The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-03-18
FRANCE LIKES OUR COURSE.
APPROVES ACTION AS TO THE AP-
PEAL OF THE BoERs.

Criticism of French Press Not Up
held by French omcinIS-HopcS for
Ultimate Intervention Are EN-
pressed-QucstiOn of the Destruc-
tion of the Gold Mines Is Regarded
as IL Serious NHnttcr-F'rnnce's Feel
ing Toward England.
Copyright, 1900. by the Associated Pressl
Paris, March l7-"rhe United States has
shown selfish Europe an example" said
a responsible official to a representative
of the Associated Press when asked what
was the feeling Of the FHench government
regarding President McKnley's offer Of
his good offices to England.
I'VE felt" continued the official in ques-
tion, that our position in respect to Eng
land in view Of the present state of pub
lie feeling, was too delicate to admit Of
cur acce ding to MIR. Kruger's appeal and,
as this reluctance appeared to he shared
by every other power. the action of the
American government in tax ng the initia-
tive came as an agreeable surprise. That
II did not succeed does net detract from
it's merit"
The Associated Press representative
here called the interlocutors attention to
the complaints of a portion Of the French
press that President Mckinley refrained
from backing up his offer, which was ne
cessary to its success some papers hav-
ing openly stated that his action was
mere election maneuver and not intended
to be successful
Tn nrrr vi > i,al bo OH al
criticisms are utterly uniustihed. Pres
ident Mckinley did even more than up 10
the last moment was expected over here.
Only the members of chanceleries, VINO
realize the delicate nature Of such a step,
can appreciate Americas effort at It's
proper value. The French government,
while not prepared to take the initiative,
would, in conjunction with Russia readi-
ly have supported America; but the
promptitude OF England's refusal cut the
ground from under them"
Hopes for Intervention.
The official informant added that al
though %here appeared to be little likeli-
hood of intervention in the immediate
future, yet hopes are still entertained that
an offer of good offices from the Powers
may eventually prove acceptable.
"At any rate" said he, ''it IS not un-
likely that 1T will be made If foreign in
terests are in danger by the threa tened
destruction of the rand mines"
This question of the destruction Of the
gold mines, as predicted by Mr.. Montagu
| White. is regarded as a serious matter
here, and as being, not merely possible
but probable
It is learned that the French govern
ment has received information to the
same effect from another source and it
| considers THAI descendants of the Dutch
man who flooded their own country in
10 f,V. / IL.
of fellow ng this historic precedent in the
case Of foreign owned gold mines The
French press has taken up the matter
| and points out the enormous amount Of
| French savings sunk I'm the rand gold
! fields. 1t is sta led that if the Beers carry
out their threat II will take at least three
| years TO reconstruct the surface machin-
! cry and other plants while immense des-
| truction could be wrought by dynamiting
| the underground workings. France owns
a third Of the shares in the Transvaal
mines; and these alarmist predictions
/ have already had their effect upon ques-
! tion. Thus, since TUESDAY, Robinson has
! dropped from 80 to 200; Ferreira from 493
/ TO 465 and Geldenhuis from 14S to 40
Tension of Feeling Is Abating.
! The tension of feeling between France
! and England certainly has undergone
| abatement this week. for which the con-
! ciiatory article of the London Times Is
| largely responsible,
! The governments bill proposing am
! nesty in all criminal prosecutions which
| have arisen out of the Dreyfus affair
/ meets with vigorous opposition from the
| Dreyfusards, to whom amnesty means the
| deprivation of means of redress. Dreyfus
| himself wrote protesting against the bill.
The Senate Committee this week beard
| Col. Piquart and NJ. Zola all OF whom
| warmly condemned this measure.