The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1898-07-11
THREATENING TROUBLE


In the early days of the war The Her
aid was Intercepted by local German
Americans of undoubted loyalty as to
whether its apprehensions of German un-
friendliness were not quite without war
rant. 1t did not think so. 1t has all
along felt that If the United States was
to be embarrassed at all by Euro
pean meddlesomeness 1t would come
from the Teutons. 1t has felt more
concern over their attitude than
of any other nation, not except
ing Austria or France. Dynas-
tic reasons sufficiently explained the lean
ang of the Austro-Hungarians and the
overshadowing financial interest of
French capitalists in the peninsula
warned US that we need expect little
sympathy from the Franks. But the gov
erning causes in the case Of Germany
were of a different nature. They ap-
pealed to and affected larger element
of the population. Austrian solicitude
for the Spaniards may or may not be
confined. to large degree. to the official
class, the court and its more immediate
retinue. French concern may or may
not extend far beyond the inner financial
circles. But German antipathy-com-
mercial, industrial and agrarian-began
to sprout before the war began. The
Dingley law sowed the seed. 1t raised
I'D new barriers to German trade in the
United States, while the steady growth
In our export trade of manufactured ar
ticles had begun to seriously interfere
with the German ambition of rivaling
England as an industrial nation. Events
since hostilities opened have served only
to intensity the feeling which Germans
entertain that the United States Is in
their way, that 1t is poaching upon their
preserves, that it menaces their hoped-for
supremacy.
The commercial war between this coun-
try and Industrial Europe broke out be-
fore our troubles with Spain eliminated.
It is still in progress, and it will con-
tinue indefinitely. It Is the secret of Ger
many's attitude today. How aggressive
or meddlesome it may become remains
to be seen. Today 1t is certainly assertive
to q dangerous degree. The central COM
mercial bureau Of Berlin is intriguing for
the formation Of coalition Of West
European powers-Germany, Austria,
France, Belgium, Italy, Spain, Denmark.
Scandinavia, Switzerland, Portugal and
g. ky,A YY~f% Ctak
to adopt more liberal trade regulations.
Berlin, rather than Vienna, Is today the
storm center Of the European marplots,
whose chief aim is to check the prog
ress Of the Western Colossus, by inter-
posing between it and its adversary to
prevent a full enjoyment of the fruits of
the victory won In the Far East. They
hope to enlist in this movement-if. in
deed, they have not already succeeded
both Russia and France, and to have the
sympathy, if not active support, of Aus
tria and Italy, provided the situation at
the close of the war shall seem to war
rant settlement of the Philippine ques-
ton by an international council.
Nothing may come of all this in
triguing, butt it. is, welh that. we should
understand the fact that, aside from the
English, we are practically without SYM
pathy on the continent. We scarcely
needed the candid assurance volunteered
by Vorwaerts and cabled to the press of
this country yesterday, that German neu-
trallty is not sympathetic, nor did the
disclosures, made by the same high au-
thority in the same connection, come in
the nature of a surprise. In the SUBJ
Joined excerpt Vorwaerts only confirmed
what we previously knew or felt that we
had abundant reasons for believing:
Judging impartially, we must admit
the Americans have reason to believe
that Germany lacks good intentions.
Since the outbreak of the war, not only
the entire government press, but nearly
the whole Of the rest of the press, have
sided strongly and, in many cases, VEN
omously, with Spain against America.
But, even worse, the German papers,
even those in close touch with the gov
eminent, have stated that Spain was
on the point Of ceding Manila and the
Philippine islands to neutral European
power. We answered Immediately to
this statement, pointing out that q neu-
tral power accepting such gift would
create a casus belli, and the cession was
not effected. But 1t is probable that the
plan existed, and that Spain was ap-
preached by the Berlin government with
such proposals.
Now that the mask has been completely
discarded, further defense of Germany's
attitude toward the United States will
- a-work Of supererogstion.