The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1911-02-05
GERMANY SUPREME IN
old WORLD POLITICS
Due to Diplomatical Skill of
Kaiser and Advisers
PANAMA CANAL MATTER
Has Ceased to Offer Food for Comment
From the German Press--Plague
Snid to BE Spreading In
Manchuria
PANAMA CANAL MATTER
BY FREDERICK WERNER

Berlin, February 4.-(Special.) AS the
New Year grows older it becomes evil
dent that the powers of Europe are pre-
pairing to acknowledge without further
protest the indisputable fact that the
diplomatical skill of the Kaiser and his
advisers has succeeded in establishing
the absolute supremacy of Germany in
European politics. The Potsdam meet
ing between the Kaiser and the Gar
stirred up political activity all over Eu-
rope and brought forth violent denun-
cation of German treachery In France
and England, where Germany Is always
suspected of evil intentions, but even in
these two countries the most anxious
national political outlook at present is
quite bright.
The recent debates in the French
Chamber of Deputies showed in the most
rense in that country since the Kaiser
invited the Gear to discuss the political
situation with him at Potsdam and many
statesmen openly asserted, that from that
moment the F'ranco-Russian alliance has
ceased to exist. An official explanation,
however, was given by the Russian Pre-
mier, M. Stolypin, to the Mathis ST. Pc
tersburg correspondent, which had the
desired effect of allaying the fears of the
French people, and when the French
Minister Of Foreign Affairs, M. Pichon,
was asked in the chamber by the social
list leader, M. Jaures, as to what hap
poned at Potsdam, the minister was able
to reply that Nicholas and Wilhelm had
talked only about the Persian question.
M. Pichon's reply was absolutely in
accordance with truth, for from the
most reliable source 1 know that neither
Kaiser nor Car suggested or accepted
any proposal directly affecting the pres
ent grouping of the European powers
Russia remains, as before, the faithful
ally of France, but the Cars govern
ment reserves the right to look after
Russia's own interests outside of Europe
without asking the permission of France,
ard this means first of all the Russian
minister of foreign affairs is anxious to
avoid any conflict with Germany in Per-
STA. What happens in Persia today is
plain enough: The Kaiser has forced
Russia and England, which were pre-
pared to plumber that country, to give
Germany her share of the plumber. Ger
man commercial interests in Bagdad are
immense; millions and millions of Ger
man capital are tied UP in Persian en-
terprises, the Bagdad railroad has sew
eral times before caused European dip
lomats many uneasy hours
There is not the slightest doubt that
the Kaiser has accomplished a dplo-
matte masterstroke at Potsdam, even if
he and the Gar "only" discussed the
Persian question, and French statesmen,
who wish Germany no good, are justly
dissatisfied with the Kaiser's success,
which emphasizes their own misfortunes,
for French diplomacy has recently suf-
fered many setbacks, and France has
not yet forgotten the failure of arrang-
ing the Turkish loan in France, and Ger
lnany's successful bid for this impor-'
tant piece of business.
After the violent speech of M. Jaures
in the chamber, in which he said that
even If France had been defeated by
Germany 40 years ago, there was no.
reason why it should now be satisfied
to pay the political part of a conquered
nation, the leading public men of France
have Gained down, happy in the knowl-
edge that the Franco-Rusian. alliance
still exists, though silently deploring the
fact that Europe's political centre of
gravity now seems permanently fixed at
WilhelmsstraSse.