The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-01-10
FRANCE AND RUSSIA
IN CLOSE RELATIONS
French Republicans the Humble
VassalS of the Autocratic
Gar.
THE FINANCIAL BONDS
A Paris Writer Complains Bitter
ly of the Strange and Unnat-
ural Alliance.
THE FINANCIAL BONDS

Correspondence Of the Indianapolis Journal.
BELGRADE, Dec. 24.-Perhaps We may
soon see the French and Russian soldiers
fighting side by side, for who can tell what
is to come of this perturbation in the
Orient? l, as a Frenchwoman, however,
shall be sorry to see the coming of that
day, for surely, never upon earth before
allies so illmated.
Russian friendship is well enough for
Partisan electioneering dodge. to thrill the
hearts of boulevard patriots who have moth
ing to do but sip absinthe and hiss re
vanches." but to the French people at
large it means nothing but Russian avarice,
shown by the swallowing up of French
savings and Russian military protection
at the cost of all in principle for which
the revolution was fought.
France-that is the real, good old France
knows that Russia is making of her the
veriest tool and that she intends, If posi-
BILE. to drag her down with her into the
same financial abyss which she herself must
soon reach. French money is building Rus
sian railways and cannon and Siberian
prisons 1t is being loaned to grandiose
mobiles, Impoverished beyond redemption,
who win never repay 1.-THE money made
by the poor Woodworking farmers and
artisans, whose money invested in savings
banks goes into Russian bonds-and yet
have heard those very bankrupt mobiles say
in their stupid brutality they knew that
national bankruptcy was inevitable, as
every one believes ii to be. All the Russian
paper IS invested abroad When Russia
shall have no further need to call upon
foreign capital, when the ruin of her credit
abroad shall no longer be matter for alarm
she will simply declare herself insolvent
and tear up the book of her pubic debt All
this is an understood thing.
And o the despicable role France plays in
| the dual alliancei What is she but the
abject vassal Of her great, brutal semi
| civilized partner? There is no chancellerie
| in Europe that need inquire the stand of
| France on any international question at
| Paris, they simply need ascertain the at
| titude of ST Petersburg How France was
! made to walIow in the mire of her own
| degradation when she was ordered by Rus
J STA TO send her fleet TO Keil to salute the
! German Emperor 1t France who, at
the bidding of Russia, prevented plucky lit
| tie Japan from reaping the fruit of her sue
| cess during the Chinese trouble France
| has taken part in the atrocious Chinese
! campaigns only to give Russia free rein in
| Manchuria. But above all, France has de-
! serted her sacred duty toward Armenia, to
whom she stood pledged as protectress to
serve the purposes OF her master ON the
| Neva.
ARMENIANS AFFECTED.
The people of Armenia were betrayed be-
cause Russia frustrated every generous move
by France toward Intervention. Then came
another opportunity when the French fleet
made the demonstration before Mitylene in
order to secure the payment from Turkey of
the claims of her Eastern investors. Turkey
! paid the money, but right there and then
| it was expected France would take the OPP
portunity to breach a more important sub
| ject and demand that the treaty of Berlin,
as ratified by all Europe, be carried out in
| it's entirety. Armenian hopes We're high
while the tTicolOr foated off Mitylene, but
! it was only for a moment. The fleet sailed
away and ii was learned that the Russian
| ambassador at COnstantinople, following
orders received from st. Petersburg. had
| demanded its withdrawal on the ground
| that it's presence only occasiOned ground
| for revolutionary agitation. Then the peo-
| pie of the East knew that France. like Eng
! land, cared no more for them and that the
! spirit of chivalry among nations was dead.
| But one can scarcely consider an incident
| of the last few years that does not show
| France in that same suppliant, servile atti-
! tude toward Russia. Ones bloodS boils to
| remember the exhibitions of servility which
greeted the Gar on his first visit to Paris
| during the presidency of Felix Faure, and
| on his second visit during that of M. Lou
bet. In the autumn Of 1901, when that
! august parsonage designed TO pass two
! nights at the Chateau of Compeigne and
witness a great military review near
| Rheims, Nicholas must have thought many
/ curious things. He must have wondered
| what freak of nature had made the spirit
| of the Frenchman so elastic and what freak
of the mind could make men who professed
republican principles willing 70 lie down,
row after row. so that the autocrat of all
! autocrats could walk along on line after line
| of obeisant necks.
but the shame of it, and while the
| French press was creating masterpieces Of
| overdone hattery and stupendous lies about
| the enthusiasm of the people over the Gar s
visit there were over thirty millions of sub
| tects in that mans empire dying slowly of
! famine and starvation, victims of false
political system. Cattle were dying I'M
! ripened grain was rotting the stalks;
men We're gnawing the bark from trees. Yet
it cost nearly million of francs to enter
| tain the Car for two days at Compeigne.
| One thing more is needed to cap the
| climax of dishonor for France, to bring
| about the consummation of this absurd
| farce 1t is for French blood to be shed TO
! enable Russian brutalism to throttle that
dainty little flower of Japanese civilization
| and extinguish the light of Asia. Vive la
| Russiai Nive la France!
| VALERIE DELAMOUR.