The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-03-30

Z 7 JENNA, March e.--(Eurpoe needs
" a Bismarck. That is the judgment
of serious political students on the
Iementable ,muddle of higher politics dur
ing recent years. Europe is shocked by
the low talent and feeble characters OF
her leading statesmen; the blunders of
Individual powers, the monstrous comedy
of '"rhe European Concerts" and the lack
of will, knowledge and Imagination of the
disposal of the chancelleries Things, It
is admitted. were never as bad as now.
The bones of Bismark, GortchaSoff and
Andrassy must turn in their graves as
they see the Berchtolds, Jagows, Greys
and Sazonoffs posing as statemen of au-
thority; and trying in their twentieth
century way to bend the diplomatic bows
o. the nineteenth century Achilles.
The complaint that Europe wants
Bismark has been brought to a head by
the present Balkan imbroglio, in which
the powers individually, and still more
SO, the powers when acting in concert,
have cut contemplate figures. 1t is when
such high politics come up that Europes
poverty in statemenship shows itself. In
domestic affairs things go we'll enough
is rich in extraordinarily clever debaters
and dialecticians; Germany has solid ad-
ministrators, and almost everywhere ex-
eept in Russia internal progress is made.
But once higher politics come on the
scene Europe collapses incontinently.
Europe today has not single foreign
minister who is sincerely respected in
his own country or who has the least
Ra
Aehrenthal was the last of the great ira
dition. Only foreign minister
claim to have rendered the least service
TO his country. That is the italian, Mar
quis di San Giuliano. But San Guilano's
service is Tripoli, and that enterprise
though accidentally crowned by success
needed adroitness rather than the talents
of a statesman. The French are better
off. They have had of late no foreign
minister of first rate talents but their
diplomats are the best in Europe. That
is why in spite of her decline in powes
and population, France keeps a leading
place in Europe. But French statesmen
lack what Germans call der crosse Zug.
--the grand style. Their successes are
mainly in the domain OF intrigue, in the
making use of friendly powers and in be-
ing made use of. Germany's diplomatlSts.
since the death of Marschall Won Bieber
stein, are wholly and unanimously unit
The late kiderlen Waechter had Bis
marckan pretences and poses; he had also
Bismarckan courage; but he had no In
sight for policy. The new foreign sec
1etary, Herr Won Jagow. is an aniable
nonentity Even the nowis. brilliant San
Giuliano fooled him when he was German
ambassador at Rome At an hour when
Italian transports We're preparing to
steam out of italian ports on their way
to Tripol Won Jagow was telegraphins
5nnocently 10 Berlin that the tale of the
Impending seizure of rripoli was a rid
fculous lie.
Russia is as bare OF talents in foreign
affairs as she is in home matters The
present foreign minister Sazonof. owes
lis elevation TO the fact that he is Il
brother-in-law of the late Premier Stoy-
pin, just as Izoisky before him became
minister because his manners pleased the
Dowager Empress Marie. He is an inn
proyement on lzvolsky. IzyolslSy was all
vanity. During tbs. Austro-Russian
quarrel over Servia in 1909. when war
seemed almost certain, the st Peters
burg newspapers gave daily accounts OF
how he worked at nothing save the dec
Grafton Of his official apartment Saxon
off has superior brains; but he is idle. and
GisiilSes to werl even at The decoration
OF his apartment. All detail and diff
culf work is left to subordnates. The
s'Novoye yremyaN lately published an ar
ficle showing that these subordinates
themselves do on an average only two
and one-quarter hours work day, and