Fort Mill times. [volume] (Fort Mill, S.C.) 1892-current, 1900-03-21
FRANCE IS PLEASED.
Mckinley Commended for Offering
Our Services
BETWEEN THE B0ERS AND BRITISH
10 Aid In the Settlement of Their
differences and Stop the Further
Continuance of the War.

Peris. By Gable. - .sThe United
. i e. ees has shown selfish Europe an ex-
ample. said a responsible official TO
representative of The Associated
Press, when asked what was the feel
Fng OF the French government regard
ing President McKinley's offer OF his
good offices 10 England. I'VE felt"
continued the Official in question. that
our own position with respect to Eng
rand, fn Hiew OF the present stale of
public Hing there. was too delicate
10 admit of our acceGng to Mir. Kru-
gers appeal; and az this reluctance
appeared ITO be Shared by every ether
power the action OF the American gov
ernmer't in taking tine initiative came
as an agreeable surprise That X did
-ite..sSfceed does mo- detract from its
Thnerit
The AsSoctalted Press representative
here called the inlaellocutOr's attention
to the complaints of n portion OF the
French press THAT President Mckinley
Iefrain5d from backing up his offer.
which was necessary 10 It's success.
some papers having openly stated that
ms ar.lon was a mere election manOeu-
yer - no. intended to be successful.
r. ~ our view" replied the official.
4 une'9 criticisms are utterly uniusti-
neg T. President Mckinley did even
nth Lthan up to the last moment was
@Htn Jed over here. Only the members
OF chanelferie3 who realized THE deli
cate nature OF suca a step. can a,ppre-
ciate Americas efrcr, att its proper
value. The French governments, while
not prepared 10 tIke the initiatjye
would, in conjunction with Russia,
readily have supported America: hut
dhe prompt.tude of Hngland's refusal
Cut the ground from under them"
Ihe Official informant added that. al
Though there. appeared to be little likll-
mood OF intervention in the immediate
future. yet hopes are still entertained
thEft an offer of good offices from the
powers may eventually prove accept
able
AT any rate" said the. lit is not un-
likely that it Will be made If foreign
interests are in danger by the threat
'ened destruction of the rand mines"
nhis question OF the destruction OF
the gold mines, as predicted by Mr.
Montagu White, lis regarded as "a seri-
Gus matter, and as being not merely
possible but probable.
1t is leaT'ned that the French govern.
ment has received information TO the
same effect from another source, and it
considers the deScendentS of the
Dutcnmen who flooded their own coun-
try In order ITO Tepel an invader quite
Capable Of following this historic pre-
cedent in the case of foreign owned
gold mines. The French press has
taken up the matter and points out
the enormous amount OF French say.
rngs sunk in the rand gold fields. Ii i.
stated that If the Bcens carry out their
threat 1T will take at east three wears
to. reconstrr1t the surface machinery
ara other pltnts, while immense de-
structton could he wrought by dyna-
mite TO the underground workings
France OWNS a third of the shares in
the Transvaal unines; and these alarm
iSt predictions have already had their
e1eot on the quotations. Thus. since
Tuesdhy, Robinson has dropped from
2.lO to 2.0O; FeTTeia from 1913 to 4.65.
and Geldenhus from AS to 40.
The tension Of feeling between
France and England certainly has un-
dergOne abate ement this week. for
which the cOmJl.arUry article OF the
London Times is largely responsible.
The government bill proposing am
nesty in all criminal pros ecu.!Ja which
have arisen oat of the Lrcyius AFFAIR
meets with vigorous Cr---Lion from
the Dreyfusard 10 whom amnesty
means The deprivation OF means Of re-
dreSs. DrCyfus himself wrote protest.
ing against the bill. Tire senate COM
mittee this week heard Col. Pf,ouart
and NJ. Zola. all OF whom warmly con.
demned this measure