The times., 1898-09-04

vieff. Russia's imperative need of five
years peace to surmount the famine
trouble, and to secure gold currency
What better means was there for
Count Murevieff to escape from an i'm
possible position. and for M. de Witte
to carry out his financial plans at
home, and enable Russia generally to
fill in the outlines of her recent expan-
sion in the Far East? Then, to en-
courage the young Gar in his mani
festo would prove to the world Rus
sia's disinterested desire for world wide
amity.
So came the manifesto. What now
will result from it? That depends alb
solutely on France. England's answer
to the Car will be most cordially ap-
preciative. She viii gladly stay the in
crease Of her navy. if the other Powers
Will do likewise. She will do so all
the more readily now that Count Mura-
tees for the permanence Of British par
amountcy in the Yang-ste Valley.
Same Sympathetic Mind.
The German Emperor is clearly of
the same sympathetic mind. There
may possibly be something in the sug-
gestion that his only regret is that the
Gar thus forestalled his intention to
issue a similar manifesto from the
Holy City during his coming visit to
Palestine.
But to France the Cars message
= tla
belief that the Franco Russian alliance
would sooner or later restore Alsace
and Lorraine to her. Now, without a
word of consultation with her minis
ters, her ally issues proposals which can
only be based upon the maintenance
of the territorial status quo in Europe
The best-informed opinion doubts
whether, despite her wounded pride
and baked hopes, France will delib-
erately isolate herself by refusing to
join the proposed peace conference but
there can be no cordiality and little de-
pendence On her cooperation.
Mr.. ChamberIain's Speech.
Following close upon the Cars man.
ifesto has come the news of the con-
clusion Of a definite arrangement be-
tween England and Germany, which
Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain, Secretary Of
State for the colonies, foreshadowed
in his noteworthy speech of May "A
when he compared Russia with the
devil, and pointedly referred to the
possible advantages of Englands alli-
ance with a great military power like
Germany. Mr.. Chamberlain undoubt-
edly went too far. What the British
ministry did then hope to see was a
working arrangement between Eng
land, Germany. and the United States,
not antagonistic to anybody, but to re-
sist the impounding of any further
tracts of the worlds surface against
trade, TO re-establish equilibrium in re-
spect to trade expansion in new coun-
tries, and to do for the peace of the
world in this respect for colonial ques-
tions what the triple and dual alliances
have done for the peace of Europe in
respect to continental questions.
Since then the British government
has been driven by Count Muravieff to
abandon the open-door policy in China
but much may yet be done in co-opera-
tion with Germany.
No Fighting German Alliance
England would never assent to a
fighting alliance with Germany or any
other power, except, perhaps, America
but the most seryiceable understanding
might secure Germanys assent, first
TO the regularization by Europe of
England's position in the Soudan; sec
ond, to the acquisition by England of
Delagoa Bay, which is already the key
TO British supremacy in the Transvaal
In return Germany might secure Wal
fish Bay and gain England's support
for the Emperor's colonizing ambitions
in Asia Minor especially Syria. Eng
land may have pressing need to exc
| cute her pre-emption over Delagoa Bay
ere long. The defeat of Cecil Rhodes's
party in the Cape Colony elections is
ominous. So is today's news that Pres
ident Kruger has again closed the
drifts which once before nearly brought
England and the Transvaal to war.
In France itself these international
questions are thrust into a second place
by the sensational developments of the
Dreyfus case. The belief here is that
the case will inevitably be reopened
The French ministry will soon receive
formal demand from Madame Drey-
fus for a revision of the sentence Of
her husband. The law officers of the
republic declare that this request must
be granted; when and how remains to
be seen. for the ministry is trying its
hardest to emerge with dignity from a
humiliating position. Can NJ. Zola's
return as a popular hero be then long
delayed?