The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1901-04-25
The Dnnl AIIinnce.

The diplomatic gossip Of Europe as
cribes considerable Importance to the
present visit Of N. Delcasse, the French
Foreign Minister. TO St Petersburg It
Is now said that 1t was undertaken at
the request of the Car. who desired
some explanation Of the lack Of energy
which has marked French support Of
Russia IN China.
Nj. DeIcasse and Count Lamsdorff,
the Russian Minister of Foreign Affairs.
have had repeated and lengthy confer
ences, and. as il Is believed, have dis
eUssed things other than the Chinese
situation. Count LamsdOrn is known
10 regard the current revolutionary
conditions in Macedonia as serious.
This, perhaps, is not strange, since the
- troubles in that province are suspected
10 be due To Russian intrigue, and the
head Of the Cars Foreign Office ought
TO know what they amount TO. The
truth is that all eyes in Europe are
turning toward the Balkan Peninsula.
For generations it has seemed an i'm
possible task TO provide a funeral for
the Sick Man of Turkey. True, his
limbs have been Topped off in one direc-
ton or another, but when it has come
10 the trunk, the wouId-be heirs have
never been able 10 agree upon divis-
ion or have been warned off by Eng
land. Russia was within sight Of Con
stauunople in 1873. and would have
landed there and stayed but for the
British Lion in her path. That noble
beast is at present busy in South At
rica. old Franz Josef is nearing the
grave. which is likely also TO receive
the remains Of MS empire. Italy has
grown cold toward the Triple Alliance:
what more propitious time could be
asked Tor a fresh Russian advance in
the direction Of the Mediterranean?
Much in the same way that Napoleon
III managed TO isolate Austria before
the Italian war. Russia appears TO have
worked 10 isolate Germany On the
surface of things the entente between
Berlin and St Petersburg IS officially
undisturbed. But several things have
happened to create antagoniszn be
tween the Governments TIE Kaiser's
rapprochement with Russia's enemy
England, is one cause Of difference, but
we may 90 back of that to the friend
helm II for another cOgent reason.
Turkey is regarded in Russia as the
Bears dinner. Il may not be ready TO
eat. but nobody outside must NEEDLE
With il. In short, there are many rea-
sons which viii occur to the student
Of European politics why Russia might
think the time had come TO give the
Ottoman Empire its coup de grace.
With this consideration in view the
Macedonian outbreak attains Increased
significance What would happen were
Russia to feel herself compelled TO once
more rush to the assistance Of Greek
Christians oppressed by the Porte?
We may safely imagine that 20 be one
Of the questions which are occupying
the attention Of Count LanlsdorfT and
N Delcasse in st. Petersburg. Would
England and Germany unite to succor
the Sultan? Could that be prevented
by France alone, or could Italy. now de-
cidedly favorable TO the Dual Alliance
rather than the Dreibund be persuaded
To Join forces with France? These are
queries all hard to answer, at least for
people not on the inside Of State coun-
ellis.
Only that England's preoccuIati3n Is
necessarily a great temptation to Rus
STA 10 take advantage Of it. We should
be inclined 10 think that the next Rus
sian attack upon Turkey would be post
p0ned until the Austrian EmperCT-s
death, because that event probably viii
be closely followed by the secession Of
the Austrian German-speakiug PROV
iuces to the German Empire the indie
pendence OF Hungary, and \ general,
aIl-aroUnd grab for the SlaY provinces.
Such a breakup would offer ample ex-
cuses for Russian Interference in one
place or another. or for profitable trad
ing between the Car and the Kaiser.
But It does not seem probable mat the