THE INTERNATIONAL OUTLOOK

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 711, 10 January 1910, Page 4

THE INTERNATIONAL OUTLOOK

.; The speech delivered.by Mr. Balfour -at Hanley, referred to in a cablegram published in our last issue, raises, some interesting questions regarding the present international situation, and the possibilities of complications in'.tho; near future,' viewed in connection with the coming . British elections. ; right-thinking, man must surely support Mr..'. Balfour in! his. disagreement; with; tho oftrepeated; assertion that war between England 'and.Germany"is- inevitable. It is. not inevitable; but it may become so if; the reckless charges arid challenges of irresponsible alarmists should findgeneral acceptance in :: tho.. two, nations immediately concbrned. A war between two gr'.at-European Powers would'-'givo such a blow to eivilisa-: tiori that ho:responsible person can■ contemplate .sucnra.disaster without the gravest concern. It is somewhat, surprising to find;Mr.-.;Bal- ; four, telling the: world ...'.that.- tho statesmon and 'diplomatists' of- the lesser;' 'Powers 'unanimously state that • ; struggle ■;■ between Germany and Britain is- bound to'epme. It isto be hoped that the iteader of the British Opposition in, the heat of political debate- ; haß over-empha-sised the' gravity .of. the -position;, but, ■on -the- other' hand,\it is:;pos-; sible-. that ,Mr. Asquith•■• is • rather, too -optimistio when, j^hev.-. declares, that;there 'is.."jioti'.a,;single smali or groat, which.is-shaping its' policy,- or basing- .its .''.''calculations, upon.ithe, assumption that, wari'bo':. twobn Britain; and .Germany,; is inevitable or'' even-probable.'' :,.,Thero ; appear-to : be wide,■-. differences. ■ of opinion as to the outlook,-. Some of. the' latest. London paperslstate- that there are indications of.a change for the', bettor- in- Germany's '.attitude ; towards .Britain.;;' TJui'iStm-'. Berlin correspohdent,- for in-, 'stance;-.states:! ■;■'. .;-;';;. 1 .;-;>- '^ .-'.;.-;.

" ■' Tho' hew Imperial'Chancellor','Dr.-von: Bothniann-Hollweg,; has "already signified his intention' of: adopting methods in the management, of Germany's foreign' policy essentially '. different ■. from-, those /which; characterised the regime')d£; his'.-'prede-.' cessor, Prince 'Bulow,. and, 'without suggesting .'that.the-, fundamental principles of, Gorman policy, will; thereby,; bo; upset; itiraay.be sfuted.with certainty..thai the new Chancellor's methods ■, seonv. destined to .avoid some d{ .those 'erratic.'and. even irritating fcaturcs'of .German foreign policy 'which from .time to time .'disturbed. Germany's' neighbours" during :.',Princo .Bulow's. Chancellorship.',.•:. The beginning .of'this.era of new. taotics;in.foreign' pol-. .icy,- was marked..publicly, Jby;.Count:Berpstorff's .recent speeches'..'in./ America;.:.! am'/.able, to state;, that 'Count', Bernstprff did ; not deliver, those speeches o'irhis own initiative, but -that"thei"utterances'. 're-! flebted'Dr. von Bethmann-Hollweg's opinion?. \ i In.'! particular,''.; Count.. Bernstorff's speech denouncing the 'pan'-Germans'..; ex\ actly • reproduced the jlmperial-, .Chancellor's/views. It is jnst , this/utterance, therefore, that marks the departure.from Prince' Bulow's. methods; Prince ; Bulow" coquetted with; the: pan-Germans, -whose agitation' on more than one occasion, pion-eered.-.his own .aggressive /and—to .'neighbouring Powers^-irritating-policy. . '-:,

The Standard'si correspondent/goes' on to', declare: that.' the /Chancellor ■ has the -full/ support ; of.' the 1 Kaiseh j. Ayho jnterids, to. '■' indicate '.his •-,.;; apV. proval in/two/ ways. 'First, he will confer the : Order of : the Black Eagle ori OooNT, Bebnstoeffj ' : and, second, the Count has been.marked , as'/the. .next Ambassador in..London, in succession to OounT'WolffMettbenioh.■'■■ The ; correspondent,; however ,_ also points ■ out that, though, it .may bB '/positively'.affirmbd that these intentions are now entertained, whethor/.they will, be realised is. another question. When 'they become there/will ■■ be an-.'outbreak of'pah-Gorman,'anger which, .may prevent .them .fromrbe-, ing'translated into acts;':' Tho/bittcr; comments' on _ Count■J.--'-Bebnstohff , s' speeches published;in;.Gorman .Gon'r. :servative; newspapers the existence of a strong opposition to his methods,', arid... no efforts /will' bo spared to obstruct the <'Imporial Chancellor's /new line,-; of'' .foreign policy/ ' ! "~' '"''''"' '" ' '

' The application of the present relations between Britain and Germany to_tho coining British general election is supplied from the French point of view by an interesting article which recently appeared in L'O'piriion, in the course of' which it is stated that

;. Tho ..Wilielmstrasso is .'aware fiat the Conservatives : intend vigorously ■to put to sham© : the' tardy efforts . made . by\ the Liberals for the reorganisation; of the Army, and Navy,, with the result. that the .lead of. .England;; already.''considerable; would: become overwhelming. How, then, should Gorman ] diplomacy., forbear from working, so far as it■:oan,.'to assist the Radicals to victory at' the polls?. The. only service it, can vender'is cleverly: .'to bring about a real detente,, so' as to .coincide with' the coming:;orisis;' : The Liberals know. that, a panio .like that •of last autumn would be. enough to ; open. the. gates of power...to;.,their opponents, and,'therefore, they, are responding to; .the, efforts of Germany.: 'Negotiations. on' South African affairs, on the Congo'ques-j Hon, and on maritime, armaments are being..taken up and prosecuted.' Count '•Wolff-iletternioh : is - touring again,".-and; Mr. Asquith—for once—is optimistic. And this is why. the British elections will constitute not only a turning point in.English, history, but also a date in the relations between England and Germany. ■.;■.■

Here it will be seen that the; suggestion is made' that Germany is,merely playing-, a. game to /assist the return to power in .England of the pariy whose policy: it considers best fits in with .German ambitions. ; Commenting on the above. article, the Standard's' Paris correspondent states, that it-affords .another, proof of the direction taken by French thought' in considering the coming olectioris in England, which will be iwatched r in France, not as,deciding the questions of Tariff Reform .or the future of the Upper House so much as a symptom of what France may henceforth expect in the' way of substantial support from the ; bthcr side of the Channel in;the hour of need. -■'■ Rightly, ; or wrongly, French public opinion seos a/dangcr in tho future/ policy of the Liberals,' and salvation in: tho advent to power of the' Unionists, and the sympathies of France are'undoubtedly on the side: of the .Opposition, in the present crisis'in the political', history, ot <Jw*t> Britain,- /-