Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-10-14

hegemony, whether they were put forward
by a Charles V. or Louis XIV. or
| Napoleon"
| The National Review for October In its
summary of political events, says: Ger
many having secured her supremacy on
land and being relieved Of further mill
| tarv anxiety. can henceforward devote her
self to the development of her sea power
until she reaches the British level. Ints IL
| now the avowed semi-ofacial program. and
| 1t renders our Observation-Disclosures SUI
premely ridiculous.
1.-THE chronic friction between Great Britain
| and France had brought almost as much
grist to the German mill as
Double the traditional antagonism
Rivalry, between Great Britain and
RUSSIA. Indeed, the whole
superstructure OIL Bismarckian Diplomacy
depends on the preservation of this double
rivalry.
There was an additional cause OF vexa-
| ton. The German emperor. though exceed
ingiy astute in playing on the vanity of In
dividuais. especially Anglo-Saxon indivfd-
| uals, is a poor judge of the temper of COM
| munities, and he had refused to regard the
negotiations between London and Paris Sc
| riously up to the very moment OF their
completion In April, 19Ci being animated
| by the fixed idea that the -incompatibiltty
of temperament between England and
France rendered their differences insoluble
He failed to realize the educational enect
of the tardy discovery on both sides OF the
channel that the tertius gaudens was the
sole beneficiary Of Anglo-French friction
Therefore the diplomatic coup Of the Brit
ish and French foreign ministry came with
all the force of a thunderbolt Hence the
fireworks on the frontier. Count Bulow
| was, however. able to persuade his SOW
ereign to bottle his wrath and bide his
time, and the imperial chancellor publicly
| expressed official approval of the Anglo
French agreement in the reichstag. the
emperor had not very long to wait for an
opportunity of testing the solidity OF Anglo,
French friendship, which he was convinced
would crumble at the lightest touch. The
appalling disasters of Russia in the tar
east reacted on the political and military
position of her French ally and enabled the
emperor to pay his theatrical visit to Tan
giers which he swiftly followed up by de-
| manding of the French government the head
| of M. Delcasse under q threat OF lmmeoi-
ate invasion. France was taken COM
pletely unawares. being totally unprepareo
| for war"
And the National Review continues and
makes some frank confessions. which rem.
| der still more lucid the comprehension OF
| British politics as practical formerly: 1t
| Is no exaggeration to say that up to the
| day of the resignation of Prince Bismarck
| the latter was for all intents and purposes
British foreign minister We have no desire
| to dwell upon the more painful episodes or
! the Anglo-German era which Is represented
| in the present cabinet the Potsdam party
| by Mr.. Haldane, Lord Loreburn and Mr..
Bryce.
| "Our betrayal Of the Danes in 1858 and
our conduct toward France in 1870 were
| equally marked by imbecility as regards
our own interests and treachery toward our
neighbors. That British foreign minis
| have exercised his influence in order to
restrain Austria from espousing the cause
| of stricken France, is one of the most dis
agreeable diplomatic revelations of our
| time M which the loss said the better"
k*
The Review has a word to say about
France, which, as Russia's ally, is not
without its lesson. Briefly
Russia ana summed up, it says: In 1905
France. the collapse Of Russia left
France in a dangerously ex-
posed position. She was inferior in num-
bers on land and sea. The German stafr
was quite ready for war and expected a
debacle similar to 1S7O-1S71. The French
were divided and torn by internal dissen-
sion: their character had been weakened
by pacifist agitation; stores were INSULT
Client; the reserves could not be incorpor-
ated before the corps went to the 'front.'
the French efficiency was 10 per cent below
the nominal figure: the Germans was in
excess; the transition to two years service
had deranged the French organization, as
it was charged by its opponents 1t would
superior rifle and bullet compensated for
| inferiority in field guns. The Review rakes
Mr.. Hadane, the British minister of war,
at the same time, and charges him with
folly by striking 10000 British reservists
| from the army list, cutting down several
battalions of infantry and batteries of ar
tillery and by entrustng the defense or
England to county councils.
The writer on a previous occasion has re-
ferred to Prof. Schiemann, who has come to
be considered as the mouthpiece of EN-
peror William, who, when he desires to say
something outrageous or menacing, sends
for Schiemann. The latter has recently de-
livered the following oracle: Germany has
less reason than any other country to be
troubled over the present situation; the
European powers which possess colonies In
Africa and Asia will lose them; Russia and
France will have difficulty in maintaining
their protectorates in the extreme orient /;
England In one or two generations will no
longer laugh at the news Of the browning
Of Hindu as sovereign OF India: in South
Africa the Beers will replace the English:
even In the United States the Anglo-Saxon
element will be absorbed and annihilated
by another element Qt would be interest
ing to know what element but Schiemann
does not state); finally the struggle in the
Balkans Is imminent and will be the field
Of formidable struggle. But then Schie-
mann Is an Indifferent sort Of oracle, else
he might have told his master that his trip
to Tangiers would precipitate rapprOche-
ment between England and France and
Russia.
NJ Rene Pinon In an article in the Revue
des Deux Mondes, entitled 1.-THE Evolution
Of the Question Of the Orient
Oriental from the Congress Of Ber-
Trade. Him." says: What is to be
the role Of the great powers
| in the solution Of this question:" There are
but two, solutions for fact-one to precipi-
tate the ruin Of the ottoman empire in order
to appropriate the pieces; the other to main
tain the Sultan and his states in the hope
Of exercising q preponderafing influence or
exclude their rivals For Germany the Turk
Is now a necessary ally. collaboration
without whom she can neither acquire nor
hold the commercial outlets of the orient
and the roads to Asia.
The whole question Is contained in the
! above Great Britain must protect these
outlets and roads at whatever sacrifice. No
great power will be permitted to establish
Itself at Constantinople. in Armenia, in
SYRIA or in Persia. The Angio-Russian
convention Is an act of supreme defiance
aimed at Germany, and it will be known
very soon If the challenge Is accepted.
NJ Notovitch, in q book on English and
Russian relations. In which he clearly fore
shadows the Anglo-Russian convention. ex-