Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1898-04-29
Spirit Of the Dress.

SPANS SUPPORT ABROAD.
In her struggle over Cuba Spain is
plainly not without hope of friends
abroad, although her support will not be
as general, Judging from present indicd
lions, as appeared probable at one time.
When the great powers of Europe pre-
sented their note to the administration
at Washington in the interest of peace,
England was to all appearances the only
nation upon whose moral support this
! country could count in the event of hos
t~ilities. Austria and France were out
spoken i'm their sympathy with Spain in
their antipathy toward the United States.
The German emperor was quoted as en-
tertaining the hope that Uncle Sam
might be humbled, a sentiment which
many of the German newspapers then
reflected in their utterances. Russia
wa the least outspoken of the six pow
ers represented, but her cooperation
was counted upon by France. Italy was
inclined to favor this country, but it was
believed that her international alliances
would compel her to side with Austria
and Germany.
Nov that the trouble between Spain
and the United States has eliminated in
an acute crisis, the alignment of the
European powers on the Spanish-Ameri-
can issue has become more definite. The
fact that the queen regent of Spain was
an Austrian princess has led Austria to
favor the Spanish cause, while France
has been moved by the large investment
of its people in Spanish bonds to lend Its
sympathy and what moral support it can
give to Spain. The public expression of
the p%ro-Spanish sentiment of these two
powers has apparently had the effect of
leading Germany and Russia to revise
their attitude; for both Germany and
Russia will remain neutral, although the
Germans have caused it to be understood
that their sympathies are strongly on
the side of the Americans.
In the meantime France and Austria
together have assumed a position in rela-
ton to Spain not unlike that which
Great Britain bears to the United States.
That fact was demonstrated in cOnnec-
ton with the retirement of the Spanish
minister from Washington, Senior Polo
having left both the French ambassador
and the minister of Austria-Hungary in
charge of the Spanish legation and it is
also stated that the two were named as a
public announcement that both France,
and Austria were friendly to Spain, and
that in case of action by the powers
they would champion the Spanish cause.
In the event of the development of the
present trouble into a war involving the
principal powers of Europe, fear of
which has been expressed, it is safe to
predict that the two powers named
would fight for Spain, and present indi-
cations are that it would be equally safe
to predict that England would be found
on the side of liberty and progress. The
assignment of the other powers, how
ever, would be a matter of no little
difficulty. Other things being equal
Germany would naturally choose the
side opposite to that taken by France
but recent developments in European
politics have demonstrated that not even
the prospect of a war of revenge and the
recovery of the provinces of Alsace and
Lorraine by France will serve at all
times to prevent Germany from CO.
operating with her ancient enemy for the
gaining of present advantages.
This was shown during the TurkO-Gre-
clan struggle, and more recently in the
practical alliance between Russia, Ger
many and France for the purpose of de-
flying Great Britain in China. Russia
has always manifested a spirit of the ut
most friendliness for the United States
but in the event of a general European
war growing out of our trouble with
Spain, it is not impossible, nor improba-
BILE, that fear of far-reaching results of a
victory for an AnglO-American alliance
might unite continental Europe in a com
mon effort to withstand the forward
sweep of England and America. 1t is
impossible to predict with any degree of
certainty in this connection, but the con-
fict between Spain and the United States
evidently involves the most serious and
far-reaching possibilities Burlington
Free Press.