The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1913-04-10
SPIRIT Of UNREST
SEXES ENGLAND
Future Policy of Nation on
Larger Army and Navy
Stirs Country.
Try philin EyerettO

London. April 10.-That a change
has taken place in English forefgn
politics during the last two years has
been evident ever since Mr.. Asqulth,
in reply to a question in the u OIL
said that under no condt-
ton to send a military force across
the channel in order to assist France
in case she were attacked by Ger
many. Later it has been asserted here
in England that MIR. Asquith spoke
then as prime minister but that II he
had spoken in his quality as chairman
of the committee OF national defense
his words would have been different,
and in the Paris press it a been
stated that Mr.. Winton Churchill sew
eral days later explained away the
prime minister's words in a way sat-
.isfactory to France. But at present
we have only Mr.. Asquith's official ut
terance to go by, and this most GER
tainly indicates a change of front,
which is far from being approved by
the whole English nation.
1t is an indisputable fact that in the
fall of 1911 the government had ev-
erything ready to send a very large
body of troops into Belgium to meet a
German attack on France through
hat country had 1t come to war over
the Agadir incident, and when Ger
many made sure of this she suddenly
backed down, !. not feeling strong
enough to. fight France and England
not to be dreaded at that time.
Apparently the relations between
this country and France have remain
ed unchanged since that time. but Mr..
Asquith has nevertheless said hat in
no case would English troops be SEN
out of the country to help France. So
under the surface a change must new,
ertheless have taken place.
England's foreign policy has chang
She has reached something ap-
an understanding with Ger
and certain secret prom.
Uses may have been made. England's
purpose is now to prevent a European
conflict, but the present omenS do not
seem very favorable.
Germany has Unexpectedly declared
her intention of strafning all her eff
forts to prepare for a war which Is to
come very soon, probably even before
the n of the present year If things
we'll in Germany and badly in
In that case it seems that
is to be left to fight her own
battles on land. And here is where
the critics of the governments new
foreign policy see a great danger to
England.
If Germany is defeated in that
struggle. they say, everything will be
we'll, for we shall then, stand. to lose
nothing more than the friendship of
France. But il France is crushed,
England's turn will come ext. Ger
many has several demands to make
up the British empire, which she dare
not make now, when France Is ready
to rush to u assistance. But with
the French army eliminated as A fac
tor, these demands will surely be
made and England will have to accede
to them Or face the war with Germany
h has been dreading for years.
And 1t is for this reasOn that a very
strong public opinion in this country
demands that the government should
stick to the policy which was so suc-
cessfully inaugurated and carried
through by the late King Edward.
Those who raise this demand are not
the adversaries OF the present liberal
government. but its W supporters
for the policy of the strong entente
may be carried through without enor-
nous naval expenses or Introduction
Of general CONSUMPTION. But the leav-
ing of France to her fate will mean
that we must be prepared to meet
Germany single-handed IL she is VIC
torious. IT..
Signs are not lacking that the old
house Of lords as It now exists 10
doomed to disappear within the next
few years. And it viii disappear with
out any body putting up a fight for 1t.
The present government is determined
to reform" it within the lifetime Of
the present parliament. and Mr.. AS
quith a declared that not a vestige
Of the hereditary principle will he per-
mttted to remain. And not only has
j announcement not been met with
a cry Of horror from the tories. but
some OF their Papers seem quite salts
fled at the prospects.
What the details of the reform
will be. It is beyond my power to
prophesy, but machine politics are the
order of n day here as we'll as in
America. and IL is quite safe to pre-
dict that the new upper house will be
planned to be as s~erviceable to the
machine politicians as the ingenuity of
our professional politicians can make
1t. Whether the change will be for
the good OF the country remains to he
seen. but nobody really cares what be-
comes OF our hereditary legislators.
who Tor years havo been working to-
ward the sealing Of their own doom.
When they failed year after year to
make any protest against the open
sale OF "honOrs" to men with abso.
lutely no claim to distinction they for
feited the respect Of the country, and
when they threw out the budget Of
1903 they played into the hands Of tho
men VINO are now about to pronounce
the death sentence on them.
"
In the course of d month or 40 we
may expect to see the report Of Mr..