The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-05-05
arRM.ANY,s ISOLATION.

the language he used when England was engaged in her grappae with the Boers. At that time. he strtnted as the veriest war lord of the earth. who acknowledges no superior but God. himself, and the emperor professed a special partnership existed even with Him. Williams re- cent speeches have descsnded to the lev ei of simple growls. Great things are doing in the world and the only atten- ton he can secure is when the Powers inquire about his health His accession was dreaded. but now that he has devel- oped into sort of Fuss and Feathers," !" the Foreign Ministers knowing him. hav- ing measured and sounded him, prefer an indefinite extensiop of his life rather than sec another young and untried prince mount the Hohenzollern throne. The German Empire now makes for peace and the growis of William are just his way of asking Who's afraid?" He can and France is studious to give no offence. Can it be that France still cherishes hopes of recovering Alsace and Lorraine, Elsass and Lothringen as the Germans would prefer the provinces called and as the world obstinately refuses to denomi- nate themg Whatever may. be behind Will Hams late utterances. 1t Is hard to escape the conviction that he has France in his eye. It will be remembered that the Chancellor of Europe barely saved France from a second onslaught by Ger many, when Bismarck saw their lately prostrated enemy recovering so fast and exhibiting a spirit so high that he turned to Europe and urged that common pru- strike again and at once. Bis~arck was restrained by public opinion and France continued to wrestle with her domestic problems. the Socialists. the UItramon- tanfsts. the Legitimists and the adher- ents of the dynasty of Benaparte. For longer period than she has ever enjoyed since the great Revolution for more than thirty years. there has been little to do, but keep foreign enemies quiet, while the French house was being put in order. What is the situation today? They have encountered every movement looking to the overthrow of the Republic and sup pressed 1t. The Socialists, the Jew-bait- CTS and the church autocrats have each in turn been dealt with firmly and wise ly, while the Legitfmists, whether of the House of the Bourbons, of Orleans. or of who have cloaked designs of their own behind the other movements of a popular kind, have had to watch the quickening disappearance of all forms of unrest and dissatisfaction with Frances established institutions. Pelle- one duty now and that is soberly to ex- ploit the possessions in hand. Germapyys real concern as to France .-7nust be the effect of eight or.~ten years more of or derly progress! It would require some wise school boy. may we say, like Hob- son. to forecast all the possible changes 5n the face of Europe. Falling this we are willing to content ourselves with di- recting attention to one significant fact
 France is developing under a free gov OAbHiSiilp 0cItlSuIly uHuOT d ulSBulSeQ OlS- potism. The Franco-Prussian war found France weakened by twenty years of travesty of government under Napoleon the Third. The French people did their only real fighting in that war, after Ma poleon was a prisoner and Gambetta had infamed their ardor by passionate ap- peals to their love of country. Germany is not so lovely to the average Ger man of 1904 as a long discovered and presently to be united Fatherland of 1870 was lovely. France of 1904 makes a far different appeal to the French people than
 the same country did under the saw dust rule. the circus government, of the little
 Napoleon. France Is at peace with all nations. She has happily found it un- necessary to embroil herself with Rus
 sia in the East. England is friend and well-wisher William of Germany may well feel uncomfortable. He realizes that France would more readily quarrel
 with Germany than any other Power and that France is materially different far more powerful, far better disciplined than when Olivier started her forward on that military promenade destined to end for her in deep humiliation
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