The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-03
OLD F0GY ENGLAND
FOREIGN POLICY CRITICISED BY
LONDON PRESS AS OUT OF
DATE.
SERIOUS ERRORS MADE
in ASSUMING STANDS WITH NO OP-
p q
SERIOUS
MADE:
in ASSUMING STANDS WITH NO OP-
TION BETWEEN WAR AND
SURRENDER
RIGHTS OF LABOR AND PROPERTY
Involved ina a Struggle Being Waged
i'm Wales Against an Auto
cratic N0bIeman.

LONDON, Jan. 2.-Wales has become
this week the scene of a most interest
Ing struggle Of labor against the ut
termost rights of property. Not de
tered by, the victory of trade untonism
over the London & Northwestern rail-
way, Lord 'Penrhyn pettishly shut down
his slate quarries rather than, as he
says, establish a precedent for out
side interference with my private
affairs"
He first dismissed II men because
they formed committee to secure bet
ter conditions of labor, whereupon
200 men left work. The board of
trade, under the voluntary Cancellation
act, offered friendly mediation. but
Lord Penrhyn declined angrily, and
closed the quarry, throwing 5000 men
out of work in the depth of winter This
defiance of parliament probably will
lead to an attempt next session, to
pass a law compelling employers to ac-
cept the mediation of the government
The progress of public opinion on la
Dor questions is shown by the fact
that Lord Penrhyn Is almost without
support in the press. The Chronicle
today opens national fund for the
defense of the right to combine.
Most of the newspapers in reviewing
the events Of 1896 criticise the happy
gC-lucky optimism Of Great Britian's
foreign policy as evidenced by the little
effect it produced during the numerous
menacing storms which have marked
the year. They cite that the Venezuela
trouble was quickly followed by the
n a nd l,n
insult of Emperor William in his dis
patch to President Kruger, and the is
olation of Great Britain in the Eastern
question. The newSpa pers, therefore.
insist that the foreign policy of Great
Britain is behind the times and re-
quires lit to take existing facts con-
siderably more into account, or it may
expect indefinite repetitions of loss Of
prestige, brought about by taking up
a stand which, later, it is compelled
to abandon owing to miscalculation
or Great Britain'S means of asserting
her resistance to the opposition of other
powers. The st. James Gazette makes
special reference to Venezuela, and
says; IF it is right now to arbitrate
on the terms arranged by the United
States. 1t was right to do so a wear
and half ago, when Lord Salisbury
emphatically refused Secretary Olney's
demands"
Continuing, the st. James Gazette
asks why the Marquis Of Salisbury
created IAN impasse from which We
could not escape without war or sur
render. We took surrender
CHOSE SURRENDER.
In conclusion, the st. James Gazette
remarks: with no aggressive or am
blguous designs upon our part We
have been within war measure distance
In single year with Russia, Germany
America and the Transyaal. With a
few additional warships and cruisers
some thousands more trained seamen
and stokers and an army capable Of
sending three corps with artillery and
transport, say to Canada or .Constan-
tinople, we could face such a combl-
nation as that with better confidence"
Inc Spectator, in an article on the
position of the United States and
Europe as effected by the Cuban ques-
ton, after remarking that the Wash
lngton government has had an unpleas-
ant surprise in the attitude of the
european powers, proceeds to explain
the, reasons for the European antagon-
ism to the United States. 1t points
out that the great financiers Of Paris
who hold Spanish bonds are alarmed
at the possibility that Spain, after
fighting to the bitter end, might be
compelled to suspend payment and con-
seGuently they are urging the French
government to intervene between
Washington and Madrid. Emperor
William, it is also said, approves Of
this, for, apart from his dreams of
colonial expansion, which could best
be gratified in Brazil, he Is not fond Of
American diplomacy. The Italian gov
eminent according to the Spectator, will
support Spain lowing to the Italians in
the United States being treated as if
they were negroes or Indians"
The Spectator adds that the Austrian