New-York tribune., 1903-05-17
THE FRENCH CONCORDAT
It's Repeal Would Separate Church
and State-Efect an Orient.

or ALI the numerous foreign Issues that have
invited the attention Of the people of the United
States in the last fortnight there is not one that
commends itself in such a striking manner 10
American consideration as the struggle whach
is now in progress between church and state in
France It is conflict which Is not merely Oh
a domestic character, but one which afrects the
entire world. For it has reached such a stage
that 1t must result ere long either In the repeai
Of the Concordat and the consequent withdrawal
by the Vatican from France of the protectorats
Of the interests of the Roman Catholic Church
and of it's missions throughout Africa ana Asia'
or else it will lead to schism or the fTehch
clergy religious orders and Catholics from foihe
and to the creation Of an independent Gaihcah
Catholic Church refusing to be bound any more
by the commands of an Italian born Pontin who
makes his home in the Eternal City.
1t is a question Of more far reaching interest
than the imbroglio in connection with Manehu-
ria. or the recent attitude taken up by England
in connection with the Persian Gulf or even the
disturbances now In progress in Macedonia and
elsewhere in the Balkans For Russia has in
the last fortnight shown such disposition 10
tenoporize in connection with Manchuria that
there are hopes of a peaceful settlement or the
quarrel provided hostilities are not precipitateo
by the Japanese-an eventuality which ooth
Great Britain and the United States are ear
nestly endeavoring to avert. With regard TO
Lord Lansdowne's announcement in the House
of Lords at Westminster that England would
go to war sooner than permit any foreign gov
ernment to secure an armed foothold the
shores of that Persian Gulf which England has
at great cost of life and treasure opened to the
commerce of the world. this threat is construed
at st. Petersburg as being aimed at Berlin rather
than against Russia, an Interpretation which is
- Dat and aiSa hy
the almost simultaneous withdrawal Of England
from the Bagdad Railway project, withdrawal
which, most popular throughout the British En-
pre is pretty generally ascribed to the influence
of Colonial Secretary Charnoerlain.
At any rate, King Edward and his nephew,
the Car, are determined to do all they possibly
can to avert hostilities between their respective
countries, and I learn that Immediately the Lon
don season is over King Edward Will pro-
ceed to visit the Car and Czarina at st. Peters
burg calling in on his return at Kiel where his
visit to his nephew, Emperor William, will
probably coincide with the Kiel yacht races and
regatta and the sojourn there Of the United
States naval squadron, as we'll as of any num-
ber of American yachts with their owners on
board. AS far as the Balkans concerned.
there is of course the possibility that Turkey
may be driven to inhict punishment on Bulgaria,
Which is her vassal for the active part which the
latter has aiken in fomenting the troubles in
Macedonia But Prince Ferdinand and his peo-
pie have behaved in such a way during the last
few moT.ths as completely TO ALLEVIATE the SYM
pathies of the civilized world and even were
Bulgaria overrun by Ottoman troops, it is doubt
full whether a finger would be raised in her be-
half while far Macedonia Is concerned,
there is such an intense animosity among
the Greeks, the Servians the Bulgarians and the
Albanian inhabitants OF the province that au-
tonomy or annexation to Bulgaria or to Servia.
is quite out of the question. Indeed, the Tur-
kish administration of the province. faulty and
oppressive though II be, is at the present juno
ture the only practical form of government
which stands in the way of anarchy and chaos.
At the worst a in the Balkans in which
Russia would be involved would have the effect
as in the case of the Turco-Russan conflict of
1876 OF temporarily stopping the enormous ex
ports of grain from Odessa and other Black
Sea ports, and thereby increasing the demand
for American breadstuffs
But the conflict between church and state in