The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-12-31
BRITAIN's ISOLATION.
All Europe Against Her, and Amer
leans Not OverfrfendIy.

Copyright. 1S99 by the Associated Press.I
LONDON, Dec 30.-It Is strange to note
as the ,peWsEsar dawns for Great Britain.
the greatest army she ever put into the
field remains impassive in South Africa,
held at bay by two Of the smallest repub-
les on the face of the earth. while at home
I'm spite of the large volume Of trade and
apparent prosperity, her financial interests
are in a state of instability not seen since
the Barring crash. All Europe is yelping at
her heels. and the necessity for American
friendship is recognized on all sides. Pa
pers and people that for years have been
ready with jibe for Americas good will
no longer make any attempt to belittle the
desirability of securing her friendship.
America" says the Globe. usually hu-
morous at the expense of all things trans
atlantic, with crop Of 542, ,0O0, ,0OO bushels,
is especially in position to help u.s.
The economic shoe already begins to
pinch the military foot. not very seriously.
but enough TO suggest speculation as to
what would happen if Great Britain were
at war with great power. The charter
ing Of so many transports has resulted I'm
rise in the price of bread, while coal is
rising by leaps and bounds to famine
prices. 1t is such unpleasant results as
these that silence the scoffer at things
American, and induce such vituperative
publication as the Saturday Review to say:
1.-The Americans have had their eyes
opened to the possibilities of a foreign poll
icy. and are taking sounder, because a
cooler. view Of the situation. They are not
less friendly to us than before, but the in
ole hos aIfy
has left a reliable substratum of good
will" Which concatenation the Saturday
Review, under different circumstances.
would doubtless have construed into
dainning evidence OF the insincerity of
American friendship.
1t must not be inferred that this view Is
held by many of the sincere English friends
of America, who now point to what they
are pleased to term its great friendliness as
proof Of what they have always main
tained.
With such serious outlook for the COM
ing year, 1t is hardly surprising that ar
ticles appear under the heading, Are We
Decadent?' and similar strains. On the
other hand, there is still a small section
OF the press and public which devotes its
energies to senselessly abusing the Beers
and prophesying the speedy entry of the
British into Pretoria. Yet, on the whole,
the organs voicing the better class of
opinion face 1900 and it's eventualities in
South Africa with an even-minded, unhys-
terical determination that compels admira-
tion That there will be day of reckoning
for some one is certainty that even the
most guarded and conservative do not try
to conceal Whether it be Lord Lans-
downe, Lord Wolseley or General Butler
1t is impossible to tell But all the in
formation obtainable at present and the
gist of criticisms point to Lord Lans-
downe having to shoulder the onus for the
terrible mismanagement.
While Great Britain leans contentedly
upon long special cables showing American
ueve sentiment in the United States has
been gradually turning Boerward until the
time is now ripe to develop 1t into material
effect Under this impression, the Asso-
ciated Press learns that they are con-
templating dispatching a special mission to
the United States for the purpose of in
fiuencing public opinion. possibly by open
meetings and by personally assisting the
efforts of those in Congress whom they
believe friendly. Moreover. they consider
II advisable TO offset what they declare
has been a systematic campaign of John
HAYS Hammond, the American engineer
who was a member OF the Johannesburg
Reform Commission. to influence WASH
ington opinion. II the plans now under
CONTINUED On SECOND PAGE)