THE FASHODA INCIDENT REVIVED.

Press, Volume LIX, Issue 11279, 21 May 1902, Page 6

THE FASHODA INCIDENT REVIVED.

The cable news this morning contains a curious pronouncement by M. de Witte, the I ________ Minister of Finance, on tha subject of the Faahoda incident of 1898. What M. de Watte*s object may be in making tbe statement at the present time as not very clear, nor is it easy to see the force of his contention that Fashoda "became a real victor*, for France." His argument appears to be that if Britain bad gone to war with '£-__£. over the Fashoda incident, she would .not have entered upon th© Transvaal War, tod'thus .would not have been so handicapped i__ the Far East, when the position there became acute in 1900. The Russian Minister' evidently implies that but for the enormous drain imposed upon her -©sources by the Transvaal War, Britain would have adapted a much more aggressive policy in China, with' a' view to securing for heraeK a goodly share of that Empire in the event of its dcssolution. Both the argument and the .inference, however,seem to us to be erroneous. It ia unlikely that - Britain could have avoided the trouble in. the Transvaal had -he game to war with France in 1698. The Transvaal Government having forced a war .upon us wiien we were.„t peace with the res. of the world would certainly not .have held its hand if we bad'been involved (with a firstclass naval, power. . It is true, no doubt, that the presented Britain _ro__ intervening'in China as effectively as the importance of her interests in the Far East warranted; but even if "the British Gove_nin_ui had _ent a much larger force to China, it _'is very unlikely that they w-uld have, departed _ro_t the "open-door" poKoy 'w-iph'they .have always advocated and supported. Nor, iv th. settlement of the Chinese" question did France gain any striking advantago over Britain,,although tho former has since then been busily pushing iber ,c6n__ss;ona in Southern China. _vus«i_ cenfcainly was enabled nmteriaily to sfcrengthen jh__ hold on Manohuria, but we may hope that the completion of the Anglo*. Japanese, Alliance will act as an effective ____ediate adv_ntage gained by the.No_tl-_m Power. R__sia, at' the 'time .of the Fashoda incidient, was_ <_oubtles. well aware of France?. weakness, and &_vise_ hep io f'back down on .that account. - Mow tits" can be construed into "a real victory".for France is not readily ■appaaent tp the- British mind, nor is the explanation volunteered by' M, de Witte by amy means convincing.