BRITISH AND FOREIGN NEWS.

Greymouth Evening Star, Volume XXXI, 18 October 1901, Page 4

BRITISH AND FOREIGN NEWS.

The Franco-Turkish Trouble.

Spectator Summary.

London, August 31st. It is almost impossible to discern the truth as to the dispute between France and Turkey. The claim of the former was that the Sultan should a low the French concessionaries of the quays in Constantinople to enter on their property, and should pay two large bills which his Majesty admits that ho owes to two French hankers. The Sultan at first evaded both claims, and then conceded both, agreeing to borrow £4,000,000,' and one of that to buy the quays and pay the Frenchmen’s bills. Ho then receded from his promise, and then when again threatened surrendered the quays to the concessionaries, but demanded time for the other bills. M. Constans was by some accounts half inclined to agree, but M. Delcasse was not; a peremptory demand was addressed to the Sultan, and as it was once more evaded, M. Constans left Constantinople, and the Turkish Ambassador in Paris, Munir Bey, who is away on a holiday, was requested to keep away for a time. Technically this is not a breaking off of relaiions, because the Legations remain though the ambassadors are absent; but it seems to be understood that if the Sultan does not yield measures of direct coercion may follow, which, as he thinks, may rouse the slumbering rebellions among his own subjects into activity, He will, therefore, it is supposed, yield, and pay the money, if hejean raise it anywhere which is not quite certain.What was France’s Motive ?

The puzzle is why France should have chosen this particular minute for being so highhanded. The dispute cannot bo agreeable either to Russia or Germany, both of which countries profess to be the Sultan’s friends; nor can France gain anything by it, unless, indeed, she intends to accept an island in the Mediterranean in lieu of all claims, which is possible, but would rouse many jealousies and protests. The Mediterranean world is not afraid of France, which could hardly be more strongly seated than she is at Toulon Algiers, and Biserta, but is .afraid of her ally, who has as yet not enrered the inland sea. It is possible, of course, that M.’Constans, who is a rough man as well as a strong, is only trying to make himself visible—note his statement to an interviewer that ho is sick of Constantinople—and that M Delcasse has yielded to the temptation of every Foreign Minister of France. The incident, however, requires explanation, and we would warn our readers n,t to rely too implicitly on the Sultan’s readiness to yield. Ho knows perfectly well that Europe never holds together if Constantinople is threatened. At the same time, France has imperative reasons for securing a decisive diplomatic victory. If not, hor influence in the Levant, which has been waning most seriously during the past ten years, will suffer a blow from which it might, never recover. Steel Trust y. Unions.

The American Steel Trust appears to be winning its contest with the workers in steel. The latter did not hold together, Chicago, for example, deserting them, and the non-unionists, instead of helping their rivals as those rivals expected, showed readiness to fill their p'aces. Tho strike, therefore, is collapsing, with much loss to its leaders in credit and influence, and Mr Pierpont Morgan, who is evidently a fighting man, is said to declare that in future he will not negotiate with unions unless they accept charters of incorporation, and can bo sued for damages for breaches of agreement, This demand, if conceded, might at first strengthen the unions, butit would make them practically great contractors for labor under effective responsibilities. The conditions of life in America seem on tho whole unfavorable to unionism. Wages are high, there is no general poorlaw. and the Federal system interferes with unity of tone. Their great disadvantage, however, is the almost universal hopefulness. When every man looks forward to being a master, he regards the men’s demands, in part at least, from the master’s point of view. We imagine, too, though wo do not assert this, that the position of foremen, who are very influential, is much better in the States than in England, Russian Agitation in the Balkans. The Pester Lloyd, the most important of Hungarian newspapers, declares it is time to reconsider the entente between Austria and Russia. That entente has preserved peace in the Balkans, but there are now signs that Russia, having settled affairs in the Far East, is disposed to abandon it, and recommence in the Peninsula a Pan-Slavic agitation. It would be necessary, of course, to resist this, and as a preliminary the Pester Lloyd would let the entente drop. The article is the more remarkable because of its freedom from violence of tone. The writer admits that the Russian Cabinet may intend to be loyal, but points out that so it was also just previous to the war with Turkey. The Pan-Slavs first agitated the Balkan States, and then forced the Tsar into a war with Turkey he would willingly have avoided.

Empress Frederick’s Will. The details of the Empress Frederick’s will are published by the Lokalanzeiger. The Empreas leaves each of her children £50,000, but tho youngest daughter, Princess Margaret, gets Fredrichshof in addition, her husband Prince Charles of Hesse, being tho only Prince wealthy enough to keep it up. There arc other legacies to friends, dependents, and members ot the Empress’s household. Altogether, tho Empress is said to have left £550,000, including Castle Friedrcbshof. According co tho Berlin correspondent of the Daily News, this comparatively large amount “ accrued from savings made from her dowery of £50,000, the English annuity of £BOOO, Iho allowance she received as Empress-Dowager, and tho £150,000 inherited from the Duchess of Qallier, which sum was invested in Cattle Friedrichshof.” An income ot £50,000 a year, which we presume was about that enjoyed by tho Empress, is, of course ample even for Royal persons—unless they are really extravagant, and then no income is big enough—but to the great American millionaires the sum must seem comparatively small. We do not doubt that many of them are genuinely puzzled to think how the Dowager-Em-press managed to keep up her state on a fifth part of tho income enjoyed by at least a dozen ot America’s rich men.

Origin of the War. A great deal of attention has been attracted during the week to an article in the September National Review by Sir Edward Grey writes with characterisiic straightforwardness, and yet moderation, and shows once again how ridiculous is the contention that wo forced war on the Boers. The whole paper is well worth close study, but perhaps the most sinking and original portion of it is that in

which Sir Edward Grey points out that if the Transvaal had been a State of equal size and power many people who sided with the Boers would have sided with the British Government. “But it seemed incredible that the Beers could deliberately have risked war with the certainty of lefeat,’’ and therefore it was assumed that war was forced upon them. Of course this was a delusion, for the Boers by no means thought themselves our inferiors in military strength. They thought of the analogy of a leopard attacking an ox, and argued that the leopard always wins in spite of the ox’s size and short horns. Sir Edward Grey ends his article with a defence of Lord Milner which does him the greatest .possible credit. If ever a man had the courage of his political opinions, that man is Sir Edward Grey. But depend upon it, his countrymen will not think the worse of Him for that.