The age-herald., 1897-10-24

The United States ministers als the va-
 rious courts of Europe. it was lately re- ported were instruc.L1 to sound the gov-
 ernmeEts to which they we're accrtdit- ed win a view to learning how interven-
 ton for Cuba would be received ard | Stewart L. Woodford, before he reached
 Madlud, was aware that Spain could not
 expect support of the -Europea Il powers, as all of them, with one exception, ad-
 init that bhs interests of this govern
 ment justify Its interference in the Gu ban war. Secure in this Information, | General Woodford entered upon a pre- | liminary 66ecussion of the matter with
 the Spanish foreign ,ministfr. If this
 rumor rightly represents the sentiment
 of Europe, the situation is good deal ] Hike that which confronted the United 1 States sometime after the fall Of the | first Napoleon. SpsEn then held lhe con- | tirent to the South of us, ard the Holy
 Alliance was dominant beyond atihe Aia- l lantic. Austlia ia Was a primal Factor Of | sbhe Alliance, and very importenl one. | But the threatening attitude of this com | binatiol was a bluff, slgnsfying nothl T g. l Spain was dslodged without protest. l Ah.er the lapse of seventy years the rights of Spain are again questions of dispute, and Austria is conspicuous by
 way of exception to the prevalent opin- ion of the European nations
 Notwithstanding her impotefcy with out concert of action, there is an air of eentralhty about Austria. The other powers lie around her, all, or nearly all, teuctHag her borders. There is sonnet thing of romance about ths name, and wherever one delves into European his- tory he finds Austria. Her whole story for time is read in Napoleoa, whose life is practically the history of the world from the consulate to Wate.poo With the United States the conneculon or Austlra has been remote. But remote ll- fiuences al.e sometimes the most mo-
 mentous and effec i've. It cannot weH be questioned that through BonaFartes s passion for conquest in Austrfa,. With Englands arrogance as pretense or war this country took "a new lease or la1a, passed it's moist impor,ad1t stage or developni mt, and made an aggiandlze-
 ment of territory that is beyond com putalhon. The pu. chase or LouiA.ailt IS referred to. England was the surbdce agency. but Austria lay hidden in the tackgrourld, in iihe mind or Bond pal.e and with her tfl- subsequent Ddeelss
 were fought. Napoleon's uiteinor de
 sip1,s were known only to himse41 asnu
 time thus far has hardly TeVealed tnem'
 Cf the muT ,i.ude of commentators, Sa-nte E-l.vre Lrcluded, T. is hard to Seiect one
 as the interpreter of this tathomiess
 man. bourg.enne profesSed 10 kho'"
 him. and he asserts that every act was
 a part of a series of reaching out lhto
 the future. That .s plauslbIs.
 Many years have passed sinee thefi,
 and wi them the French empire. Aus
 tria i5 as ever imperial. She cpJects, IL
 is said, to the good officss of the ch h4ted
 States in effeetlng a settlement of the Cuban troubles, but thalI she will not likely take any part in the questiln be- yosad making a diplomatic 'Frotesp. Flo speak SD as to be h. ard is characterfstic of Austria, and fight, too dt she has sitrenuh Just now her neighbors over
 shadow her. Even Spain, in whose be-
 half it is Gunlored she will intervene be- cause shl. has an aro(hduchess practically
 on the Spanish throne, looks upon ntF
 high sounding protest with lncreduLty
 and surprise. For, say the Span-afos,
 if the other nations are quiescent what
 could Austria do? Without the packl1g
 of a naval force, or at least the combine d
 pacific action of several governments,
 she could do notllng. So Austria has
 the humiliation of being rejected on the
 Threshold. Spain would like an ally of strength but sees mo promise m Aus
 tria.
 Not long ago, however. just before the Cltstan war broke out, AustIia in har-
 mony with her central geographcal po-. sif.on, combined Europe fin court. for peace. It was against impedlment to the Turk in hls havoc of ArmsliHarns; s; against the Christian sentiment or l1u- rope and againso that of this. country.
 That agreement was 5ntered into, though by England reluctantly, upon inforn1a- tien gathered by an Austrian minister.
 Here Austria touched us in moral and
 religious senlse; not materially. The pee- pie of America wsre shocked to know that there was no hand to stay the Turk. on-interfeTence Is traceable straight to Austria. Her dramatic at
 titudes are striking She recoiled as ra pfdfy as she advanced. Again the
 ptateanen Of this ald rtudinizing nation
 have seen the opportuLtty to eaten the
 attention of both continents and nave
 u.allzed It. This time. she is altogether
 out eff concert and isola ted, and assumes to strike right at this government. It is
 only here ard there at intervals, re-
 mcitely immediately, that Austria
 comes in contact with uls. Her material isffect or this country, as sald, has been
 inIdi.tct. As means of cenitralizing
 forces In Europe whose action while
 dex'asting the Ensterln continent, con
 ferred incalculable benefit on this, she lnaIs been most prominent
 When Napolion fell Austria and Rus
 s,a, the two na.ioms at which the French
 emperor aimed and defeated ait Aus ter
 htz in the campaign following his breach
 With England, which he had made a
 pre;ense for oi.ding Louisiana to the
 United States, were instrurner'. al in conn
 hjr.ang the maItions of Europe. Austria, with Russia and Prussia, was the nu-
 cleus of the Holy Alliance. England YVES a party to 1t. Tn that as has been char acte1dsl1fcf of her in all Europsan coml1i- nations, she held the balance of power.
 It has ever been Englarld's aim to make
 her weight either way decisive, and
 nswer was this principle made so em-
 plnatfc as now. with George Canning in
 the foreign office. Spsin at that time
 was having trouble in this hemisphere
 wlsh the provinces of South America.
 She was aiso threatencd at home by
 France. Tihe whole situation was com plfcated and very peculiar. The evolu-
 ton of history would need a long time to work a perfect repetition of this And all the trouble, ais it Is now, was abor,s
 Spalin She was erdeavoringN to hoId her sosndancy over here and ward off
 the blow of France alt home. Austria's
 position as a leader in the alliance, is not easIy exp,ainsd. She would mot lift
 J,ion,d d,as. Crtain i'm fl1int eStino with