Evening star., 1898-10-14
THE CZAR'S SCHEME
Disarmament Meets With Little Real
Favor in Europe.
A TALK With SIR CHARLES DILKE
His Views on the Proposed Anglo
American Alliance.
IDEAS OUR COMMON TIE
Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

lDEAS w IL COM MON lie
Special Correspondence of The Evening Star.
LONDON, October /. 1888.
Great Britain, the country which has al
ways ard consistently stood for peace the
cne in which the czars peace manifesto
has attracted the least attention, favorably
or otherwise. In Paris the mention of the
man whose name two years ago was re-
ceived with almost worshipful enthusiasm,
Is now treated with contempt. and the
papers everywhere refer to the manifesto
as the cars encycffcal. In England there
is no contempt and likewise no enthusiasm
for the cars peace program. The Peace
Society has, of course, received the message
pressed but the public men who have given
utterance to an opinion the subject have
been for the most part decidedly unfavor-
able to England's participation in any such
conference as that proposed by the czar
Sir Charles Dixie is the latest of these
tc give expression of his view. At his
house, i'll Sloane street, the other day, he
said to The Star correspondent, in answer
to a question on this subject:
The Beam in Russians Eye.
Frankly, it has suggested itself to me
that Russia should be the first power to il
lustrate her proposed program. She has
the largest standing army in the world-her
peace establishment comprises nearly
million men-and l confess it Is difficult
for me to undo rstand any necessity for this
oVerwheiming force There is no geograph-
icai or military necessity for it. so far as
is apparent. Therefore it would seem that
the empire of the cazar is in an excellent
position to show the world her new ideas
tify oil,
dental with the issuing of the manifesto
comes news of an enlargement of Russian
| military plans which makes the prospect
of the peace program seem dubious to saw
the least
BIT of course, If such a suggestion as
this were to be made to the world it is em-
lnentiy hitting that Russia should make it.
She is the ally CT France. whereas if the
rl9 nifesto had cCme from Germany whose
attitude has more thar suggested it on
several occasions, it might have appeared
plan to make France acquiesce in Ger.
nanys permanent possession of Alsace
Change of Heart
Still there is something curious ohout
the way this peace manifesto came The
change of front on the part of Nicholas IT
which it indicates. reminds one of Lord
Saiisbury's sudden fiop on the occasion of
the Venezuelan dispute with the United
States. 1t is hardly four months since the
cZar was considering, if not co,,nseling
directly opposite idea-that of combining an
enormous increase of Russian naval forces
with an increase of his vast standing army
10 what occult influences the sudden
change Is to be attributed It is, of course.
impossible to say Two causes suggest
themselves. both of which may be more or
less concerned. One of these is the almost
unprecedented influence of the present
RUSSIAN minister OF finance, and his coun-
sells of caution as result of the great
drain of the Siberian railroad on the ma
tional treasury. The second influence NAV
not improbably be traced to the disastrous
harVests which have been experienced i'm
RUSSIA Tor the past two or three years.
Obstacles in the Way.
Were England disposed to accept the sug-
gestion of disarmament she would find her
position a complicated one In the first
place, there is the Indian army 1t is neces
sary to maintain depots for 1t in England.
and these could not at present be de-
creased. Aside from this, Englands land
forces are not large if we count out those
actually engaged in campaign duty iniAfri-
Ca. or absolutely necessary for garrison
work elsewhere.
Were disarmament attempted to be ex-
tended to naval as well to land forces,
there would be many practical difficulties
III the way The number, size and re-
sources OF the existing fleets of all the
powers cannot be stereotyped. Every pro-
posed change offers room for great conflict
l.
might. indeed. be the basis for new wars.
Therefore, it appears that any formal
agreement arrived at by the proposed con-
terence might be a Sreat-I may even say
a danSerouS-mistakc. 1t is not logical or
rational to look for a sudden transforma-
ton OF Improvement in the existing status
OF Things from such theoretical arrange
ment. OF course, some decrease of the
enormous pressure of taxes in several of
the continental countries may be secured
by the general friendly conference of the
great powers; and this, too, might be of
value incidentally in the way OF a better
understanding between all the nations
which would be the prelude of a happier
era in the domain OF international rela-
tions
AnEIo-American Alliance.
'.As for England, she has her own prob
lens to work out. These she Is trying
to meet in her own way. Her situa-
ton is considerably different from that of
any of the continental powers, and would
scarcely be improved by any agreement in
which she could enter with them .,..,rf.s
What do you think Of the Angio-Ameri-
can alliance in this connection" Sir
Charles was asked.
Ihat is difficult question to answer
because in the usual understanding of the
phrase such alliance presupposes a
union entered into in view of wars or other
dangers winch may menace one or both
parties. This sort of an alliance | do not
believe to be at all probable between the
two great Engiish-speaking countries / do
not undervalue the deep significance of the
present entente cordiale between our two
countries, but any future alliance between
Great Britain and the United States would
probably have to be preceded by an agree
ment or some practical action on the part
OF the former guaranteeing the fair treat
ment of Ireland, and any new cause of Iii
Feeling between England and Ireland
would be the immediate cause of Il break
in this Anglo-American alliance. Of course
many OF your people. and NINE too. for
that matter, would deny this but l hold
their view to be a practical one. / do not
mean to say that America is morally or
practically pledged to the cause of Irish
freedom but 1 do believe from a long and
careful study of conditions and sentiment
in America that there is a strong moral
opinion back of Americas sympathy for
the Irish cause, and that this attitude will
continue.
Closer and More Friendly. .@s
There is no reason to doubt, however.
that the International relations between