Evening star., 1898-05-14
MertZ and MertZ.
Price=rlakers,
600 f ST.

tariff on works of art. The infidel ranks
and, indeed, Frenchmen generally, abuse us
for our sabbatarian and sumptuary laws.
Regard Us With Ridicule.
The officers of the army condescend to
scoff at what they call our rabble officered
by plebeians. unwilling 10 fight duels and
without honor and all that the term implies
in continental and especially Latin coun-
tries. We have heard that grandiose word
often n entioned of late. Even men who
have been in the United States rail at our
courts and assert that corruption pene-
trates our judiciary from the Supreme
Court down. How about the Zola trial?
While the reasons for French public opin-
ion about America are thus varied and un-
friendly, all Frenchmen ag.ee that We are
wholly given to the greed of money, horde
of groveling shopkeepers, forgetting that
there is not people in Europe more appre-
ciatve of the golden calf than Frenchmen
themselves. The novels of BalZac reek
with it. Marriage in France is a mercenary
institution, and Paris has been enriched by
fleeing American tourists. Finally. all
Frenchmen agree to remember with undy-
ing spite that we Americans showed the
door out of Mexico to BaZaine and his le-
gions.
From this time on our government needs
to watch the French people carefully. En-
aged at the probable humiliation of one of
the Latin nations, jealous of power they
are beginning to understand better, they
are even more active and bitter against us
than usual. They are spelling for fight,
but. like the quarrelers in Meissoniar's mas
terly painting, La Rix," are held back by
bystanders. Alone, France, no more than
any other continental power, would not
dream of attacking us. because England
and Germany are watching her, and her
ally, Russia, says, Not yet" But may
depend on her popular, talented virulence
doing its best to find causes for irritating
f,~,a ne
at the first favorable opportunity. There
are distinct possibilities also that in the
present mood of her people substantial aid
of various sorts may be smuggled across
the Pyrenees into Spain.
Need of a Navy.
In view Of these facts about the position
of the powers toward the United States,
it is fatuous for us to continue our policy
of maintaining only small navy. We re-
quire a navy commensurate with our ex-
randing interests and the developing jeal-
ousy of foreign powers. Ship for ship.
there have never been better ships, better
manned. better disciplined, better sailed,
and better fought than ours. The alert
ness Of our crews and their gunnery prac-
tee have never been excelled, or, We might
add, equaled. But there is limit to the
odds which our sailors can overcome. A
European coalition might sweep US from
the seas, devastate our coasts and dictate
terms to us before We could build new
navy, for 1t takes two or three years to
cor struct a modern warship instead of two
to three months, as in 1912. But, consider
ing our geographical position. with large
navy maintained by a steady system of up
to-date additions, our coast we'll fortified,
and garrisoned coaling stations established
at effective points, we could safely defy the
world. In any event, the time has passed
for us to be Indifferent to the jealousy, in
trigueS and growls of Europe until we have
carried out such policy of naval defense.
s. G. w. BENJAMIN.