Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-10-28
Our Attitude Toward Setting the
South African Question
INTEREST ABROAD IN THE MATTER
European Interference Believed to
Be improbable.
INTERESTS OF THE POWERS

Up to this moment the United States gov
ernment has not given the slightest intima-
tion in any official exchange of what its
attitude will be toward the settlement of
the South African question. There is
reason to believe that the keenest interest
is felt abroad to what course the United
States might pursue in the event of Eu-
ropean combination to restrain or affect
English operations in the war with the
Transvaal. But so far this has not been
been made the subject of any official in
1uiry. and therefore any attempt to define
precisely what course the United States
would pursue under the conditions referred
to would be purely speculative save where
1t might be based upon a study of prece-
dents which have governed the nation IN
the past
Alleged Address to Mr.. Porter.
ofhcials have no hesitation whatever in
characterizing as absurd the published
statement to the effect that United States
Ambassador Horace Porter has been ad-
dressed at Paris by representatives of Er-
ropean continental powers with the purpose
OF having him transmit to the President of
Ihe United States a request that he offer
70 medate between Great Britain and the
lransVaai Republic. 1t is quite certain
that Mr.. Porter would not receive any such
communication and it is said also to he
equally beyond doubt, after what the pres
ldent had to say two days ago to the self
appointed mediation committee from New
Y ork, that he would promptly refuse to in
ter1ere between England and the Trans
vaaI ~
In the highest dtplomatjc uuarters bara
no credence is given to the cable reports Of
an european concert toward Intervention.
IN thls connection the report that a meet
ing was held at the French foreign office
yesterday to consider the advisabilttv of in
Vitlng the United States to take part IN
SCch concert is discredited by those din
loihatc olhclalS most familiar with the
general drift of foreign affairs All the re-
cent reports of coalition and intermadiatiop
are charged up to the intrigue which is
constantly operating at the European capf-
az slEihs the foreign correspond nts
wide field for conjecture.
Powers Interests Not Threate,ed
In well-informed quarter it is pointed
cut that the rumors of intervention fail to
take into account that theS powers men
tened have no direct interests in Africa
which would lead them to be parties to any
Interference. Russia has obtained no foot
hold there, and any participation on it's
part would be merely sympathetic and no,
TO protect Russian interests
German interests In East Africa and West
africa, as well as in the Tonga Land and
the Cameroons are defined by arrange
ments between Great Britain and Germany,
and there has been cooperation rather
lhan antagonism between the governments
thus lar. The French interests in Africa
are far away from the seat of the present
disturbance, and center in the northern
colony OF Algeria, which occupies the same
relation to North Africa that the Cape does
to South Africa. The French Soudan and
the French Congo do not encroach on any
OF the country now in conflict. Austria has
no interests in South Africa, and Spain's
interests are inconsequential.
FOR these reasons the conclusion is drawn
IN we!l-lnformed diplomatic quarters that
mere Is not the incentive of personal inter-
est to bring about European Intervention
ana that 1t Is not likely to arise from dis
interested and purely sentimental consider
atiOns.
The French charge d'affaires, M, Thfa-
paut, was at the State Department today
and his visit gave rise to a rumor that If
was IN connection with South African af-
lars 1t Is stated. however, that it had
no relation whatever to that subject, and
was on minor current business