New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-05-20
FRANCE REMAINS FRIENDLY
All. DANGER OF AN ENHANCEMENT
AVERTED.
CLEARED UP BIZ AN En-
CHANGE OF VIEWS IN wAsHiN'io'-
NJ RoBINEAU HERE OK A SEMI

OFFICIAL MISSION
Washington. May 10.-As result or several
reoent interviews between the ofnc'a's Oh '"c
State Department and those of the frehch r'i',
bassy. an understanding has been reacAeu VIM"
gives assurance of n continuance vi 'ne ""
ditional friendship existing between 'he CNl'e"
ctotes and France 1t has served TO make clear
that each Government has the fullest commence
In the friendly attitude OF the oth'r anu '''"'
any criticisms animosites aroused ~ rece''
Incidents of he war have not been shared by
the officials Of either country. In the recent eN
changes the attitude OF some OF the Paris news
,orors f., criticism Of the United states az well
as those Of this country in criticism OF France
has been gone over. 1t was pointed out by the
State Department officials that they had eX-
nressJy disavowed any sympathy with or IN
dorsement of ;hcse criticisms. ana that at i'o''
they were private expressions In no way re-
Hecting the feeling OF the United states Gov
ernment toward France.
ALI. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. CLEARED W.
On the other hand the French authorities nave
given assurances that the French press CRU
cisms came from unreprescntatiVe CLASS Va
radical Paris newspapers, and IN no way iep'e'
sented the cordial sentiment entertained by 'he
French Government and people toward TIC
United States II was shown also that the more
influential and representative Journals in touCh
with the Government. maintained the MOST
friendly tone toward this country. At the same
time nil NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. arising from the
Lafayette incident and the alleged delay Oh oni-
cial DISPATCHES from Martinique we're cleared
IN A 70 the Iafayette the State Department
never questioned the good faith of the rrench
authorities; and as to the delay In dispatches,
this was disposed OF by the fact that the mes
sages came over the British. not the French,
cable line Altogether. the recent exchanges
have produced pleasant impression on Doth
sides and a feeling that any possibility OF all
arrangement between the two countries mas
been averted.
The State Department feels natural pride
in having avoided all serious foreign embarrass-
ments and arrangements such as usually ar's"
on the outbreak II war. In the early days OF
the civil War foreign complications seriously
embarrassed the Government but these nave
been couspicu ,,sly lacking IN the present war.
The thirty day limit prescribed In the Presi-
dents proclamation OF April Il expires in
few DAYS This gave certain privileges 10 span
ish ships and foreign ships In general. and II Is
said that the limit will expire Without any
serious controversies having arisen When this
period is closed it is felt that Ill danger Of COM
plications with reference to foreign shipping Is
practically at an end
NJ ROBINEAUS MISSION.
NJ Robineau Of Paris has arrived here. While
rcprescntins lie Temps" and lie Matn he
also has n semi-o.Ilcal mission. lie = accredited
by NJ Hanotaux the French Minister OF Foreign
Affairs To the French Embassy and through
this official channel he has been received at the
White House and by representatives OF the Ad-
mlnistration VI. Robineau Ia a type OF the
polished and scholarly French journalist. and
10 wit
the Characteristic force 81 a Trenchrnan. As
result OF his calls at the White House. NJ.
Robneau's cable dispatches TO the Paris papers
will represent that the most cordial feeling Is
entertained in the highest Administration circles
In Washington toward the French Government
and people. At the same time he has given
assurances 10 the officials here that the author-
ties OF France entertain the highest regard for
the United states, and fee. no sympathy or
friendship tor Spain In her present conflict with
the United states NJ. Robineau said to-day:
II Is matter OF the greatest surprise to french
people that this inexpcabe feeling OF animosity
should have arisen between people who nave oeen
from the days OF your Revolutionary War We
ask ourselves "What does 1t mean So far as
ahie tha, neither me French GOy-
thes or Fri friendship toward spain while, on The
other hand hsy haye the syeaess posSe Ie1n
feeling in taris. but the cause OF IT is plain. The
French people invested about So)or),eD francs In
f. IL came out OF the pockets OF the poor people
the butchers. bakers and tradespeople. Ii was
afford 10 suffer IL. Now this same class Of people
has made another Investment in Spanish securities
While a small part OF those securities are held by
French capitalists the great bulk OF them about
France Nat"rSliy' With al their savings invested
in Spanish bonds. they look upon war with Spain
Panama failure. 1t Is no sentiment OF friendship
those people have for Spain. II is simply that they
% 6e an" w te The n w Ta 3I
the basis FOR any apparent sympathy In France
toward Spain. II Is the reason for sympathetic ut
recognized sensational and !ncendiary. that ut
oiiciai press expresses the View Of the French
people at large. which Is always cordial to the
Why should France be friendly to Spain? There
Is traditional enm ~ between them jus, as there
is traditional friendship between France and the
United Sta.es Ever since the days OF Charles
France and Spain have been estrangcd II was n
Spanish woman the Countess of M9ntijo who. as
the wife OF Napoleon ~ plunged France into the
that Illumination recall in that connection when
the Empress fed from Paris on the Republic being
eaD. pr Evans Of Phiadephia ahen tn. eourt
dentist. and 1t was only through respect to this
t ex the STOOD aside and gave her
Those who cay there Is french an,agonism to
concert halls and see with what respect and even
appears in the course Of acts it shows where the
heart OF the French people is and tells more than
columns from the boulevard scribblers OF Paris
This apparent estrengement between the two
tries IL due wholly to n misunderstanding. |. Il
goes II may overcome national friendship
dating from he foundation OF the United States
Frcnchmen do lot want this 10 occur. and they are
doing their best. through official and unofficial
channels. to preserve the close friendship between
the two republics.
| M. Robineau has copies OF letters exchanged
between q prominent firm In Cincinnati and one
in New-York. The latter. a French irm made
n proposition In connection with the French Ex-
position The Cincinnati firm answered In part
as follows:
As France has shown herself so decidedly I'M
friendly To the United States since the beginning