New-York tribune., 1911-12-04
ENTENTE DIPLOMACY
The July Crisis--HeCkllng Sir
Edward Grey.

/ than JOnn Bun III pdHl' "if'"' 'fNi
war which did not occur strange
combination has been forIged between
Radical Puritans and Unionist jingoes
for forcing Sir Edward Grey 10 declare
that the entente with France Is virtu-
aIlv an alliance, and that 1t brought
England to the verge Of war with Ger
many between July and September.
When the Foreign Secretary has been
ba,ted and heckled over diplomatic rela-
tions which he is reluctant 10 discuss In
Parliament. there may be naval diver
sion. in which Lord Charles Beresford
can take-an active part. Captain Faber,
n fghting Unionist for a Hampshire
division. has been frightening his con-
stituents with yellow tale that the
british feet was divided into three
snuadrons when this crisis in foreign
relations occurred. and that the German
fleet might easily have attacked ana de-
stroyed each section In turn. Mr..
Churchill and Mr.. McKenna Will be
called upon to explain how 1t happened
that the Admiralty lost sight OF the Ger
many navy at the crucial moment when
all the resources Of sea power ought to
have been concentrated and ready for
sudden swoop across the North Sea,
with an army Of 10000 men in reserve
for reinforcing the French army All
these discussions will warn timorous old
ladies that England has ceased TO be
safe\ place of residence so long as a
Radical government remains In power.
Trades over wars which have been
narrowly escaped would be unintelligibls
~ there were no partisan motives for un-
natriotIc and unnecessary discussion. SIR
Edward Grey is attacked because he 8
responsible for the maintenance or the
entente policy introduced by King Ed
ward The German Emperor had been
| dealing individually with the powers
during the closing years OF queen We
toria's reign and had established his own
supremacy in Europe. The balance ot
power was restored when close and cord.
ial relations were formed between Eng
land for her part and France and Rus
sia on the other side. The German En-
peror was compelled to negotiate col
lectively with the three powers instead
of individually. and the resources OF the
TRIBE Alliance were counterbalanced by
those Of the Triple Entente. 1t cannot
he doubted that George V received this
policy as an inheritance from his father,
the best diplomatist of the time, and
that the Liberal government has carried
it out with firmness and efficiency. In
the second Morocco affair, as In the first
one. there were serious risks Of a Euro
pean war; but the German Emperor was
baffied in each instance, and peac was
maintained by the joint action or the
Western powers. Diplomacy, so sue
cessful and so honorable to the country
ought not TO be subjected to destructive
criticism: but partisans are not silencsd
by patriotic considerations. They object
to the diplomacy OF special ententes with
France and Russia because II involves
risks OF warfare, commits England TO
antagonism TO Germany and divides
Europe into two hostile coalitions. Be-
cause he represents this policy, they are
procIaiming that "Grey must CO.
The Little Englanders want peace az
any price Since the entente with
France and Russia is a counterweight
for German armaments and ambitions,
they want to renounce It, turn out Sir
Edward Grey and arrange a reconciia-
ton with Germany. with a reduction IN
armaments as the first consequence.
They do not name his successor at the
Foreign Office, but as it has been Mr..
Churchills fortune 10 try his hand in
managing one great department after
another possibly he would be their cam
didate. In any event they would have
the Radical government revert to the
policy Of splendid isolation, repudiate the
obligations Of special ententes. cultiyars
friendly relations with all nations and
not enter into any alliance. In effect
they are proposing an abandonment tt
King Edwards policy by which British
influence in Europe has been largely In
creased. and a return to odtime condl-
tions, under which the German Emperor
was more than match for any indi-
vidual power. Optimists among them
assume that n general disarmament
would follow a reconciliation between
England and Germany, and that viola
tions Of European treaty law, such as
the annexation OF Bosnia and Her
zegovina, the French seizure OF FeZ and
the italian invasion of Tripoli. with all
the attending atrocities, would be impos-
slble. These are elastic generalizatic1s
Many old Tories have Joined in these
Radical structures, because any stick Is
good enough for beating ministers OF the
day They assert that the entente policy
has been enlarged until il commits Eng
land to championship Of France in every
contentious negotiation. and that II has
become pact Of undisguised hostility 10
Germany Without doubt there Will be
contradictions of this motive from the
British and French Foreign Offices when
the time comes for full exposition Of re-
diplomacy Certainly the danger Of
war between England and Germany was
no greater from July to September THIS
year than II was during the summer OF
1905 when Lord Lansdowne plainly int
mated TO Prince Bulow that the partners
of the dual entente would stand together
in war as I'm peace. Now, as then there
is an urgent necessity for an improve
ment I'm the relations between EngIahu
and Germany. and the Unionist critics
find il convenient TO condemn Sir td-
ward Grey FOR carrying the Edwardi@h