The evening times., 1899-11-01
America for EnSlan d i.

The French Government and people ap-
pear to be engaged at the present time in
affording the world renewed evidences of
political paresis and national decadenee.
Hatred of Great Britain. and of the whole
Anglo-SaXon race is intense enough in
France tc blind public opinion to facts, and
to the evil consequences OF ignoring them.
One would think that the idiotic sacrifice
of American friendship which had been
active for century and quarter during
the Spanish war. would have been warn
ing to the government at Paris and TO the
people at large, that they would do well
to avoid the same mistake in connection
with England. But they are just as rabid
now against the elder of the Anglo Saxon
powers as they were a year and half ago
against the younger. In the case of the
former We might expect that there would
be some feeling of unfriendliness amous
the French people. on historical grounds,
but it is rather surprising to observe the
governmental tendency to annoy and af-
front the British. in the absence OF any
tangible prospect that such tactics will
amount to more than the putting of
rod in pickle for use at some convenient
season in the future.
According to reports from Europe. fail
ing to incite a direct movement of inter-
veEtion in South Africa. the French Gov
ernment is bent upon effecting an arrange
ment, to include Russia Germany. Italy,
Austria, and Holland. in virtue of which
joint squadrons of all these states would
make a naval demonstration at Delagoa
Bay. The French position, as it is storied
is that the neutrality of that piece of water
is necessary to the interests OF the powers,
and that it is threatened by Great Britain
The fragrant foolishness of the proposed
movement renders it highly improbable
that any of the governments said
to have been approached will give
it serious consideration. This, in
deed is inevitable, unless the cabi-
nets of Berlin. St. Petersburg, and Vienna
We're to decide upon a general confiagra-
ton. and that we are sure, they do not
want. The appearance of an international
feet off Lourenco Marques would act upon
England exactly as the appearance of the
same fleet off the Cuban coast would have
acted upon the American people in June,
1898. By way of parenthesis, it may be
proper to remark that, if such a thing had
occurred, the European battleships and
cruisers would have found themselves con-
fronted by the joint navies OF the United
States and Great Britain. Perhaps the
same thing might happen in Delagoa Bay.
1t should be said in justice to Germany
that there is not any conceivable possi-
bility that the Kaiser would do more than
dismiss such an overture from France with
contemptuous politeness. The situation of
the British forces in South Africa is un-
favorable enough to fan the flames of dis
like and jealously on the continent; but
the statesmen of even the most inimical
countries are wise enough to know that
these conditions cannot last, albeit they
may become worse before they can be |
bettered: and, barring France, where /.
common sense is not to be assumed, it is !
improbable that any Of the powers would |
care to take the chances that would be |
involved in an openly hostile demonstra- |
ton at the present time. The proposition |
to demonstrate in Delagoa Bay would pre- |
cipitate the greatest naval war in history |
If the nations other than Germany, con- |
templated in the reported French pro- |
gramme, were to undertake it, 1t might |
well chance that there would be a counter
naval demonstration by the navies of Great |
Britain. America, Germany and !
Japan. At present it is hard to escape |
the conviction that the balance OF inter-
national power is heavily in the scale of
friendly neutrality intervention, and |
the peace of the world.