The Waikato Argus GEORGE EDGECUMBE, Proprietor. SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 1899.

Waikato Argus, Volume VI, Issue 382, 14 January 1899, Page 2

The Waikato Argus GEORGE EDGECUMBE, Proprietor. SATURDAY, JANUARY 14, 1899.

The Paris correspondent of the Times gives an account of an interview with the Czar by somebody he does not name, but whom he describes as being an English politician,, a writer and a diplomatist, and of whom he could say he had played a considerable role in his country, and that ho enjoys universal consideration. The unnamed interviewer said : "Of course the conversation Lurried on the relations between England and Russia. The Tsar did not conceal from me that they were not what they ought to be ' For two years,' he said, with a certain sadness in his voice, ' your papers, and especially The Times, have col stan tly sought to embitter the differences which have occurred between the Queen's Government and mine. You know that I am a great reader and that I like to keep up with what is going on. For instance, last night I read myself to the Empress Mr Courtney's speech, which was published in the papers of yesterday. But what grieves me is that your statesmen themselves seem to wish to follow in the steps of your journalists, and lately Mr Chamberlain did not appear to me to be a very enthusiastic Russophil.' " Jn response to a remark that England would loyally support a disarmament conference, and there

was " some hope of a long and lasting universal peace," the Czar is reported to have said : " A hope !" " I have enough hrpes ; I am getting tired of hopes ; I want something more tangible and practical/' and with an admirable lucidity, with an ardour born of the matter in hand, he developed his ideas before me and his views on disarmament, explaining to me the nature of the solution which he thought possible in the circumstance. " There are," he said, " three points on which an entente of the various Powers could be realized, First, they might bind themselves until further notice to make no increase in existing armaments ; they would decide only to maintain their existing armaments, and even to peifect them, but t.ot to increase them. Secondly, this state of things could be maintained for five years, at the end of which the Powers could meet again and discuss afresh whether these restrictions should he maintained or abandoned, and they would fix the duration of the new period for which they would make a similar engagement. Thirdly, they would settle their attitude in case of menace or prospective hostilities. What I would like is that they should proceed as in a duel. When two men are on the point of coming to blows, before anything else they discuss the importance of the offence and the conditions of the fight. Each man chooses his second?, and sometimes these seconds appeal to an arbiter. Very well; it would be the same for the Powers. For instance, take the Fuahoda affair, now just settled. England would have taken as second the United States, and France would have taken Russia. The United States and Russia would have heard the reasons and explanations of the two parties. The two seconds would have examined and weighed them iu their prudence and justice and then given their verdict. If, by chance, they did not come to an understanding they would have recourse to an arbiter —the Emperor Francis Joseph, for instance—and he would have given the casting vote. Perhaps the verdict would not always be accepted ; perhaps, in spite of all efforts, war might ensue; but, in any case, while the seconds were discussing tho affair a certain period of time would have elapsed, and the two parties in dispute, calculating tho consequences of hostilities, would finally lean towards peace rather than war,"

If the Emperor of Kussia held in his own hands the uncontrolled guidance of Russian policy, his protestations of peaceful intentions would carry more weight than they do. It is well-known that autocrat as he is nominally, he is often carried along by the power behind the throne, the nobles and the army. Nicholas 11. may be absolutely sincere, but he is not his own master. His country is in very serious monetary straits, and it is with the greatest difficulty that she maintains her enormous armaments, On the contrary, England's expenditure on her army and navy is well within her capacity. Again, it must be remembered that in the case of Russia, although 6he might cease to enlist a single additional soldier, and refrain from building a single gunboat, she would continue the construction of railways towards China and India, which are a greater menace to British power and prosperity than would be large additions to the fleet and army. From a financial point of view Russia is very much in the position of the fox who had his tail cut off in a trap and endeavoured to persuade all the other foxes to follow the fashion. As we point'ed out some time back, there can be no security that peace will be maintained till free trade pro vails throughout the world. If this were once established the greatest reasons for and causes of war would be removed. We fear that the day is far distant when this will be the case.