The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-03-18
Only Cloud on the European Political
Horizon Is the Ever-Recurring
Balkan Trouble.
PRINCE WOULD BE A KING
ANXIOUS TO RENOUNCE
TURKISH SUZERAINTY.
Correspondence Covering the Anglo
German Ship-Seixure Incident
Americans After Siberian Trade.

LONDON, March 1.-THE mouths of the
panicmongers have been stopped, and by
Frenchman. 1t is a curious commentary
a certain side of the British character
which has lately been much in evidence.
Several papers of fair standing have SER
iously been putting forward the probability
of war with France, and their sensations
have been gulped down eagerly by a small
section of the British public. though we'll
informed people are only amused. France,
however, was not the only nation which,
it was asserted, meditated an imminent
invasion of England. Russia, Germany
and Austria, according to the manufactur-
ers of panics, had designs to take advan-
tage Of Great Britain's troubles in South
Africa. With the cries for home defense in
the ascendant Great Britain might have
duplicated the scenes when the island
awaited the prospected invasion Of Napo-
leon. But M. Delcasse. the French foreign
minister, spoke and the bogy of Euro
pean hostility and interference vanished.
The hand of the Frenchman restored calm
to Great Britain. Without the bias OF
friendship he disclosed the common sense
with which France and the other European
powers were governing their relations
toward Great Britain. and bore home what
has frequently been set forth in these dis
patches, namely, that no power had the
slightest intention of going to war with
Great Britain at present, and that no pow
er was anxious to intervene in behalf OF
the Beers.
The pacific aspect which European mat
ters assume is far more likely to be dis
turbed by trouble in the Balkans than by
the South African war or anything In
which Great Britain is chiefly concerned,
though even the Balkan difficulty is most
unlikely to result I'm any continental war.
This latest trouble consists in the ap-
parent determination of Prince Ferdinand
to declare himself king of Bulgaria and
renounce Turkeys suzerainty. He would
scarcely contemplate this without the
backing of Russia, whence come Prince
Ferdinand's generals, guns and this week
his national loan. AS the Spectator points
out, for the Sultan to refuse absolutely
the request of Prince Ferdinand. supported
by Russia and not negatived by the triple
alliance, would be a very serious event
indeed, land it may occur sooner than we.
who are all looking southwark instead OF
eastward, are ready to suppose"
will not all blow over, as did the friction
between Great Britain and Germany over
the seizure of the latter's ships in South
African waters. To what extent that fric-
tion went was only known this week, when
a blue book giving the correspondence of
the governments concerned was published.
The tart demands of the German ambas-
sador and Lord Salisbury's astonished COM
ments at being thus addressed by nation
whom Mr.. Chamberlain but few weeks
previous had lovingly included in the So
called new dreibund," came as a revela-
tion Had not the matter been completely
settled, thanks to Lord Salisbury's giving
way, and had not Great Britain been so
completely engrossed by the progress of
her arms in South Africa, it would have
raised a storm of indignation against Ger
many fifty times greater than did Emperor
Williams celebrated cable message to Pres
ident Kruger after the Jameson raid. The
correspondence itself shows no evidence of
reconciliation, but it is learned this has
been effected, and also that rather curious
circumstances attended the negotiations.
Whenever the German ambassador saw
Lord Salisbury "butter would not melt in
his mouth" and his words were honeyed,
vet when Count Won Buelow, the German
minister of foreign Affairs. spoke publicly
he was anti-British. and when the dis
matches which would, in the nature of
things, be published, were written by the
German side. they were formulated in the
same strain. To quote a British Foreign
ONCE oficial, Germany Haunted as In the
face of the world and curried favor pri-
vately."
In comparison with the surprising impor-
tance attached to what is taken to be the
addition of the Orange Free State to the
British dominions, events in Great Britain
this week were highly uninteresting- Par
lament has not distinguished itself. The
most interesting feature was the debate
arising over the stop the war meetings
and the accusation against the govern
ment of palliating the suppression OF free
speech by allowing such meetings to be
broken up Though the Liberal arguments
sounded we'll enough there is scarcely a.
corporars guard in England at present
who are willing to stand UP as being
against the war enthusiasm that has flowed
In with the tide of success and the Daily
News. the Liberal organ, says: England
is not in the mood to stand by and hear
open ridicule or covert sneer at those who
have died for England"
From the imperial point of view Sir Will
| frid Laurier's speech has caused more
ecomiums than any event Of the week.
| the Spectator saying: These are noble
words" and other papers comparing his
eloquence to that OF Pitt and Claiming.
Kipling. On the other hand. has been quite