The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-08-13
ENGLAND UNITED ON IFS WAR POLICY All Approve Action in Ger
 man Matter SCOTTISH PROBLEMS Balfour Tells Why They Have So Much Trouble in Making
 Headway Among the
 Scotch
By PHILIP EVERETT

take an interest in foreign affairs and | wherever you go you go now you are
 bound to find yourself in the midst of 6 | political debate on the crisis Europe has Lust passed through unscathed
 | Wonderful to say nearly everybody ap- | proves of the action of the government | Unfonists and socialists alike agree thal under the circumstances England had l only one duty, that of maintaining in tho 1 fullest and most loyal way the entente
 with France. Everybody seems to req l lize that in the face of the peril to the | peace of the world caused by Germany: l policy, Russia and England must hold to- | gether Therefore there will be no wal for, qermany's allies will hesitate to go
 with her In an attack upon the triple en-
 tente, and Germany will never do fl | alone.
 Germany made the mistake of imagin-
 ing that because the English liberal gov
 ernment and the liberal party are pacific | in intention and would like to be on bet | ter terms with her, that they were ready l to desert France But no matter what
 party rules England, nobody is going to l trust Germany so far as to cut loose from old allies and get back to the "splendidly | isolated position we were. once to be
 proud of, but the dangers of which are now clearly realized If Germany wants war with a single power she will never get it in Europe.
 The belief Is gaining more and more l that Germanys sudden move in Morocco, was caused by her fear of Frances de- clared intentions of enlisting a black army to send against the Germans in case | of another war. and it is confirmed by the l Post of Berlin which asserts that the French have for years lamented the in- creased superiority of the German popu- lation and rate of increase over France. To make up for this inferiority on the
 French side the directors of Frances s
 policy, have adopted the plan of forming an immense force of the warlike natives from northern Africa, which, in case of | war between France and Germany, will be brought to Europe to strengthen the French armies.
 It is necessary, accordingly, for Ger
 many to occupy a position at Agadir. and | in southern Morocco which will enable
 her to stir up Mohammedan insurrec-
 ton in Algeria, and prevent the African
 forces of France from being used against l the German fatherland.
 l The English press almost unanimously | asserts that, looking at the matter with
 out bias, France-African army is a grave military contingency which must
 engage the attention of German states
 men and strategsts.
 | In the first place the armies are In ex-
 stence already. It only requires to be developed and increased. The means for | its mobilization and transport have only to be developed or created. The Trench armee-noir of Africa is formed around its
 Old Guard, the formidable force of the foreign legion, whose ten thousand des-
 perate veterans form one of the most ef-
 ficient, as well as one of the most pict-
 uresque, soldatecas which ever piled the
 martial trade in ancient or modern | times.
 l Over the whole of the enormous spaces | of Frances African empire, the peace is kept or restored. the borders patrolled or extended, friendly clans encouraged and hostile sultans deposed or slain by com panies and battalions of native troops of various creeds and races. all magnificent | fighting material, and splendidly trained and handled by French officers.
 | In the French parliament the necessity | of developing the immense resources of
 French African fighting material has been openly advocated and accepted by leaders of all parties.
 We can raise two hundred thousand
 a million men," is the boast of sober ad- ministrators and dashing commanders who have led the Algerian Tirailleurs and
 the Toucouleur Rifles all over the Sa.
 hara. a
 noire is already formidable asset. and that the Berlin general staff is aware of | It's possibilities.
 have been recently brought to assist in the campaign in Morocco; and the new | troops have proved a valuable reinforce ment. The non-Arab natives indeed rec- | ommend themselves to the French of- fcers by less fanaticism and equal brav- | cry Some pagan races also are admir-
 able soldiers and possess the additional tv, EA>av1 nf aiuo an
 trely proof against the influence of the
 jealous priests of Islam. who never
 really accept any rule but that of the Moslems-
 The enormous empire of France in Af-
 rica is now known to possess not only the
 inexhaustible wealth of all kinds, but also
 the materials of great and formidable
 French commander. This is beyond
 doubt "a new situation;" and 1t would
 be to trif1e with the gravest facts if we were not to recognize that "something
 has happened'' which German policy can
 not be expected to ignore.
 1 Tn domestic politics. the leaders of the
 conservative party have begun to realize l that unless they succeed in winning a large number of seats in Scotland, the IInionists, the c. O. R. of Great Britain, will never be sufficiently strong In num-
 bere to return to Westminster to real and | lasting power
 The unionists success in Scotland at the
 1sa5 election was attained chiefly on the
 Home Rule issue; but that issue will not larain bring such good results. The Aunionist majority in Scotland in 1900 was
 the outcome of war fever-a cause which | tt is hoped will never again be operative.
 Thus. of the causes which contributed 10 | the greatest success of the unionist party | in Scotland ono must be ruled out as a
 negligible quantity, and the other regard-
 ed as a diminishing force. E l Mr. Balfour, with whom I had talk
 in the Constitutional club the other day. | gave me an idea of what the causes Of Scotland's devotion of radicalism are.
 The first one, he said, is hereditary. IA large number of Scottish radicals
 he continued "are radicals because their fathers and grandfathers were so ana
 with their radicalism 1t Is. difficult to
 deal It must be left to die out with the
 men who profess 1t and It's future oper- ation stopped by the education of tho young on-coming generations in the true principles and benefits of unionism. "A second cause of Scotland devotion
 to radicalism.' said MT. Balfour. arises from pecuriarity of a certain type of Scottish character. Most Scotsmen pos sess independence of mind and spirit, and
 many succeed inelife's battle by the pos- session of these qualities. But in the case of great number. whom through ill., luck or lack of opportunity, have not been successful. the native independence becomes warped into a species of class suspicion and even hatred, and they take their political views from any other than that of the better-off classes This class