Evening star., 1909-02-14

The cordial reception accorded to King
Edward VII and Queen Alexandra on their
visit to Berlin by the en-
Sign OF peror and people is every
p.,,. where accepted as harbin.
ger of future peace and good
will between England and Germany. At
the same moment OF the kings arrival
as if part Of the ceremonies. the French
| ambassador, NJ. Jules Cambon. and the
German secretary of state, VI. Won Schoen.
signed the Franco-German accord. which
puts an end to German interference In
Morocco.
The sudden and unexpected event has
had an almost magic effect in political
and financial circles. and in the London
Stock Exchange on the 10th instant, for
example. where consols have been heavy
for months, there was marked buoyancy
Prior to this incident there were porten-
tous clouds In the political Sky. Now the
clouds have passed the sun shines and
the peace of Europe and the near east is
assured
To the world without the rapproche-
nlent between France and Germany. the
first time since 1870, will appear as sim
gular coincidence. To the diplomatic
world IL is the elimination of q long
struggle to relieve tension which had
become almost insupportable for Europe,
and especially in Germany, whose econom-
ical interests have been strained to the
breaking point
the kaiser, but the kaiser undoubtedly
has been ably seconded by King Edward
VII. by the ambassador brothers. Paul
and Jules Cambon. on the one part. and
by Prince Won Buelow and Herr Schoen
or the other.
Nor has the situation been so difficult
a 6 alleged. war could not be undertaken
with insufficient war chests while pow
erful coalitions formed insuperable OBJ
stacles, FOR they rendered the results neg
ative.
| lie Temps. the recognized organ of the
| French government. declares that the
F'ranco-German agreement is a great ana
| happy event, the Importance of which 1t
would be supertiuouS to point out Never
has a. work of peace cost the dignity of
the arties Interested less. for neither has
abandoned its principles i'll any degree. 1t
| has taken four years 10 reach the agree
| ment, because In diplomacy as in science
| the truth is not attained by a single at
| tempt. and these four years, so long TO
| France and Germany, will scarcely count
| in history. II France and Germany, in
stead of being living palpable nations, had
| been pure distractions, q look at the map
would have sufffced. the first DAY, to bring
about the agreement signed on the 9th
| Instant
| lie Temps further declares that NJ.
| Pichon said to its representative:
mo act could be more useful in preserv-
| ing the general peace" The German
| ambassador at Paris
Important Prince Won Radolin. on
p..,,1.. his part said that the ef-
feet OF the agreement
| would reach farther than the Moroccan
affair. The two countries. France and
Germany. will find 1t a proof that with
good will all conflicts can bA solved which
| may he provoked in our time by the COM
| rlexity Of political and economical in
| terests to the defense OF which the great
powers Of the world are constrained"
Le Temps concludes Its article by rem
| dering praise to the kaiser. Won Buelow
| and Won Schoen. to whom it attributed
| the initiative of submitting to France this
| most important agreement.
The Gazette de la Croix. conservative
organ. was manifestly in the secret of the
Franco-German negotiations, for in dis
cussing In its columns the question Of
| contraband trade In arms on the Moroc-
| can coast, 1t Is reported In the Temps OF
January 2S to have written:
THE action of France and Germany in
that regard will not be opposed by the
| signatory powers of the Algeciras act, for
since the recognition of Mulai-Hafid by all
the powers the necessity was felt by all Of
| arriving at an arrangement. definite So
luton Of all pending questions in Morocco: ::
| that Germany and France were animated
/ by the desire to come to a complete agree
that friendly negotiations already under
taken by the two governments have been
crowned with happy results
| The Rheinisch Westfaelische Zeitung is
also In the secret of the negotiations. and
speaking OF the Algeciras convention re-
called that commercial liberty was ex-
pressly guaranteed at the same time as
| the integrity and independence of Mo-
rocco. The military operations carried on
| by France were manifestly contrary to
the spirit of the act, and Germany was
therefore forced to consider the necessity
Of concluding an arrangement for the
| liberty Of commerce.
| The Koelnische Volkszeitung writes that
a decisive change in the direction of the
Moroccan policy Of Germany will not pro-
| duce any real satisfaction in the German
public. II the abandonment of the Cher
| ifian empire to France was simply re-
nunciation without a direct and equivalent
interest for Germany.
| X x
| The Gazette de Frankfort Is troubled
about the commercial interests Of Ger
| many. France penetrates
| Germauy's Morocco from the Alge-
| p,,.,,. rian frontier and defects
| Moroccan commerce from
| the center toward Algeria. 1t LIS true Ger
many cannot interrupt such action be-
cause France is protected W certain
treaties and the Algeciras act has solemn
| ly confirmed that situation. But 1t Is
also true that 1t is contrary to the spirit
of such treaties that France under pre-
text of maintaining order and security in
those regions should confiscate for her
benefit all commerce and thus render illu-
sorry the commercial liberty promised in
theory.
| LIE Temps of January o, writing of the
visit of King Edward VII and the queen
| to Berlin, expressed the hope that it would
| not be troubled by any unfortunate Incl
dent 1t recalls that the meetings Of the
king and emperor have not up to this
time been prolific of great results. These
| two sovereignS as men do not vibrate in
| unison" Personal antipathies have for a
| fact counted for much in Anglo-German
matters. That situation does not date
from yesterday. but goes back to Ger
| tain visit at Sandringham before the
death of Queen Victoria which may have
| something to do with the tension which
has existed ever since. The interview at