New-York tribune., 1898-11-21
ENGLISH MfLGTAR1SM.
REFLEX INFLUENCE OF AMERICAN SEA
FrGHTs-FOREIGN POLICIES DEPEND
ENT UPON THE STRENGTH
OF THE FLEET

the Marchand expedition. but activity sun pre-
walls at the English dockynrds. In add''oh ~
the Mediterranean and Channel fleets an ere'-
gency squadron is in readiness for sea AT Devon
port anI work is going n day ana nlg'i' l"i '"o
fleet reserve There is similar activity at for's-
n,outb where men are working overtime on a
great battIe-ship which is about 10 be launched
ardtwbere old gunboats are repairing and hur-
r,ed nronarations are making for placing every
available ship on a war footing. Coast fortlhcA-
tions and imperial stations are receiving iafHe
supplies Of provisions and war material ana ths
naval vIctualling yard at Deptford Is heavily pro-
vsioning Gibraltar. Malta and other Important
stations There Is no longer any controversy
over Fashoda. but the Adinraty mas hoe suS-
,ended i,s preparations for There Is
buoyant stock market and peace between Eng
land and France is assured; but tho daily jour
nails morning and evening. display the startlhs
headline The Crisis" and some Of them follow
{, nm ,,itb the Delphc utterance that they have
important military news which they do not feei
., uhortv 70 nublsh without the direct sanction
Of the War Office.
One exclamation OF the continuance OF naval
nrenarations when the French Government mas
ordered a retreat from Fashoda is that the ques-
ton OF frontiers and spheres or influence IN
Africa still remains unsettled, and that Engiahd
must be ready for any emergency. Inese nego-
tations can hardly be more dlhcult than those
which have been in progress between france
and England during recent years over rival ter
ritories and protectorates in West Africa and
Asia Surely England does not need to be kept
on a war footing with her naval forces mobi-
,zod and her coast fortifications and foreign sta
tons heavily manned and provisioned. while
| these fresh negotiations are dragging along. A
| was brought about by the occupation OF Fa-
| shoda after the British Government had pro-
| claimed in advance that any invasion Of the
upper Nile Valley would be regarded as an un-
friendly act That crisis naturally ends with
| the unconditional relinqushment Of Fashoda
| and the retreat Of the expedition Il cannot be
prolonged artifcially by negotiations over Afr-
| can spheres OF influence. Only an unreasoning
hamboyant milltarism will clamor for war when
the resources Of diplomacy are adequate for the
adjustment Of disputed questions of frontier in a
continent Ike Africa. where there is indeed
room enough for all"
Another theory advanced in explanation OF
the continued activity in the dockyards is based
| upon the assumption that the Egyptian question
! is 70 be raised either by France or England. and
| that the navy must be prepared for supreme
contest OF sea power. II cannot he doubted that
militant England would like 20 have this ques-
ton taken up decisively by one government or
| the other. Indeed. all Englishmen are weary of
| the diplomatic farce which has been enacted in
Egypt since Arabrs rebellion. Egypt was IN
vaded under the pretence of temporary occu-
| patton by a foreign Power which pledged ITSELF
| solemny in the sight Of Europe TO withdraw It's
| garrison as soon as order should be restored and
| the native army reorganized. France and Rus
| sa have rapeatedIv reminded the British Gov
ernmcnt Of this pledge and urged its fulflment
| The moral obligation is clear. and the diplo-
matte argument Of France based upon IT is un-
| answerable; but England has no intention OF
| abandoning Egypt and will never 40 so. The
| pledge ought never TO have been made and ITS
| fuIhIment would now be little less than
tional crime since it would nvalidate all the re-
forms wrought by good administration in Egypt
| since lSS2. Englshmen are weary Of French
taunts and the excuses offered 10y their own
| Ministers for the continuance OF British rule In
| Cairo They would rejoice If the Egyptian aues-
| ton were raised by France in an aggressive
| form. 50 that the British fleets could settle il
with their guns They would he equally well
| pleased if their own Governmcn: would repudi
ate Mr. GIadstones pledges the ground of
political necessity and with naval forces mobil-
| lied announce its determination Ia hold Egypt
permanently.
JOHN BULL IN FIGHTING MOOD.
While this second explanation OF naval ac-
tivity is more ineligible than the first one
neither theory fully accounts for the recent oui-
break of mtarism in England. This peace
loving country has been in a fighting temper
war with France would have been popular.
| There was absolute confidence in the superiority
0: the British Nayv. and there was clear per-
coption of the advantages ~ position which
! England would have in over Fashoda.
Now that peace is a certainty it is not easy 10
determine whether Englishmen are sorry or
glad If one may Judge Alright from the talk In
the clubs AM rom the prominence given by
the newspapers to the continuance OF naval
preparations th"re is 4 feeling of Gisappoint-
| ment over the settlement OF the Fashoda AFFAIR.
| French journals may sneer al the English swag-
| ger after the war scare is over. and Radicals
| may liken naval Jingoes 10 clustering Sim
| Tappertit fercely turning the grindstone and
| sharp.ning his sword because grinding suited
his temper WE'LL but neither sarcasm nor ridi-
cule alters the essential fact that John Bull has
been on his mette fully prepared for fight
| and SD eager to have II come on that he is now
| out OF humor because 1t has been Indefinitely
| postponed
| 1t is easy to trace the effects Of transatlantic
| influence In this Fashoda affair. America and
| England have been acting and reacting upon
| each other during recent years. When the
| American people in the Venezuela episode sud
| denly revealed their Willingness TO stand and
fight for their principles with feeling OF utter
| Indifference as results. they made a deep inn
| preston upon England The effect was I'M
! mediate for when the German Emperor ar
| frontei England by his dispatch to President
| Krlger the flying squadron was dehantly or
| dered out. and there was a challenge To war
In the early stages OF the Cuban crisis Ameri-
cans prohted by English example and displayed
inr nd