The times., 1898-12-08
Not American diplomacy.

II the speech of Sir Edmund Monson.
the British ambassador at Paris, is in
fact specimen of new and American
America goes back to the old diplo-
macy, with all its circumventions, eva
sions. and mendacity. the better. In
stead of frankness. it is folly. The En-
glishman however, is mistaken. He
will search in vain among the speeches
of American diplomats, especially of
Colonel Hay. to whom he refers, for a
suggestion of such warning by min
lister to the nation to which he is ac-
credited. 1t is as useless for an En-
glishman, reared in the traditions of
foreign diplomacy, to attempt to be
straightforward after the American
manner, as it is for the confirmed read
er of Punch to seize on the point of an
American jest. AS far as our represent
tatives abroad have departed from Gus
tom. it has been in the direction of
plainness of speech, but this does not
involve violation of the proprieties of
diplomacy. In a nation where every
citizen is part of the government and
takes a direct personal interest in every
question that relates TO the affairs of
the country, ii is impossible that nego-
tiations between its representatives and
those of another nation touching a mat
ter of general concern, should be con-
Quoted with the absolute secrecy to
which Europe is accustomed. Public
opinion insists that our cause shall be
just and being that, there is no reason
for sharp practice. We do not need to
rely on finesse, but simply on the mer-
its of the case. That this should bewiI-
der the disciplined diplomat of England
and lead him to mistake frankness for
rudeness is not surprising.
In such situation as that in which
England and France are supposed to be
involved. America would never tolerate
the ridiculous scares that Lord Sails
bury has promoted In the past few
months. and the newspapers would
either find some substantial cause of
his war panic or expose its folly. When
France had virtually conceded every
iHiHS ny anu
the recall of Marchand from Fashoda
had removed every provocation to war,
Salisbury suddenly began operations
that could find warrant only in the
imminence of tremendous conflict. His
utterances We're mysterious, and sug-
gested that the knife was appraised to
deal fatal stab to the British empire.
With extraordinary haste every soldier
and every frightened militiaman, even
in remote Manitoba. was made to clean
his gun and load his cartridge belt, and
every fighting sailorman in the nations
! service was told to sharpen his cutlass
or its modern substitute, for boarding
the ships of the foe. In vain the news
papers and the retired army officers and
diplomats at the clubs speculated on
the question of what particular foe
menaced the integrity of the empire and
the homes of the Britons. Salisbury
became more frequent and strenuous in
his suggestions of impending wer. but
also more mysterious and unfathom-
able as to tie quarter from which the
blow would descend. Even the licensed
Punch was impressed by a sense of the
solenlnity of the time. To this day it
is not known what was the cause Of all
the racket and the dire forebodings of
the premier. Yet nobody laughs at him.
We do not take our Dogberrys so
seriously. but require frank and full
statement of causes before we allow
ourselves to become excited. We are
not in awe of ghosts. If contempt of