The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-09-05

While he is looking out for the flag, let the
Minnesota Republicans look out for him.
How France Treated the United States.
Some days ago NJ. H~ANoTAUX, lately the
head of the French Foreign Office, cabled to
our contemporary, the journal, the follow
ing statement: II I'm not now, and never
have been, u%nfriendly toward the United
States, either in my official capacity or per-
sonally. From the very beginning Of the war
the attitude Of the French Government was
one of absolute neutrality toward and friend
illness with the United States" Scarcely had
this statement been made than the London
Spectator published an article in which it
accused the French Government of ~conceiv-
ing and attempting to carry out a plan the
object of which was to rescue Spain, adj
minister a rebuke to American ambition
INT make good European supremacy over
the complications of the Western world. The
plan, according to the Spectator, failed,
owing to England's refusing her c~o0pera-
ton, which had been confidently expected.
This imputation Of ~unfriendlincss to France
n other Continental powers has since been
reasserted by Mr.. WILLIAM WILSON, the
editor Of the London Year Book" by the
Newcastle Daily Leader and by other Eng
lish newspapers. Their account Of what
took place is substantially correct, but con-
tains two errors of detail. First, it is not
primarily to Lord SALISBURY, but to Mr.. A.
]. BALFoUR, who was temporarily in charge
OF the British Foreign Office, and to Sir
JULIAN PAUNCEFoTE, British Ambassador at
Washington, aided by the influence of Mr..
JOSEPH CHAMBERLAIN, that the credit of
England's refusal Of the French overtures
should be given. Secondly, the overtures
were made, not after the war had begun,
but in the earlier critical days of April,
when war, as yet, was only contemplated,
and when the extraordinary purchases OF
Spanish stock on the Continental exchanges
by the great cosmopolitan financiers should
have warned astute observers that Euro
pean interposition, or, in other words, the
coercion OF the United States, was believed
to be assured. NJ. HANoTAUX is, perhaps,
technically right when he says that from
the beginning of the trdr the attitude of
the French Government was one of neu-
trality toward the United States. We are
unable, however, to absolve him from the
charge OF tampering with the truth when
he alleges that II am not now, and neuer
hare been. unfriendly toward the United
States, either in my official capacity or per-
sonally." In venturing this assertion NJ.
HANoTAUx seems to have assumed that q
Minister for Foreign Affairs might reasona-
bly, claim the license conceded to Ambassa-
doris, who were described by JAMES HOWELL,
the ~well-known English diplomatist Of the
seventeenth century, as men sent to lie
abroad for the good OF their country"
It must at the same time be admitted that
NJ. HANoTAUx's plan was craftily contrived
and put forward sin the sacred interests Of
peace" and he may possibly appeal to Mr..
CHARLES ELIOT NORTON to say whether. in
designing to prohibit us from touching
Cuba, he did not have our best interests at
heart. If this, however, is what he meant
by his despatch to the journal, he should
say 30. AS the facts stand they convict
him, first, OF essaying to do us an Ill turn
and then OF trying to shirk the conse-
quences OF his performance.
Although some OF our American and Eng
lish contemporaries seem now to have heard
of it for the first time, there is little new in
the disclosure Of the French plot to restrict
and humiliate us, and OF its entire discom-
future through Englands friendly attitude
toward the United States. The first pub
lication Of the new Of the attempted COM
bination against us was through n London
despatch to THE Sun, printed on May 10.
In the July number Of the F~OrtniOhtIy
ReUie,D a well-informed writer, signing
himself "Diplomaticus," pointed out that
the magnitude OF the service rendered
by England to this country in April
was manifest on the very face OF events.
The service consisted in the COM
plete reversal of the position main
tanned by England during the previous
seventy years, the position, namely, that the
disposition OF Cub was not a purely His
pano-American question, but one in which
England and France were equally con-
cerned, The writer went on to show, on tho
authority OF the late HAMILTON FISH, that
in 1875 Gen. GRANT would have saved
President MCKINLEY the labor and anx-
iety OF the present war had not Eng
land concurred with France in refus-
ing the request addressed to them that
they would countenance the intervention in
Cuba which the Washington Government
was then contemplating. II was also early
In July that we received direct and ex-