New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1915-10-14
Delcasse.

sible for the fact that France and Great
Britain are to-day fighting as allies. One
Edward VII died before the fruits of his
labors were ripened; Th6ophile Delcasse
has lived TO see accomplished the great
purpose of his life, a European coalition
against the German peril he early recog-
nized and long prepared for.
In two of the most dramatic crises Of re-
cent history Delcasse played prominent
mart The first was in the Fashoda crisis
when Britain and France stood face to
face on the Upper Nile and Colonel Mar
chand, who few weeks ago greeted
Kitchener in Flanders, met tx. Of H." in
Africa and peace or war hung on the de-
cision Of the French government. The
second crisis was provoked by the Kaiser's
excursion to Tangier in 1905, when Ger
many and France played similar parts.
In 1898 Delcasse made the great decision
for his country. France, having for a
quarter Of a century pursued a policy Of
colonial expansion which provoked quar-
rel after quarrel with Great Britain, at
last stood frankly before the dilemma
which could no longer be avoided. Should
she renounce her ancient European as
pirations. her longing for the Rhine from
tier. and fight England for colonial great
ness in Africa as she had in Asia and
America. or should she compose her diff
fcrences with Britain and retain her Eu-
ropean policy born Of 1871?
Delcasse never hesitated. He compelled
his nation to suffer the humiliation Of
rashoda. to give up forever the Egyptian
dream He brought France back to Eu-
rope. But at the same time he made
agreement after agreement with the Brit
i.h. in Siam. in West Africa. Finally in
1904. by a general liquidation agreement
rance and Britain settled all differences
nd the road was clear for Edward VII
E, 90 TO Paris and France and England
10 make their entente.
But Berlin perceived the drift Of Del
casse's policy and Of Edward WIS di-
plomacy. The cardinal principle Of VIII
helmstrasse policy had been that France
and England should be kept forever apart
and Russia bound to Germany by ere
insurance" treaty. Russia had already
escaped; France and Russia were allies;
if Great Britain were now to join France,
German continental supremacy, which had
endured since 1871, would be shaken.
Thus in 1905, on the morrow of Russian
defeat at Mukden. the Kaiser landed in
Tangier and Europe faced the first Of the
series of incidents which lie between
Fashoda and Armageddon. After Tangier
Delcasse was forced to retire from the
Quai d'Orsay to save France, taken wholly
unprepared, from war with Germany.
But German diplomacy in scoring a
brilliant superficial success lost a great
battle. For at Algeciras not only Britain
but Italy stood with France, and it was
the Triple Alliance which was shaken.
Germany had struck to convince France
that she could not join with England, and
Algeciras brought the two nations closer
together than before.
AlltI Il Qllkltl ltlNdSSN ltlil ppl us
appeared. But France, then at last aware
Of the peril that overhung her, began the
work of national regeneration which was
revealed at the Marine. When the Agadir
crisis came, France and Great Britain
were disclosed as virtual allies, and be-
fore their combined firmness Germany re-
coiled. She was not ready for war, and
the triumph of Tangier was turned into
the disaster of Agadir.
Only once in this time does Delcass6 ap
pear in a conspicuous role Clemenceau
as Premier, in one of the utterly incompre
hensble domestic quarrels of French poll
ticians, one day launched into violent
assault upon Delcasse, and his own min
istry fell. After Agadir Delcass6 reap
pears in the Cabinet Of call the talents.
Nearly twenty years ago, then, Theophil,
Delcasse gave the first decisive turn t
European affairs which eliminated in tn
present struggle. About his own persona
fortunes have centred some Of the mos
dramatic steps in world history Tei
years ago Germany recognized him as he
most dangerous foe and struck him dowr
but his work had been done. In bringin
France and Great Britain together, in re
moving the causes that kept alive thei
age-long rivalry, Delcssse created q bar
rier 10 German ambition which only wa
could force.
In German minds DelcaSse was the au
thor, the joint author with Edward VII
of the policy Of reinforcement" He wa
the statesman who sought and succeede,
IN his ehorts-to fence Germany will
an iron ring Of foes. His policies and hi!
purposes, 10 the German mind, made thi.
war. History may write the verdict differ
emily, but there can be no escape from tn,
conclusion that when in 1898 Delcasst
chose 10 90 TO London rather than Berlin
he set in motion the forces that made an.