Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-21
THE VIEWS OF A DIPLOMAT
How the Algeciras Congress is EN-
ployed as Blind.
AN INTEREST IN ASIA MINOR
Proposition Advanced for Withdraw
ing Claims in Morocco-Czar's
Recent Significant Speech.

Numerous conflicting reports from China
on the situation there are coming In every
day keeping the reader In quandary. be-
cause of their questionable trustworthi-
ness. Furthermore, conflicting statements
are being made daily by officials who are
| supposed to be cognizant of the affairs in
the celestial empire. which are always made
to affirm or TO discredit all reports from
China according to their tenor, or ac-
| cordfng to their ideas. The letter pub
| lshed in The Star last Wednesday, coming
| from n prominent diplomat at Picking, has
caused a great deal of comment in official
| circles, and. although rumors OF disap-
proval come from certain quarters. the
general consensus of opinion among the
! high officials of the administration Is that
| it depicted the situation unmis stakably well.
The letter, it will be remembered, spoke
| in a more or less detailed way of China's
attitude toward the great powers, which
have divided themselves into two distinct
groups: Japan, Great Britain ana lhe
| United States; Russia and Germany, with
| probably China in their favor. The tlun-
| Virate of the three great sea powers. VINO
would have a sweeping command OF an
| the seas in case of war was not so mneh
| of surprise in many quarters as s WIS
| the fact that Germany and Russia nave
practically united themselves, for the fur-
| therance of their own Individual ana COL
lective interests, and that German gold
has been and is being, freely expended all
| over the Asiatic empire so as TO disseni-
| nate a favorable impression among ue
Chinese, an impression pro-husSo- - iilllil'
| because 1t has been learned since, RUSSIA
| Is sharing in this monetary Hherallty.
| II Is almost an impossibility to get the
opinion of the administration on the Chi-
nese situation. but 1t is not an impossl-
bilIty to get the opinion Of Washington
| diplomats. who, as Is known 70 pe lIe cas-
| in every large capital, always relset the
| beliefs of the government TO wif4cu tHey
| are acccredited Hence In commenting on
such an important subject, the dlpiomal
| who has volunteered to DO SO may oe saso
/ to Voicce the sentiments u AiheiiSaH o'i
eials. Said e;
Germany Behind All Trouble.
| .rrhe letter published in The Star last
weak came quite as a shock to some diplo
mats, owing to some of the bare and unas-
! saiIabIe truths which IL contained. By that
/ 7 mean the alliance between Russia and
| Germany. of which something was known In
| diplonatic circles only in a hazy way. But
| the confirmation of those rumors, coming
| from Peking. at a time when the foreign
| representatives there are stralnlng theiI
! eixtb sense SO 20 speak, has caused, to say
| the least. some anxiety. Trouble IS DreNhS
| in almost all parts of the world ana sIlls
| country is directly interested, or indirectly
| concerned, in all cases. For instance Ger
| man tariff and the United States MOROCCO
and the United States; South American &c
publics and the United states, ana many
| more OF course, the somewhat strained
! situations at each of those places is sofiie-
! thing to consider very carefully, becoming
! factor IN whatever is going to happen IN me
! immediate future. Now. for an example
| Germany is the moving spirit of all .he m
| ternatlonal troubles existing today, aId, IN
/ say the least, the great powers are not M
| clined secretly, to be sympathetic WIN her.
| The statement may be resented If l say THAI
| the United States as the greatest peace
| loving nation of the world, is annoyed by
! Germany's repeated beliigerent speecnes
and actions. This country resentS IL be-
| cause Germany is offsetting all the good
| that a move OF craftsmanship such as tnat
| of President Roosevelt in bringing about the
| end of the Russo-Japanese connlct Is, 10
cer,tafn extent forgotten and, therefore, the
| moral il brings What is the use Is the
| sentiment of the administration, of bother
| ing ourselves in taking the part OF mediator
| between two or more countries whose rela-
| tions are not smooth, when Germany enters
| in the field and by her attitude iestroys
| whatever good has been accomplished!
Take the Moroccan conference. ter IN
stance Ambassador White, the American
| envoy is not mediating in the true sense OF
| the word; he is only casting the sunlight OF
! peace which his credentials and the power
| hehind him permit him to do. But Ger
| many is always clouding that sunlight with
| its own clouds of stubbornness. whhe rance
| is at one end of the rainbow, trying her pest
| to have the sky serene. AS The star lettef
| said Morocco is being used only as blind
| to Germany's Interior motives In China.
! That was situation which even the ablest
| statesmen had not thought Of and those
few words have been the source of anxiety
| in the minds of Europeans.
Proposed Interest in Asia.
"of course. the letter in itself could be
discredited and called only newspaper talk,
and 1t is that TO which l wish TO reply.
| will give you the proofs of all that 1t said---
proofs that cannot be disputed. ! shall be-
| gin with Germany in Morocco. Therein lies
| the nucleus of this situation. Germany. as
| is well known, desires to have more than a
natural interest in the Moorish empire. All
! Meas of commercialism and industrialism
| are lost on account of the unreasonableness
of her demands France. who has SO very
| little faith in Germany, is not all deSlrous
| of giving that country fOOthold IN the
Mediterranean, the greatest strategic base
on earth. When at the last moment the
| conference becomes impossible of solution
| and a disagreement ensues Germany, not
| to appear headstrong therefore magnani-
nous and disinterested) VIII ask for some
thing else What this something else is
has already come 10 light, and, IL Is said,
Ambassador White has signified his ap-
proval. 1t is for Germany to be given only
nominal interest (Which reminds me or
her leases in China, which become moth
ing less than seizures) In Asia Minor.
There we arei Germany only looks for a
door TO Asia If she cannot get one TO the
Mediterranean. The kaiser made a Nlsit TO
Palestine some years ago, as WIN be re-
menbered under plea Of a religious pill
eriunage The religious pilgrimage was all
very well / admit, but any person can go
to one place with two purposes And so
did the kaiser He went there a pilgrim,
do you see and not a ruler. Therefore
he was able to survey as a ruler all that
was presented Go him as pilgrim, and, as
II is accepted by most today, in religion we
forget all our troubles and believe every.
man to be our brother. The imperial pill
grim is first-class long distance surveyor.
and we win know more Of this later.
dispatches coming from Algeciras say
that Marquis Nlsconti Venosta, the Italian
delegate, who is aiding Mr.. White I'm all
questions, had signified his acceptance of