Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-29
Holdings of France and Ger
many in Africa and Asia.
THE YELLOW DANGER"
WHAT EUROPE MAY HAVE TO
CONTEND WITH IN FUTURE.
1ndo- Chinese Possessions Cannot Be
Protected From Japan-Up-
building of Navies.

Washington D. Co.
The French republic is today the first
colonial power and the first naval power in
the world excepting Great Britain alone.
Such a power has France become since the
calamitous war with Germany in 1S70-'11.
When she lay at the feet of the proud con-
queror Prince Bismarck and Moltke decided
that she should be crushed in prestige, po-
htical position and finances. To. that end
she was shorn of all of the provinces of
Alsace and Lorraine, burdened with large
German garrison distributed in such a
fashion as would disrupt her still further
until the immense war indemnity of five
milliard francs should be paid, which was
thought impossible without bankrupting her
for long time to come. The terrorism of
the commune at the end of the war, the
abolition of the Napoleonic empire, the eff
forts of the Bourbons and Orleanists to re-
gain the throne, and the birth of a new re-
public under the most terrible agonies of
the apparently dying country were to do
the rest.
No scorer was the republic established
when the government under a series of the
ablest presidents, set about to reorganiZe
the afflicted country, the demoralized army
and the shattered finances. Long before
the time of financial settlement had come
her great statesman Adolphe Theirs sue
ceeded in paying the German indemnity,
thus clearing the country of the German
occupation. Further five miliardS were ex-
pended to reorganize the army on modern
footing, introducing military service for ev-
cry capable son of France, abol1Shing alto
gether any privileged classes making edu-
cation and ability the sole lever for military
advancement. Germany, having, as 1t were,
feet on French soil by means of the two
powerful fortresses of Metz and Strass-
burg, one of which alone was worth to
Germany 100000 men. France was COM
PEELED to build up against them perfect
net of the strongest Notifications, which
again cost her five milliards.
With all these expenses France built up
the most powerful navy in the world next
to England's, and gradually paid the cost
of the Russian all:arce with loan of more
than eleven millions to that power. Not
withstanding this, France has built up since
then an immense colonial empire IN Africa
and in Asia. Germany, amazed at france
vitality and reCuperative power, not only
did not place any stumbling block in her
way of acquisition of colonies IN all parts
of the world but not infrequently frustrat-
ed England's attempts in this direction
Germany was glad to see all the French
energies turned toward Africa and ASIA
and away from the German frontier, ana
did all in her power to make her forget tne
ancient German lands redeemed by Ger
mans though the statues of Metz and
Strassburg are still draped in mourning
every 14th of July, the French republican
rational day.
French Credit Good.
So far Frances old claim as grand ma
ton" is quite legitimate. The enormous
public debt, too, is but proof or her I'M
mense credit and the skill with which the
payment of the stupendous interest IS PAID
every wear. The French public debt enor-
nous as it is, is rarely discussed in the
press, because there never was douDt
about her governments ability TO handle It.
More serious is the handling of the I'M
r7ense colonial empire and its colonlZatlon
by a French population in view OF the 1act
that the French nation itself Is stationary
at home and would be retrogresslve were
1t not for Italian and German immigration,
especially the latter, which, teemlng al
home and increasing at the rate OF ooo'ooo
souls every year, spontaneously noWs
across the borders. In spite OF this over
flow which has fortified large sections or
the United States. built up several , Hel-
dreds of thousands of Germans through
Canada, Central and South America; II mas
further made Russian Poland the only great
Industrial section of Russia, ana Is uphold-
ing moor Germandom struggling against the
overwhelming Slavic and Magyar wave III
Austrian spite of all these drawbacks, L
say, Germany has today over sixty nlllons
of inhabitants against the scarcely forty
millions of France. The sheer weight OF
these numbers even though the military
excellence of the two powers might be con-
sidered equal-makes any future military
success on the part of France alone against
Germany weil-nigh impossible. ana as Il
is in military matters, so 1t Is gradually ne
coming in naval affairs Inc rise OF Ger
MANY as a great naval power today Is the
most significant fact in the world politics,
so much the more significant as TINS naval
tendency is not transient polcy, put
dire necessity and life question for Ger
manv She has to support one-ffth OF her
nonula ton with imported foodstuffs, and
the proportion becomes larger every year.
Growing German Navy.
A blockade of any length would reduce
Germany to submission, for she can only
nav for her increasing demands in raw
products and foodstuffs by the large eX-
ports of her splendidly developed industry,
nv the proceeds of her shipping and by
the interest accruing from her foreign in
vestments And all this can only be guar
anteed by a most powerful navy. These
facts have convinced even the liberal and
centrist parties in Germany, usually averse
to increased military and naval expenses.
At the present rate of naval ship-building
in Germany every year-two first-class
battle ships, one armored cruiser and SIX
destroyers-while at the same time free
scope is given by the reichstag to con-
struct freely additional ships in order to
replace those which have become obsolete,
Germany will contest the naval supremacy
of France in 1916, and in case Germany,
owing to the world-stirring events in the
east increases her efforts, already in 1910.
The energy of Emperor William, who has
proclaimed openly 1.-The future of Germany
lies on the waters insures the execution
of the program
No wonder then that France, too, real
ICES her position in her home sea as well
as in the Indian and Pacific oceans. She
has come to an understanding with Eng
land regarding her African empire, which
has become more consolidated since the
greatly humiliating moral defeat of Ia
shoda The recent treaty with Spain has
given her a practical protectorate over
Morocco, abandoning merely some coast
lon nd n Snain that the African
northland east as far as Egypt is almost
entirely under direct or indirect French
domination. The powerful Mediterranean
fleet the nearness of the strong military of
Toulon and the undoubted and firmly
tablshed French administration in Algeria
and Tunis insure those valuable imperial
possessions for a long time to come. Italy's
terrible defeat inflicted by King Menelik of
AtNssinia several years ago, Germany's
nearly valuelesS African possessions now in
revolt Portugal's feeble condition at Lor-
EMO Marques and the British victory over
the South African republics have brought
1t about that the division of Africa has