The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1901-10-29

gard to the Near East the basis would
be that whilst Russia abstained from
any attempt to interfere With the status
quo in Egypt, we should frankly rec
ognize that. the fulflment Of what Rus
STA regards as her historic mission in
the Balkan peninsula conflicts with no
vital British interests, and that in ASH
attic Turkey we should abstain from
favoring the development of German
schemes of expansion.
Second. Persia and Central Asia
With regard to Persia and Central
Asia, we might offer Russia our CO.
operation in the development OF rail-
way communication between the Cas-
plan and the Persian Gulf, and in Sc
curing for her a commercial outlet on
the gulf in return for an undertaking
on the part of Russia to respect the
political status quo along the shores of
torate over Afghanistan.
Third. With regard to the
Far East the question is nee
essarily more complicated. as ia
pan would have to be taken into the
counsels of the two empires and a ba-
sis of agreement arrived at which
would satisfy her as well as Russia
and Great Britain.
LAS far as Japan is concerned, such
| a DhSAo AAii5 1t NC AOalll IA LllC tCSO6 AZ
ton by Russia and England of the
Japanese claim to an exclusive sphere
of influence in Sorea.
Japan would presumably, in return
| for this concession, have no objection
| to formal agreement under which
| Great Britain would recognize Russia's
| claim to regulate her political ana
| commercial position in Manchuria and
| Mongolia by direct negotiation with
| China NJ P11ccio would IN 1ilya n
| ner recognize Great Britain's claim to
regulate in the same way her political
| and commercial position in the Yang
tse Valley, each Power binding itself
| to give no support in those regions to
the enterprise OF any other Power.
| With regard to all other questions in
| China, Great Britain Russia, and ia
pan would agree to take no steps with
out mutual consultation.
THE fact of Russia being a party to
| such an agreement would give France
| a guarantee that her interests would
| be taken into due consideration, while
our participation would afford a nat
ural safeguard to the commercial in
terests of the United States.
THE effect of such an agreement,
accompanied by the customary de-
monstrations in such cases, public de-
| clarations by the sovereigns and their
| official representatives, and an ex-
change Of visits by their respective
| fleets, would at once remove the dan
| ger of a sudden explosion, which must
| continue to hang over the whole world
| so long as the Far East remains the
powder magazine of international ri
valries. and conflicting interests which
it is at present.
THE natural consequence of this
understanding would be that in the
rf hat nd
Russia, Great Britain would remain
neutral, and in the event Of war be-
tween Great Britain and Germany,
Russia would remain neutral. Russia
would no longer give cause for sus-
picion that she was instigating France
to make war against us, as Count
Muravieff did during the Fashoda cris-
is, and Great Britain would cease to
be suspected in st. Petersburg of en-
ccuraging japanese hostility to Rus
STA. Japan, on her side would be re-
lieved of the menace of a possible re-
vlval against her of the Triple ALI
ance of 1885,
Closer friendship with Italy, and the
maintenance of the understanding
with Portugal is urged as being vital
| to England's interests.
A Threat for Germany.
A note of defiance is sounded at the
| conclusion of this important article.
THE navy bill in Germany was car,
| ried through" 1t is stated with the
| avowed object of creating a navy
| which would be able to keep the North
| Sea clear. We have no intention Of
| clearing out OF the North Sea or out
| of any other sea. We seek no quarrel
with any Power; but if Germany
| thinks it to her interest to force one
| upon us, we shall not shrink from the
| ordeal, even should she appear in the
| lists with France and Russia as her
| allies. Germans would, however. do
well to realize that if England is
| driven to it, England will strike home.
| Close to the foundations of the German
Empire, which has hardly emerged
from it's artificial stage, there exists
a powder magazine such as is to be
found in no other country, viz: Social
Democracy. In the case Of a conflict
with Great Britain, misery would be
caused to large classes of the German
population, produced by the total COL
lapse of the subsidized industries: far
reaching commercial depression finan-
cial collapse, and a defective food sup
ply might easily make that magazine