The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-02-10
An Empire in Gloom.

The most cheerful optimist in Great
Britain will be able 10 extract little
comfort either from the speech from
the throne or from the explanatory
statements made hy Lord Salisbury IN
the house of Ior-s. TIC situation. mill
tary, commercial and financial, is a
gloomy one for England. The royal
speech puts the best face possible upon
affairs, bat underneath its stiff and
formal summary of recent events lies
the fact of rebuff and disaster
A treaty of peace has, indeed been
signed between the sultan of Turkey
and the king of Greece. and England
has her share in that shameful pact.
What is not mentioned is that the
armies of the sultan have not evacuat-
ed Thessaly; that there is a hot dis
pute over the government of Crete
and that the coercion of Constantine
pie is as far as ever from an accom-
plished fact. The slightest dissension
among the powers, arising from COM
picauons in the far East or elsewhere,
will bring upon England the full brunt
Of the difficulties that her participa-
ton in the subjugation OF Greece ard
the restoration of Turkish insoIence
nos invited
Affairs in India are little more cheer
ful. While the uprising in the north
has been put down, as far as the
thoroughly occupied territory of the
empire is concerned, the Afridis have
not been pacfed; and the best opin-
Ions differ as to whether the mutiny
IS coming to a close, or has only just
begun. The distress Of the West r.
dian colonies is SO real and severe that
it commands royal attention and So
Hcits parliamentary relief
Nc mention is made of the severe
depression that prevails in the mar
lIets of England herself, and of the
specter of Irresistible foreign compet,-
ton that looms daily larger and more
meracirg- before the eyes of every
thoughtful English statesman. Init
mateiy connected with this is the as
sault upon England's foreign markets
that is covered by the occupation or
territory by the other powers in Asia.
The premier put lightly behind him
this topic just now of such vital
moment to England's dignity ard Eng
lands trade. He announced that he
had positive and even written assur-
ance that any ports occupied by either
Russia or Germany in China would be
thrown open to the trade of the woria.
This contains doubtful consolation.
Imperial ministers. are apt to forget
such obligations when their great ends
are accomplished and their interests
point in another direction Were they,
however, to observe them to the let
ter, it would advantage England little
To have open ports in territory under
the immediate domination of & foreign
power. Great Britain is free to trade
with Hamburg and with Odessa, but
we imagine that the English merchant
locks with no more ardor upon this
privilege as stimulus to trade than
upon the subsection of Chinese terri
tory to Russian or German arms.
The truth is that the world is allied
against England today in a campaign
more dangerous that any conducted by
armies or navies Great Britain still
fears no enc on the seas, and the valor
Of her troops is IS great as of old Her
eminence rests, with her wealth, upon
her command of the worlds commerce.
il is this that is threatened more
seriously than her international pres
tige. With foreign markets contract
ing. with the United States emancpat-
ed from financial and industrial con-
tfol. with the American manufacturer
ieadiry the world. with the German