The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-26
INTERVENTION.

The French have given Mr.. Kruger
a rousing reception. They do hate Eng
land and they certainly could not have
wished for more ideal occasion to
vent their spite. And that is about all
there is to it. England is not paying any
attention to these demonstrations for
they are perfectly harmless. England
is willing that the French should amuse
themselves SIS long as they don't hurt
anybody, and it isn't at all likely that
anything serious in the way of interven-
ton for the Beers should result.
Such Intervention would naturally
mean war, and while France might be
willing enough, she could hardly under
take it single-handed She would have
to look to her ally, Russia, for support;
but Russia finds it much to her advan-
tage to maintain peace, and will, there
fore, put decisive damper on any
warlike symptoms that France might
develop
Rabid Anglophobes. of course, do speak
of the possibility of continental Euro
pean alliance against England, but it
is not likely that Germany could ever
afford to take part in a plot to ruin
England.
England and Germany, of course, do
hate each other more or less on ac-
count of their commercial rivalry, vet
each is absolutely indispensable to the
other, for if either one of them should
drop out of existence, Russia and France
would take the remaining one as be-
tween two millstones and grind the
life out of her
Moreover, for any one of the powers
to assume the role of champion of the
weak and oppressed and intervene on
that ground, would hardly conform to
the eternal fitness of things Every
one of them would appear very much
out of place in such a role. The two
provinces of Alsace and Lorraine which
Germany took from France in 1871. Of
course originally and historically be-
longed to Germany, but during the CEN
turtles of French occupation the people
had become thoroughly French in senti-
ment and objected to becoming German
just as strongly as the Beers object to
becoming English Then in eastern
Germany the two provinces of Guesen
and Posen are inhabited by several
million Poles, the greater part of whom,
after more than a century of subsection,
still harbor an intense Polish national
sentiment.
For Russia to assume such a role would
involve such prodigious piece of in
congruity that she is not likely to at
tempt it. Nearly half of Russia's popu-
lation is composed of subject and con-
quered races, and any attempts at re-
bellion on their part have already been
crushed with brutal force.
To the Films, Let's, Lithuanians and
Poles, ground down as they are under
the iron heel of Russian oppression, it
would seem quite incomprehensible to
see Russia pass herself off as the cham
pion of the oppressed abroad.
Americans, too, can hardly afford to
work themselves into a fine frenzy of
sentiment over the fate of the Beers.
1t would smack too much of the mock
heroic on our part. We are not in posi-
ton to throw stones at John Bull. If
we tried to, we'd be likely to smash our
own plate glass. The Beers. of course,
take this matter very tragically and
their heroic struggle deserves all credit,
but Great Iiritian will probably give
them just as much liberty as we shall
give to the Porto Ricans and Filipinos