Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-07-23
ISOLATIONO GERMANY
Position Said to Be One of
Gloomy Grandeur.
Special Correspondence Of The Star.

Special Correspondence Of The Star.
BERLIN, July 16, 1905.
The isolation of Germany in the foreign
affairs of the world is just beginning to be
understood here. AS German socialist,
! whose name Is household word has
| phrased it, ''Our position is one of gloomy
grandeur"
But now that the impression has gone
forth that the kaiser really does not want
war, that he would prefer peace, things are
| not as bad as they have been, not as bad as
they might be. 1t will be long time yet
before an understanding is likely to be ar
rived at, and 1t will be longer still before
the profoundly unfavorable impression pro-
duced by the universally condemned pro-
ceedings of Germany has any chance Of
being effaced.
But much that has been charged up
against Germany ought never to have been
charged up against her at ALL On the prin-
ciple of making hay while the sun Shines
number of German aspirations have been
brought forward which have little or moth
ing to do with Morocco, and which appar-
emily could not hitherto obtain a hearing
owing to the extremely reserved attitude
OF the French government toward Germany
during the last years of M. Delcasse's ten
ure Of Office. One of these German wishes
Is concerned with the commercial policy
pursued in the French colonies, and particu-
larly In Tunis. Franco-German commercial
relations are based upon the most favored
nation clause of the treaty of Frankfurt,
but when that treaty was concluded the
Importance of colonial trade was not fore
seen. There is now desire on the German
side to obtain modification of the French
practice, which has the effect of excluding
German and other foreign trade from i'm
portant markets like those of Tunis The
view Is expressed II colonial agreement
could be concluded between France and
Germany, ut would be easier for the two
governments to combat with success the
British policy of colonial preference"
another question which semi official ex-
ponents OF German intentions like Prof.
Schiemann are ventilating is the position
of neutrals on the seas and the definition
or contraband Of war In accordance with
the whole trend of German policy there
is desire to have this question discussed
and decided without any particular re-
gard to the views of England
1t remains to be seen whether the con-
ference will really prove success. At
suing the preliminary device of advocat-
ing the bizarre conception of a triple al
lance between Germany, France and
England, which in itself is a chimera and
is about as far from the real objects of
German policy as anything well could be.
The negotiations that are now taking
place In Paris between the French and
the German governments with reference
really Is having the effect of calling at
tention not only to the lonely position Of
Germany. but the commanding position
which recent events have placed in the
hands Of the kaiser
Russia's Defeat.
The defeat of the Russians by the Jap
anese has practically destroyed the USE
fulness to the French of their alliance
with Russia and has united Ciermany's
hands by taking away the possibility Of
an invasion of her eastern frontiers
should she at any tine embark upon an
other war with France.
Not unreasonably the Berlin govern
ment reckoned without King Edward
The entente cordiale" to some extent
robbed the kaiser of the advantage that
the weakening of Russia gave him. But
the events that have happened have
shown that the craftsmanship at Berlin
in some ways has been sufficient to take
advantage of the undoubted mistake Of
M. Delcasse and to get over this apparent
setback
There is no doubt but that M. Delcasse
made great tactical mistake in not ad-
vising the German government of the
AnglO-French arrangement as far as 1t
concerned Morocco, and in obtaining, as
he certainly would have done, German
acQuieScence in it's clauses.
Although, for many reasons, there is little
probability of anything like when
things come to a final conclusion, still the
treUCn government mas EiQ, at the eleventh
hour, to admit the right of the German
government to be consulted This might
not be SO bad so far the two nations are
concerned, but the Moors know they have
had to do this
1t is now quite generally believed that all
that Germany ever intended to do was to
bring about the Strengthening of German
prestige in Morocco and consequent weak
ening of the prestige of both France and
England. 1t has, at the same time, had the
further effect of carrying forward one of
the kaiser's pet schemes by increasing his
influence among the Mahometan powers
Fear of Germany.
The fear of Germany, which is always
present In France, which is common in
nearly all of the countries the continent
of Europe which Is daily becoming stronger
in England and which exists even In the
United States, is undoubtedly based on the
fact that at the present time Germany is
the only power which desires and which,
indeed, may fairly be said to need territorial
expansion. Whether one likes him or not
the modern German is a virile person, with
a capacity and an ambition, and at the same
time possessing sovereign who in himself
may be said to accurately epitomze the
tional spirit.
Germany today Is much as England was
when she overfiowed her borders and sent
her sons east and west to create an empire
on which the sun never sets. The German
councils of Europe, and that domination is
in measure. now being achieved.
Territorially her ambitions are to absorb
Holland, so that she may attain seaboard
on the North sea, and she has always an
ticipated that the death of Emperor Francis
Joseph will result in the breakup of the
Austrian empire and in the absorption of
Austria into the German empire and the
beginning of Germany Mediterranean
power
When Germany reaches the Mediterran-
can she will come more closely into touch
with Turkey, where the sultan Is already
disposed to regard his brother at Berlin as
his best friend. The present situation at
Budapest and the evident ambition of the
Hun garians to follow the example of the
Norwegians and break away entirely from
the dual monarchy, tends to make this last
extension of German territory nearer pos
sibilIty. For nearly forty years the EN-
peror Francis Joseph has kept the peace
between the two chief countries-widely d.
vergent in national characteristics, in lam
guage and in point of view of the Austro-
Hungarian monarchy.
If the Hungarians should cut loose. If the
Austrians should demonstrate what the
world suspects-that they are not of the
same equable temperament as the Swedes
II is almost certain that the revolution must