties and is at present an
affair of Englishmen rather than of poll
ticians.
Once more, too, there is a reviving no
ton that Russia and France may be
brought round to act with England and
Italy. Of course, the circumstance that
the Gear is at BalmoraI and that Lord
Salisbury is there also under the same
roof gives a natural impetus to this idea.
How malleable Nicholas may prove in
the hands OF those who now have hold of
him is, however, not the most important
question. 1t is of more vital interest to
know to what extent Nicholas is truly
master of the forces over which he nomi-
nally presides, and as to that we can only
guess. Englishmen are buoying them
selves up with the hope not only that he
can be convinced but that he can throw
Russia and France into the scales with
his convictions. This hope Is so attrac-
tive that for the moment even the most
skephcal are tempted to share it.
The French are plainly in a state OF
doubt as to whether this change of front
is not what is really going to happen.
Their leading journals are ali visibly
drawing back toward neutral ground and
poisng themselves in readiness to iump
in the new direction of the Czar, if the
Gear gives the word. This is much more
significant than wss their pronounced
anti-Armenian attitude of a month ago.
Henri Rochefort, in PIntransigeant, openly
makes a charge, the truth of which was
more than suspected here, that the Paris
press has been subsidized by wholesale by
the Turkish embassy, and has been re-
ceiving from it articles for publication to
which we're pinned checks on the Ottoman
Bank.
1 have the authority of an official of the
Anglo-Armenian committee for the state
ment that many apparently responsible
offers have been made to them by people
who claimed to have the power to range
the Paris press on the Armenian side.
Some of these offers they examined in de-
tail, and they found that the estimates OF
cost varied from SIS, 900 to 800, 900 a week.
With this as basis for inference they as
sumo that the Sultan has probably been
paving about $15 900. As it is certain that
no money has been forthcoming on the
Armenian side the gradual change in the
tone of the Partisan papers becomes, as
has been said, doubly significant.
j Il w ha faf ed nv no faor ~
embarrassing the Cars freedom of action,
and this in turn points to the existence in
Paris of a notion that Russia's policy is
no longer fixed irreVocably on Prince
Lobanoffs lines.
People here get peculiar comfort from
the reports, which now seem to be all one
way, that the Gar was peculiarly colo in
demeanor at Breslau and GorIitz. Eng
Hshmen have entered into an abiding
compact OF hatred against the German
Emperor. They desire their own aggran-
dlzement not half so much as they desire
his humiliation and ruin, and the TACT
that his official press leads all others in
curs1ng England and upholding the Sultan
gives fierce stress to their longing for some
com bination, no matter at what cost to
themselves, which shall bring him 10
grief. They are almost in the mood 10
thrust Constantinople into Russia's lap if
that would do the trick.
Il
the task of decorating for what they re-
gard as the principal event in the history
of the republic and both there and at
Versailles and Cherbourg the work will be
on scale that is uD precedented.
Frenchmen conduct their party and per-
sonal differences so much out of doors
that perhaps we get an exaggerated no.
tion of the bad blood which this visit of
the Gar is stirring up. The most furious
iealousies seem to be raging in all direc-
lions. The failure 10 call the Chamber of
Deputies together in extra session for the
oreat event is ascribed by some to fear
that it would throw the Meline Ministry
ont beadIong. and by others 10 President
Faures un willingness 10 share his honors
with the presidents of the Senate Cham
her who are constitutionally his ceremo-
NAL EQUALS There is also general and
yery familiar discussion as to the part
which NJ. Faures wife and daughter
ougbt 10 play in the festivities. The prev
aIent view is against their participation,
but considerable minority Of those VINO
debate the matter ascribe this feeling to
mean envy of the women folks of Minis