The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1898-05-21
II STIRRED UP RUSSIA.
Chamberlain's Speech on Anglo
American Alliance.
ASK FOR EXPLANATION
British Secretary Called the Gar the
DeviI-The West African
Situation.

ambassador has been directed to demand
from Lord Salisbury. it is reported, an
explanation. of Mr.. Chamherlain's asSeT
ton that Russia is ineligible for an alli-
ance because of her pertidy.
The prevailing opinion now is that Mr..
Chambcrlain's speech in which he advo-
Gated an Angola alliance was Il
gricvUuS indiSCrction. 1t has excited Jcal-
ouSes and resentment throughout Europe
without promising to attain any compcn-
Satory advantage.
His indirect calling the Gar ''the devil"
Is sure, it is believed, To give undylng
offcnSc in st. Petersburg.
Uneasiness in Financial Circles.
In the city Of London tthc financial dis
trict today great depression prevailed.
| KumorS were flying about that the gov
ernmcnt proposes to offer a large issue of
eNchequcr bills To form a war chest. \
further rise i'll the bank rate WAS freely
predicted.
Mr.. Chamherlain'S main and immedi-
ate object is known to lie to force France
to cvacuate RrousSa, West Africa, even
at the risk of war.
1t has leaked ont that in his private
talk 10 bankers last Thursday Lord Sails
! bury said that til" West African question
is the most serious matter the cabinet has
now to deal with, and that its satiSfac-
| tory solution seems Wcll-nigh impossible.
This anticipatory declaration by the
prime minister gives gravity to Mr..
Chamberlain speech which il otherwise
might have lacked because of the uni
vcrSal suspicion that he was playing sim
ply his own hand.
An Element of Seriousness.
a further element of seriousness is i'm
parted to the situation by the remark Of
10 bnl l-p of al 40 faA
banquet on Friday night that France has
been gwen Il month To- clear ont of BrOuS-
sa the disputed district in West Africa.
The duke today denies having said this,
but volunteer officers present declare that
bis words were taken down at the time
and passed around the table To all the
guests on ii slip of paper marked 'conh-
dental"
\ variety of circumstances. in short.
tend TO cause great anxiety here concern
ing the outlook which now is affected by
the inspired statement from French agcn-
cicS that the West African negotiations
are progressing satisfactorily.
Everything seems To prove the truth OF
the words of an editorial published broad
east here that Mr.. Chambcrlains pro
| posing an AnglO-Amcrican alliance
springs from desire to drag the United
swamp in West Africa. Among even the
! limited section of politicians in parlia-
mcnt favorable to such an alliance. the
! idea OF Mr.. Chamhcrlain's declaration is
treated as absurdly III advance of
| events, while the bulk of the members of
Parliament, who would either be indif-
ferent or hostile to it. are affronted that
a minister should hawk offers of Brit
lHh alliance iii the market place.
Chamberlain is Jubilaut.
Mr.. Chamberlain. himself. is delighted
| over the sensation he has created
though his juhiiation obviously is not
shared by his colleagues. Several mrm-
bcrs of Parliament pressed him privately
| last night for more explicit statement
concerning the danger ahead He mere
ly replied Oracularly: Events will ius-
tify'' - '''
The Liberal leaders intend to have 4
debate on his speech at the earliest possi-
bic moment. which cannot now be until
| Friday, after the Whitsuntidc recess.
The drift of opinion regarding the An
glo-American alliance may b. gathered
from articles in the PRINCIPAL paI..rs OK. y
cept the Mail, which has championed
none but lost causes during its short ex-
lStencc. No newspaper has received the
suggestion with enthusiasm.
The News fears that Whatever chance
there is for realizing an alliance. the cush
and 'Jingoism' are likely to destroy Mr.
Chamberlain. II says he was guilty of
Jingoism in figuring an AnglO-Amcrican
alliance as an engine of aggressive and
threatened action
The Globe observes: eve would be
glad to live in the likelihood of a perma-
ncnt union of all the Enclish-spea king
nations. but i'll the case of the United
states their foreign policy undergocs such
quick and violent changes that a friend Of
today becomes an enemy tomorrow. As
long as our naval supremacy endurcs We
have n" need of help on the ocean. while
the United States could give no help on
land.
Hothouse Sentiment.
The Star. strongly pro-A American saws:
Let Us not fall into the error of forcing
sentiment in Il hothoUSo of scltiShneeS
That is Mr. Chamberlain mistake. In
this business of an Anglo-American alli-
ance ruShfuneSS is likely to do more
harm than good
The st. James Gazette remarks: "The
good people who fancy that all is now
completed hut signing formal treaty of
offcn>c and defense are going much too
fast and are likely to do only mischief.
The United States have yet to realize
their own isolation and actual danger hut
for British support in Europe"
The cush referred to hy the News is
supplied by editorials from certain New
York papers, which may have been easily
drawn ont by Mr.. chambcrlain'S interest
cd cf1uSIyencss.