New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-07-29

cent fighting machine OF eighty thousand men
which his father had left TO him. along with A
well-h!led war chest and a mortgage on Silesla
for money lent 10 Austria. Frederick fore
closed the mortgage by marching his army into
the pledged territory. ard began the Seven
Years War. He had tough task Of maintain
Ing possession against Austria. helped by France
and sympathized with by the Hanoverian rulers
Of England. who had love for their cousin
Frederick. Luckily for Frederick and Prussia
France and England quarrelled, the elder Pitt
came TO power and got for time the better Of
the Tory-rdden House of Commons. as we'll as
the Georges and gave Frederick helping hard
At the time Fredericks emissares in ST
Petersburg were clever enough TO trade with
Cartharine and in the end came the partition
Of Poland and the further ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF
Prussia
The Hohenzollerns have always played sue
cessfully the role OF the honest broker" They
have long 'fshed in troubled waters" and al
ways successfully. There has never been a
time when they or their Ministers have not
been intriguing and intermeddling in the near
East. playing or trying to play the Sultan OF
Turkey against Russia Austria. with the OBJ
ject Of lettering Prussia in some way
Frederick the Great. when he made a treaty
love for our forefathers and cordially dislik"d
their notions Of government hut he had always
ha ted the Hanoveran dynasty and considered
the English people a lot Of unprincipled nier-
chant traders. He was therefore quite ready to
recognize the revolted English colonies when
they made good their contention against the
mother country.
FRANCE \ DISTURBING FACTOR.
The Situation Of tho Furonean Powers today
Is peculiar in this-Germany and Russia have
each grand schemes 10 carry through which,
with time and clever management may be sue
cessfuly accomplished The principal disturb
ing factor in their calculations is France She
is all the more so because she Is a republic In
name. but without sort 81 republican
institutions The great mass Of the French
people are honest. Industrious thrifty peas
ant proprietors. who take little interest in
politics so long as they preserve the even
tenor Of their old-fashoned ways They are
patriotic. love their country. reverence their
fore IA hers and want 10 leave their offspring
little better OFF in this worlds goods than they
We're themselves when they started life tn"
people themselves have no initiative in govern
ment and where the civil law prevails such n
thing is impossible All power is centralized at
Paris. and all functions Of government, are di-
TO the interruptions pushing few who run the
machine" For time Immediately follow
ing the humiliation OF the nation by the
success Of the German armies the military and
marine administrations we're comparatively free
from corrupt practices but where the seeds OF
corruption have once found Judgement the dis
ease which breeds and perpetuates itself can
never be wholly eradicated. The army and navy
administrations Of the last ten years are widely
believed to have reverted 70 their state in tho
days Of Napoleon III Worse than this so far
as France is concerned. the military element
seems 10 have become arrogant. and. In the
opinion Of some the so-called republic exists to-
dav only nv the suffera1ce Of the stan az the
army and the navy.
This condition NJ things has for a long time
been apparent TO the Cabinets Of Russia and
Germany The great body Of the French peo-
ple while they abhOr and have n realizing
sense of the calalnities it would bring upon them
will willingly bear any burdens Cor the sake Of
the army and the navy. because they stnl fee!.
with a OF personal sense OF injury and
wrong the punishment Germany inflicted
their country. II the occasion offered. they
would one and all welcome the opportunity 10
fy at the throats Of the Germans. 1t required
ten years Of strenuous effort and enormous ex-
French Army and Bismarck. who watched, as
| cat does mouse. all that went on in France.
| sought again and again for a pretext to pounce
upon France and make an end once for all OF
| the country as A frst-rate Power but Russia
| stood in the way. The warning came from ST.
Petersburg in no uncertain tones" Hands or.
unless YOU are assailcd" II Bismarcks
unceasing effort TO effect such understand
| ing with Russia as would give him free hand
with France. But Alexander stubborn
| man. and he would listen to no cajolery and
would not be tempted by any deal which looked
| 10 the annihation Of France
THE POLICY OF RUSSIA
Meantime Russia had fixed upon definite
policy for the future. and had resoutey set
herself 10 the carrying out Of H. She had three
great tasks 10 perform-the settlement upon
] firm basis Of her finances. the reorganization
| and new equipment Of her army, and the build
ING ~ the Siberian railway The acquisition OF
Constantinople and the doing up" of the Sick
Man and the absorption Of his inheritance were
nostponed until her designs the Far East
had been realized The settlement Of her
| finances necesstated rapprochement with
France and the drawing upon the accumulated
wealth Of a people who per capita are the rich
est in the world Isolated France. once the
leading Power Of Continental Europe. was
warming for an alliance which would rehaoili-
| ,a,e her She had looked longingly TO England.
and her d!plomatsts had exerted every art.
| tried every experiment 10 reach an understand
ing with the English Government. but English
| s,o,oenoen whether Of the Liberal or the Tory
| ecbooI were not favorably inclined. The Eng
ush have no faith In French craftsmanship. In
,ber belief existing French institutions are not
| s,obIe and they think iDsincerity and hckleness
| the two dominant characteristics OF the French
| people