The Progress., 1898-12-03
EUROPEAN CABLEGRAM.
A COMMERCIAL TREATY BETWEEN ITALY
AND FRANCE SIGNED.
America, Politicians Say. Will be Com
PEELED to Add to Her Colonial Posses
siOns as England Has--Don Carlos Pre-
pairing to Seize the Throne.

pairing to Seize the Throne.
LoNDoN.-France and Italy, who
are in decade of tariff warfare, have
surprised their friends and enemies by
concluding commercial treaty which
promises to shift the balance of pow
in Europe. But for the friendshipe
the United States, which embold G
Great Britain into comparative indif-
ference regarding continental com
binations, the British would be
alarmed at this prospect of Italy de-
serting the triple alliance and adding
her formidable navy to the Franco
Russian compact, which is held to be
the inevitable result of the reunion of
the two estranged Latin nations. The
critics here regard the treaty as a
sequel to the Fashoda incident.
Frances defeat in Italy opened her
eyes to the necessity Of increasing her
friends. Therefore she has tried to
initiate negotiations with Italy, and
will give her weaker neighbor the
benefit Of the minimum tariff long and
vainly sought by the latter.
The Italians estimate that under the
new arrangement million hectolitres
of heavy southern wines, which are
used in mixing the lighter French
wines, will be exported to France, re-
sulting in a great impetus to italian
industry. In return France expects
to remove the danger of having to
come with the italian navy in the
Mediterranean in the event of Ger
man war, and also to nullify Germany's
policy of isolating France. Tree trade
Britain has no subsidies she can offer
to retain Italy's support, but the pres
ent position Of the worlds politics
does not render her so anxious for it
as she would have been year ago.
What Great Britain loses in Italy,
the Westminster Gazette declares she
! gains in the Philippines.
Conversations upon the situation a
representative of the Associated Press
has had with politicians, indicate that
the interest of Englishmen in the Uni
ted States eastern tariff is increased
by the belief that once embarked in
colonial acquisition, the United States
will be compelled, as Great Britain
has, to constantly add to her colonial
possessions which may be thrown up
on the market merely to prevent them
falling into the hands of her rivals.
The Inauguration of "closed door"
policy, they think here, would no much
potential damage to British interests,
and every American utterance tending
to ioreshadow an "open door policy
has been eagerly seized upon and mag
nified by the editorial writer's.
An English Carlist positively asserts
that Don Carlos army will take the
field in Spain Immediately after the
treaty is signed. He declares that q
loan has been fully fnanciered and
that it is divided equally between
France and England and he adds that
after the English capitalists were
shown the evidences on which Don
Carlos chances of success are based,
they offer several times the amount
asked. The English Carlists assert
that much more money would have
been secured had it not been for the
fact that Don Carlos stipulated that
there should be no assistance from the
Jews, as he is apprehensive Of their
obtaining financial control of the
monarchy.
Continuing, it was asserted that the
Spanish government has known for
some time that Don Carlos possessed
an army, organized into battalions and
batteries, differed and largely armed,
but that the Spanish ministers counted
on his failure to secure funds. There
fore, the Spanish government is said
to be panic stricken and to be endeav-
oring to make the Spanish people be-
lieve that Great Britain has agreed to
finance Don Carlos and that he, in re-
turn, has undertaken to cede the Ca
nary islands to Great Britain in event
of success.
The committee appointed by the
Spanish chamber of commerce to con-
slider the question of reforms in Spain,
mat at Saragossa and recommended
sweeping military and civil retrench-
ments, in addition to many reforms
for the benefit of the working men.
The committee also pronounced in
favor of an investigation into the con-
tlnuance of the Cuban insurrection
and Withholding therewards promised
to Cuban officers.
The recent tragic death of the en-
press of Austria over clouds the cele-
bration in that country of the half cen.