The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1897-11-28
A VERY GRAVE SITUATION
Hot-Headed Officers in Command
in West Africa.
Is fRAU6HT WITH DANGER
A Collision Bound 20 Occur Salisbury
and Chamberlain Seem TO Have No
Settled Policy More English
Troops for AFRICA.


Copyright lSs7 ny Associated Press.
London. Nov. 29.-Thc rlmar ~ "A
conflict between the French and British
forces near Nikki. West Africa. Is au-
thoriiatiNcly denied. but the general
credencr that was given To the rum0Ts
shows how grave Is the situation.
Since the initiation u the Wild policy
Of sending armed bands rom Dahomey
aud Lagos, led by hot t-headol officers TO
assert the authority Of their respective
nations and grab anything ln sight
which still might be unoccupicd IL has
been believed that collision Was
bound 10 occur sooner ar later. Both
governments have been repeatedly
warned 10 recall these rowing eNpedi-
tions and await the settlement of the
delimitation committee now sitting in
Paris.
IL is difficult 20 apportion the blame
for this state Of affairs. That the
| French initiated the system of raiding
the contested territory In West Africa
ls indisputablc. but the Colonial CO.
lumbus." as Sir William Vernon Har-
court. the liberal leader. has nicknamed
Joseph Chamberlain, the secretary of
state for the colonies. has made a seri-
I Jus ihiS' FhfH sbi's ~ a
diplomatic protest ON the subject had
been promptly lodged I'm Paris. and Wig
orously pushed. the whole question
would probably have been amicably
settled Ia this time. But instead Of
this the French have been permitted
10 boldly invade the admitted limits OF
the British Lagos territory, fight the
natives and occupy towns 50 that they
might more easily reach and occupy
the Say-Boussea-N -Nikki triangle. which
is the subject Of dispute.
So far as known the Marquis OF SAL
ishury has not asked for reparation or
even Tor explanations aud the whole
story appears 10 he incredible. III Lord
salisbury ana Mr chamberlain nave
settled policy regarding West Africa,
they have failed To make II known and
all they seem To be doing at present
is to impress iIe French with the fact
~ Great Rritaln's unlimited squeeze
ability"
The present situation is fraught with
pcrilous humiliation and the loss of the
little self-rcs6t7t ffc tory minister has
left. For this the country and press.
even the conservative newspapers are
demanding reprlsaIs by the rpscizure
for instance. of the town of Boussea.
lately seized by the French. though be-
British sphere aud by the breaking of
az m. NEGOTIATIONS in PARIS until The
nets of IN. pahompv officials are FORM
ans. dIsavovea
IN ,h, ,n.an,vbil. a,o,hcr hatch ,f
.,,b, D,,,is. ',,,,.a,, an, ,'c',,,,,,s'
s,onaa ,,,,c',s s,,l Fran, Iyarnoo, 10.
d.w ,or Iagas w., Cos, -, Afr,c.
,,,'i''s a., n,,,ar,, -, - a.
a'Non,pa"o W
!
sps supp'a Wy VI, 'opn'a, ""., -,
Mi'h"u, cpnsul'a,'pn WIN INC Wal
ne. ~ eo'npu,su ,nu mnn sn
i"fc.s III pio..sS VI oeihs oisph'.n
ar" Joined To the troops aireany there
Great Britain VIII nave 100 onlcers anu
noh-coihinissiohed "nio'ts anu f"'
troops IN west Africa
commenting on thls iact, thc semi
ofhclai Tefnps OF farls says Inc
British troops VIII be received py our
troops, VINO are ALREADY de tacto III
possession, ana VINO propose 10 remain
30 until the pending negotiations are
settled by equitable compensation, leg
Ultimately shared ny France ana Eng.
lana. until then We snail not swerNe.
~ this means anything u means mat
France intends 10 extract further
graceful concessions from the Mar
GUS OF Sansbury, similar 10 tn0se IN
connection with siam, the United states
and Madagascar.
ID. e. Murry. the novelist. Is propos-
ing "A national subscription 10 erect
statue of George washington. Messrs.
Bayard ana Hay nave both approved
Of the scheme the Daily chronicle,
however questions whether the statue
might not result IN an embltterment OF
relations, and saws Like all near
relatives, England and America quar-
rel now ana then. Perhaps some day II
might occur To boisterous jingo 10
make the statue of tue father OF hts
people the subject OF an unedlfying
drnonssratlon.
The engineering conference appar-