BoletiÌn mercantil de Puerto Rico. (San Juan, P.R.) 18??-1918, 1902-09-26
SAFJ JUAN, SEPTEMBER 70
PAN-LATINlSM.

The obvious improvement in the re
lations of France and Italy and the
marked sympathy shown by the former
country toward Spain during the late
war have led to a revival OF the old
dream of Latin federation or at least
an alliance of the Latin nations.
The conception is one that was
formed before the downfall of Napoleon
l.. but it attracted little attention. until
the French revolution of IS4S; when eli
SORTS of sentimental theories found ear
nest advocates. Pan-Latinism was
preached by Victor Hugo and by La
MARITIME, and approved by Araso and
Ledru Rollin and Louis Blanc; and
their eloquence probably made a deep
impression on the dreamy mind of the
Third Napoleon. O.1e can trace it in
his Italian policy, which seems to have
had for its ultimate object an alliance
between France and Italy SO close as to
make their diplomacy identical. His
ill-omened and disastrous Mexican ven
ture was doubtless also the offspring
of the same vague hope; for What &c
aimed at was great Latin Empire IL
the New World in close uaion With i'm
perial France, and able to cneck the
spread of A1g'c-Saxon i1fucnce on the
Wes.ern Continent.
Whether or not these attempts OF his
were really inspired By a vision Of Pan
Latinism, they failsd disastrously. The
Mex can Empire fell of its own weight,
and within ten years after the France
Prus ian War I aly was not merely at
variance with France but was in fast
4 Il lsowaye1,.
there is taking place something Tx 4
partial readjustment Of International
relations on the Continent. Itadys in
terest in Germany has diminished III
spite of the formal renewal of the Drel-
bund. Victor Emmanuels measured
and unenthusias,ic answer to the Kai-
ser's efusive greeting IN Berlin the
other day was not without significance.
Commercially, Italian interests are
much more closely bound I'D with Fran.
ce than with Germany and there has
always been strong French party in
the Italian Kingdom. We're France to
give to Italy free hand in the Tripo-
Titan question, there would remain be-
tween the tvo peoples no controversial
issue whatsoever.
Hence, one notices of late dispos'-
tion among French plblcs.s to initiate
seriously movement for some kind of
a political entente between the three
great Latin peoples. A periodical call
ed "La Renaissance Latino is devoted
to spreading the ne dsctrine and in
its pages, writers like Paul Adam are
setting forth The benefits which y ou'd
result from the sugges ed federation.
Very naturally lesson and an example
are drawn from the growth of Pan
Slavisln and Pan. .German;sn; and in
the latter there is also found warn
ing. The approaching disruption Of
Austria, says NJ. Adam, viii compacr,
under a singh, neal no rogeaeous
nation of Is 10000 Germans ready to
throw the S gord of BreaBus into the
scale of the E'aropean equilibrium.
Because of this h. holds that the Medi-
iterranean powers ought in like manner
to unite for mutual self protect r !
Another Pan Latinist, M. Xavier de |
Ricard, answers some Of the objections
that have been made to the propos-
ed alliance. But what he really doe
not succeed in answering is the argu-
ment that even though the three Latin
couatries were to form league, it is |
difficult 10 discover where the political
basis of it would be found to lie.
The defect o. the whole scheme is. in
the assumption that Spain, Italy and
France have any common purpose. If
France and Italy were twice Is stro1g
as they are now, We might conceive OF
them as leagded together against
Austria and Germany --lTa1y seeking to
recover the provinces on the Adriatic.
and France striving to wrest Alsace-
Lorraine from the German conqueror;
but such an attempt under existing
conditions would be a rnadaaan's dream.
Again, France might conceivab1y aid
Spain in securing a foo.hold opposite
Gibraltar when the break l1pof Morocco
comes; but Italy, the friend Of England,
would not share IN sucn avsattlre
On the whole, then, Pals-Latinisin, If
it ever gess. b. ond is present specuat.
i've Stage, en- scarcely lead to anything
more than a possible union Of hearts,
a rlagnified sFriendshif, a deligbs full
theme for pubic eloqusnee and after-
Richard seems to have a dim perception
Of this truth; for he ends his afssef- {
tation in a cloud Of generalities, among q
which the folio sing may be selected ash
sufficiently Illustrative Of all the rest
Liberty alone and equality are able lt
lrluly and successfully ID rear a2aifl S