Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1898-05-13
France and Ourselves.

>e ,r;ondship have been strong between
France and the United States. Ihere
was once little quarrel. about nun
dred wears ago. but on the whole the
..;,asbin begun in the days of Wash
;nston. Franklin and Lafayette, mas
suffered very few shocks. At the pres
,+ time however, it may be said that
among the nations of Europe there are
two only. France and Austria. that en-
| tartoin an unfriendly disposition grow
ING. out of the war with Spain, toward
the United States. The Queen Regent
If the latter country is an Austrian,
NOT a Spanard. and ties of consan-
el,inity bind Austria to the fortunes of
the dynasty. Austrian sympathy for
Spain is largely or wholly family
matter and, being natural is not I'M
reasonable. If il may be correctly as
sumed that the French newspaper
press truly expresses the consensus OF
the feeling of France respecting her
present attitude with reference to the
United States and Spain respectively,
it NAV be assumed with similar cor
RICHNESS that her sympathy is alto
gether with the latter in regard to the
pending struggle between the two
countries. 1t further appears that the
sentiments of the people of France are
those Of the government also. Contir-
nation of this assumption seems to be
esta blished by the fact that Spain in
recalling her diplomatic and consular
representatives contided her interest in
the United States to either the French
or Austrian officials here, generally to
the former.
Whatever the attitude of Austria
may he, whether friendly or unfriendly
is of the very least consequence. except
as matter Of sentiment; but not
only as matter of sentiment, as Il
matter of much more material import
ance. the unfriendly position of France,
if it he so. must he profoundly regret
ted by the American people, who for
more than Il century have had only the
Warmest and most cordial feeling for
her, Il feeling which has been strength
ened 10y her adoption in 1871 of a Re
publican form of government, so much
like our own. Pecuniary interests are
always powerful, and those of France
with Spain are considerable and inn
portant Spain has long been Il Dor
rover and France a lender. The form
cr is the debtor of the latter to an
enormous amount, and France perceives
with every decrease of the value of
Spanish securities that she is the los
ing partner in the case. as between
debtor and creditor, and that with
every American victory her prospects
of recovering her loans will grow dim
mer and DINNER. Being one of the
Latin nations of Europe she may have
some slight measure of sympathy for
Spain which is quite free from selfish
ness. but in regard to the Americana
Spanish dispute the facts justify the
| conclusion that if France is hostile TO
the United States it is chiefly her Span
| ish monetary interests which make
| her SO.
Perhaps also French dissatisfaction
with US is caused by our high tariff
| duties against the products Of French
factories and Vineyards but in the
main it is caused by our war against
Spain All this is regrettabe, as
| American sentiment has been for 81
long a time one of warm friendship for
France. The latter's apparently hos
tile attitude, assumed since the incep-
ton Of our Spanish troubles. is Great
inS a reciprocal feeling of unfriendli-
ness here, and the ultimate conse-
quences of the strained relations of thC
two countries may be serious. one OF
the first indications of the resentment
| of the United States toward France is
to be perceived in the reports of the
newspaper correspondents at Washing
ton, which are to the general effect thai
| Congress will either defeat the bill
making appropriation for the interna
tonal exposition at Paris in 1900 OF
will so reduce the amount of the appro
priation as to make the official par
ticipation of this Government ridicu
lous." 1t is hoped Congress will dc
nothing of the kind. Such a policy
would not hurt France so much as i
would njure us.
a writer in the New York Sun take:
the sensible view of the matter wher
he says: The reason why this coun
try desires to participate in the forth
coming exposition at all is solely il
order to still further extend the repu
"Probably no single drug