The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1913-06-16
France and Spain Come to an Under
standing But Neither Country
Makes Official An
nouncement.
FRANCE NEEDS FRIENDS
Other Countries Arc SO Powerful That
the Two Were Almost Com
PEELED to Become
Partners.

respondent Of the United Press.1 i
PARTS, June 16-Though neitheril
France nor Spain has said so official |
ly, the feeling here is that the two
countries have come to an understand.
ing and that this understanding is
shortly to take the form Of an en-
tente or a defensive, If not offensive.
alliance.
The understanding is admittedly
an established fact, though just how
far 1t goes remains to be seen. But
by the process of putting two and two
together, through interviews with
diplomats, parliamentarians and
| friendly officials, and balancing these
with statements given out by the
Spanish premier, Count de Roman
ones, and others, the situation is
about this:
Germany and France are at odds
over the old old question of Alsace.
Lorraine and no let-up is in sight
Germany is passing military measures
which will give her an army of nearly
a million men and new war budget
of s262, 100000 for extra expenditures.
France has replied by returning to
the three-year army service, which
increases her standing army to about
/ 7o5, 900 men. and by passing special
war budget Of nearly $100,0o0,0o0.
/ In short both nations have about
gone their limit in the game OF pre-
pairing for war-which Europeans
appear to believe Inevitable and
France is clearly outnumbered.
Russia her ally, is an absolutely
unknown quantity. She might be able
to fight we'll, attempting to regain
her lost prestige, then again she
might not. England. with which coun-
TRY France has an Entente Cordiale"
lis still more uncertain. The impress
sion is that she would help France In
the event of war with Germany, II
4 Germany, on the ether hand, has
I two allies; Austria and italy. And
Germany can count the soldiers OF
these two countries in with hers when
1.-The gong taps.
3 Clearly France stands In need OF
new friends, friends she can count on
with absolute certainty, in ~ase OF
need. And here is where Spain comes
in.
Spain, for long time Isolated in
lher peninsular, has played no part In
the European concert The six great
powers have ignored her completely
and she is tired of the oblivion. She
wishes to become a real power and
has wished to do so for some time
flirting first with the Triple Entente
, then with the Triple Alliance. Ger
many, it appears, had no great neet
!, for an understanding with Spain, but
encoura ged her in order to keep hel
away from France. For months France
, and Spain were at odds over tflf
Moroccan question and Germany II
: I,accused of having played the twt
! countries one against the other.
3 A settlement of Franco-Spanish diff
e ferences, however, caused both coun
a tries to see a light. King Alfons,
I paid a state visit to France, snt
g brought along with him Count de Re
9 manones, his prime minister A com
S plete understanding was arrived a
I during conferences here, France, it II
o said, telling Spain that If she woult
L get her house in order, patch up ant
d increase her fighting forces, Franc
r would talk a still closer understand
r ling-an entente with a military fea
e lture, or perhaps make it an alliance
e King Alfonso had no sooner reache,
e Madrid than it was announced that
l. thorough overhauling of the arm
g and navy would be undertaken a
d once. New ports will be dug to she
o ter the Spanish fleet. New fortresse
e are to be built, new barracks for al
7, Increased standing army, constructed
n The present war budget is placed a
$4,000, 600 pesetas; for 1914 it will b
: 225,00o,000 A million is to be spen
In campaign manouvers and anothe
million Is to develop cavalry-hors
breeding. New aeroplanes and dir
gibles are to be purchased for TIL
army; these to come from Franc
where many Spanish army officer
will be sent to learn to fly. The al
tillery will be greatly developed, thu
sum OF ITO millions being set asid
for that purpose. Compulsory mil
tary service Is to be Instituted rieoi
ousy and the army on peace TOO
ing. will number $4,000 men. G
these $4,000 win be stationed in A.
RIGA. In all, the extra war expend
lures the new Spanish policy calls FOL
amount to So7,oo0.ooO pesetas.
Therefore. WREN the war between
Germany and France shall come
that's the way they speak of 1t owe
here Spain can protect frances Al
rican colonies, Morocco, Algeria an
Tunis. Furthermore she could d.
guard duty on the western coast Q