The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-03-19
United States Offer of Mediation
Made to England.
EFFORT is APPRECIATED
FAILURE DOES NOT DETRACT
FROM ITS MERIT.
Partisan Capitalists Worried Over
the Threat of the Beers to Destroy
the Rand Mines-Enormou
Amount of French Money Invest
ed-The Franco-Russian Alliance.

Copyright, 1900 by the Associated Press. }
Paris. March 1S-'The United States
mas shown selfish Europe an example, -
said a responsible official to a repre-
sentative of the Associated Press,
when asked what was the feeling of
the French government regarding
resident McKinley's offer of his good
cfnces to England. I'VE felt" con-
tlnued the official in question, that
our own position with respect TO Eng
iano, IN view of the present state of
pubic feeling there. was too delicate
20 admit of ever acceding to Mr.. Kru-
ger S appeal, and as this reluctance ap-
peared to be shared by every other
power, the action of the American gov
eminent in taking the initiative came
as an agreeable surprise. That it did
not succeed does not detract from its
merit"
The Associated Press representative
mere called the speakers attention to
the complaints of a portion of the
French press that President Mckinley
retralned from backing up his offer,
Nnlch was necessary to its success,
some Papers having openly stated that
MS action was mere electoral maneu-
yer and not intended to be successful.
Criticisms Unjustifed.
In our view," replied the official,
these criticisms are utterly unjusti-
fled. President Mckinley did even
more. than up to the last moment was
expected over here. Only the members
or chancellories, who realize the deli
cate nature of such step, can appre-
crate Americas effort at its proper
value. The French government, while
not prepared to take the initiative,
would, in conjunction with Russia.
readily have supported America, but
the promptitude of England's refusal
cut the ground from under Them
The Associated Press informant
added that although there appeared to
be little likelihood 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, cit is not IN
likely that it will be made if foreign
interests are in danger by the threat
ened destruction of the Rand mines.''
Worried About the Mines.
This question of destruction Of the
gold mines, as predicted by Mr. Mon
tagu White, is regarded as a serious
matter here, and as being not merely
possible, but probable.
The Associated Press learns that the
French government has received in
formation to the same effect from an
other source. and it considers the de-
scendants of the Dutchmen, who
flooded their own country in order to
repel An invader. quite capable of fol-
lowing this historic precedent in case
Of foreign-owned gold mines.
4, l.. Al,
matter and points out the enormous
amount of French savings sunk in the
Rand gold Fields. 1t is stated that if
the Beers carry out their threat it will
take at least three years to reconstruct
the surface machinery and other
plants, while immense destruction
could be wrought by dynamiting the
underground workings.
France owns third Of the shares in
the Transvaal mines and these alarm
list predictions have already had their
effect on the quotations of the stocks
of those mines in which French hold
ings are large. Thus, since Tuesday,
Robinson has dropped from 30 to 200;
Ferreira from 493 to 465 and Geldenhuis
from 14S to 40.
Franco-Russian Alliance.
The discussion of the question of
mediation in the senate on Thursday
gave NJ. Delcasse, minister of foreign
affairs, an opportunity to emphasize
the fact that the Franco-R Russian alli-
ance is as close as it ever was and
that unity Of action prevails between
the two powers. His allusion to Russia
was prompted by a report that Count
MuraVeiff, the Russian foreign minis
ter. during his visit to Paris, suggested
intervention. but the French govern
ment held back NJ. Delcasses state
ment shows that no such proposition
was ever made.
The tension OF feeling between France
and England certainly has undergone
abatement this week, for which the
article of the London Times
is largely responsible, and the fact that
it was so well received by the French
press demonstrates that the Franco
phobe attitude of many of the English
papers is. to a great extent, accountable
for the strained relations Of the two
peoples. These nationalist organs whose
anglophobisrn is a part of their studied
party policy, have not abated their at
tacks, but the moderate journals have
responded to the advances of the Lon
don press in the same spirit.
Amnesty to Criminals.
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. whose regulations have
Eeen besmirched by the vile accuSa-
tons of their adversaries, and TO who
amnesty means the deprivation of the
means Of redress. Dreyfus himself
wrote protesting against the bill, which
will, if passed, kill his hopes of rehabili-
tation.
The senate committee this week heard
NJ. Reinach, Colonel Picquart and NJ.
lola, all Of whom warmly condemned
the measure. Colonel Picquart declared
that on no account did he wish to be
included in the same list with General
MERCER and his accompiices. NJ. lola
submitted that the amnesty is in viola
ton of the constitution.
The irrepressible Esterhazy has bob
bed UP again and has written to the
committee of the senate announcing
that he had made four dispositions be-
fore the French consul general in Lon
aon, VI, Lequex, which would prevent
the government from sitting the in
quiry he demands. According to an
inspired statement his dispositions are
valuelesS as he has only produced cop
les, instead of the original of the Jiocu-
ments he processes to possess.