The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1902-12-25

you see the three governments have
been unable to collect their claims
against Titicaca for the reputation OF
the principal and interest on the loans
made by a London. Paris and Berlin
syndicate An ultimatum was followed
by a riot in which twenty or more
british. French and German subjects
were killed. as you doubtless know. The
three foreign offices agreed, after nego-
ttations, that a hostile demonstration
was imperative if the dignity of the
three powers in question was to be
maintained"
Dignity be damned!" roared the tril-
lionaire. Don't you fellows know that
you're interfering with business2 I
told the king and Balfour when they
came to see me at my hotel in London
last month that l didn't want the peace
of the world disturbed again for the
next five wears. They assured me that
so far as Great Britain was concerned,
not a single shot would be fired without
my consent. Just the week before L told
Loubet that If 1 heard anything more
of that blithering nonsense about 'Ra-
yanchei or about the balance of power
in the Mediterra mean. I'd shut down on
all French loans, and let the country go
to the devil. He and Delcasse both
promised me that the foreign office
would submit everything to my Paris
agents before decisive action was taken.
And what have they done?"
I'm very sorry began the German
ambassador.
oh, your interrupted the trillion-
aire in sarcastic tones. That mutton
headed kaiser of yours never had much
sense. and now he's losing that. When
/ lent him the money to build that navy
| warned him that if he ever tried to
use 1t without my express permission
I'd take it away from him. And what
does he do at the first opportunity but
start his tubs out on a hostile demon
stration with a couple of other crazy
fleets that I've been foolish enough to
let England and France build. 1t would
serve that fat-Wltted HOhenZOuern right
if I took his navy away from him and
gave it to Austria. I'd do it, too if the
Austrian government wasn't so cussed
poor that I'd have to give them the
money to buy coal for the ships
Nov [ want you fellows to notify your
governments that there's to be no hostile
demonstration in South America or any
where else. I'm not going to have vested
interests disturbed by hostile demon
strations or any other kind of demonstra-
lions, merely because a few English and
French and Germans have been killed by
| South American mob There are too
many of EN-, anyway and their place is
home. where they can pay taxes to apply
/ on the interest on the bonded debt Don't
! YOU leave this thing with Lansdowne.
/ Buelow and Delcasse. either. You notify
4 Edward and Wilhelm and Loubet too
and you tell them that if their fleets are
not on the way back before 10 o'clock to-
morrow morning they'll find themselves
4 out of money some fine day, with Russia
/ in Pekin, Herat and Constantinople. And
Russia will stay there, too, if it costs me
billion dollars. They must think I'm
/ working six days a week to maintain the
/ inviolability of property just to have q
( lot of fool Europeans start a row that
might upset the whole market. Anyway
L think sometimes that it would be cheap
er to annex all three of those countries
I to the United States than to support foul
/ separate governments. Annexation need
not necessarily interfere with the interest
account; but you rsednt mention that in
your dispatches unless you care to-
The frost glittered in the sunlight of q
/ Christmas morning when the millionaire
unfolded his newspaper at. the breakfast
table. On the first page were dispatches
from Paris, London and Berlin stating
that the three governments had recalled
their fleets. The three foreign offices
made each substantially the same an
nouncement. to the effect that there were
/ excellent reasons for believing that ample
reparation could be obtained from Titicach
without resorting to hostile methods The
/ trillionaire's face lighted for a second
/ with n smile of satisfaction.
! "Christianity's been beating about
peace on earth for the last 1900 years, "
! he remarked to himself. but they haG
/ to wait for me before they could get it,
Frank I. Cobb, in Detroit Free Press.