The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-03-19
THE ALLIANCE SHAKEN
FRENCH PUBLIC OPINION TOWARD
RUSSIA RAPIDLY CHANGING.
An Unforeseen Consequence of the
of Greek Troops i'm Crete
Paris Against Russia.
Paris CORRESPONDENCE PhlIadelphIa roe

hOl lOltSSti- IL - Il CURIOUS GOlltN lucuCe
that Prince George of Greece. who saved
the Cars life in Japan. when the latter
vas attacked by a fanatic. should to-day
be the instrument by which the policy Of
his old travelling companion has received. if
not a fatal. at least a most injurious blow.
1t is true that the last time | was i'm Paris.
during the course of April last year. l did
notice some slight change in the attitude
of the Partisan crowd ,ith respect to the
Russian alliance. l then went TO see a play
at the Chatelet Theater. Ii was about Rus
STA. the Empress Catherine. and an insur-
rection of peasants. | was in a cheap part
of the theater. that is. with the masses
rather than with the classes, and as the
audience witnessed the representation of
some of the barbarities practiced in Russia.
several of my %neighbors made anything but
complimentary remarks. One individual in
particular exclaimed in a loud voice: And
to think that 1t is with these people that
we have made an alliance" To my surprise
there were no counter protests. Also | no.
ticed generally throughout the town that
the Russian hymn and the Russian flag
were not heard nor seen SO frequently as
formerly. But we have had since then the
Cars visit to Paris, and there is no deny
ing the magnificence of his reception. So
the current in favor of The Russian ALL
ance seemed irresistible, and rare indeed
were the politicians who dared IL pre- test
against this combination. Now, however. L
am assured that many who then seemed to
approve were in reality seeking 20 damn
with faint praise The fact is that 10
Frenchman can possibly disapprove of the
Russian alliance. if the object of that ALI
ance is to restore Alsace-Lorraine to
France. But many politicians are con-
WINGED that this is no wise the object of
that alliance, and are only waiting for the
moment when this fact shall be perfectly
clear TO all. so as TO pronounce themselves
against that alliance. This moment is ap-
preaching. In any case, the French people
are beginning TO realize that the union with
Russia means a sort of national abdication
entailing the abandonment of the nobleSt
traditions of French policy. Two events
vious-the publication of the Yellow Book
and the participation of the French fleet in
the blockade OF Crete. For two years and
more Europe and America have been har-
rowed by the accounts of the massacres of
the Armenians: but little or nothing was
said about these events in Paris. The de-
tails given in the english press were either
described as grossly exaggerated or at
tributed TO some perfidious English intrigue.
The French papers had no correspondents
on the spot, and the French government
was careful not TO publish any official cor
respondence. Now. however, at the eleventh
llOhi. tHt ItlIOM DUN IL dllu Tie
French public discover that what the Eng
lish papers said was true. and, what is
more, that the French ambassador, NJ.
Gambon, in "A remarkable and prophetic
letter written at the commencement of the
year 1894, foretold all that has since oc-
Cured.
A PRESENT OF 200, 600 CORPSES.
Naturally people are beginning to ask
how it is that, as the government was not
only fully forewarned but kept informed
day hv dnx Of xyhat =. .-~l-
no action and also kept the nation in a
state of Ignorance. The answer TO this
question can be given in one single word
Russia. 1t is the traditional policy of
France to protect the Christians in the
east, and had the French nation known
what was occurring a clamor would have
been raised i'm favor of active intervention.
But the only means of protecting the Chris
tians was to coerce the Sultan. and the
Car had most emphatically vetoed all idea
of employing force. In answer to Lord
Salisbury's remarkable and now celebrated
appeal. dated the Goth of October last. NJ.
Chishkine, then acting as the Russian min
lister of foreign affairs, replied that THE
idea of having to resort to coercive meas
ures against the Sultan was extremely re-
pugnant TO his Majesty the Emperor" II
was not till the end of November last that
the Russian government yielded. and in a
further reply TO Lord Salisbury said: The
imperial government would not refuse to
take into consideration your lordship's pro-
posal for the application of c%oercive meas
ures provided that there was unanimity OF
the powers" Russia had ali along been
the one stumbling block to the imposition
of reforms in Turkey, and the French gov
eminent did not dare allow the French ma
ton to know that it was aiding Russia in
her obstructive policy. When. however. al
tered her policy. the French government al
last ventured to prepare its Yellow Book
which was issued a fortnight ago. OF
course. this publication has raised a storm
/ of Indignation against the Sultan. in which
the French government has also its share
The Yellow Book is qualified as a present
of 2OO,GO corpses given by the French gov
eminent to the French nation. "Whai
has become of our traditional policy" is
the cry raised on all sides. and why
did not the government act sooner?' To
this the government proposed to reply
that ii was now taking action. and would
point to the presence of the French flee
i'm the Cretan waters. This answer would
doubtless have produced a good effect but
for the interpretive action of Greece. TIL,
employment of force against the Turk.
would have been "A popular measure, but
as matters have turned out. force has onl,
been employed against the Cretans and tn,
Greeks. This. ii may be urged. and will
some reason. is only due to the force o.
circumstances IL is nevertheless most dis
astrous for the reputation and popularit,
of the French government. First, it mus
be borne in mind that Greece Is surrounded
in a halo of romance, which. though IL Il
undeserved and in any case greatly exag
gerated. constitutes nevertheless an activ,
force. The higher university education
whether 1t be in philosophy. literature Of
art. involves a deep study of ancient Greel
civilization. The youth of the schools is
in its ineXperience, apt TO look upon tn,
modern Greeks as the lineal descendant
of DemoSthenes or other Greek heroes. me,
do not realize that there is no more con
nection between the Greeks of to-day an,
the Greeks of classic history than there i
between the Romans who live under Kin,
Humbert and the Romans of the time o.
Cincinnatus. They look upon Crete as
sort of Grecian Alsace-Lorraine. and upor
the Greeks as a people worthy in every re
spect to stand side by side with the French
Hence the departure of the Greek troop,
for Crete was hailed with enthusiasm some
what akin TO that which would follow tn,
Franch army If IL started forth to recon
quer 1t is not surprising
therefore. that the students ~organizet
noisy demonstrations i'm favor of Crete an,
Greece.
HANOTAUX LA HOMIE.
This, so far as the French government
was concerned, was bad in itself. but wors'
was soon TO follow. The fleet fired upol
the Cretan position. The shells Of civilize'
Europe fell, not i'm the camp of the op
pressors, but among the oppressed. TIL
time had now come when the adversarie
of the Russian alliance could venture {
speak out. What had this alliance done
Not a word has been said about the res
~toration of Alsace-Lorraine. on the con
trary, Russian diplomats have insisted tina
the alliance must be based on the accept
ance of accomplished facts. While the A
s~ace-Lorraine question was thus deflnitel
set aside and consigned TO the Gree
Kalends. Russian influence forced tn
French government TO send the Frenc
r.