INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12545, 12 April 1904, Page 6

INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

KING EDWARD'S INFLUENCE. ' [KKOM OCR OWN- COJaiK.SI'ONDKVr.] L'.ixcox, March 12. Happily there is a distinct improvement in i th* tone of Russia toward England. A})- j parently the Russian press lias at last been brought to see how strictly correct and fair has been the attitude of England from first to last, and how entirely unreasonable have been the "wild and whirling" imputation*) cast by Russian writers upon British neutrality and impartiality. I suspect that a hint has been received from headquarters, for siueo the improvement in tone set in, the Tsar has made tlio following comment, which was issued direct to the loading journals:—"! have been following the press with attention lately, and have become convinced that it interprets events rightly. The national spirit which animates the press j has given me profound satisfaction. I hope the press'will continue to show itself worthy of it? task, to express the feelings and j thoughts of the country, and to use its great j influence on public opinion in order 'to Im- ; part to it the truth, and nothing but the ! truth." _ . . But among a certain class in Russia, Anglo- j phobism still undoubtedly prevails. If is ! based oil the conviction that the Japanese j would never have dared to declare war against Russia had she not been egged on j I by England, and felt sure that in the last j resort she would be backed up by her ally j at least to tho extent of being saved from j any untoward consequences in tho event of | defeat. America now is honoured by a j liberal share of Russian animosity. Mr. Hay s is described as "the nightmare that destroys j the sleep of Europe's diplomatists," and the j idea is sedulously instilled that* En gland and ; America entertain sinister projects of estab- I lishing with Japan a tripartite domination . over the East. France seems to be coming more and more j into line with England. The attempt of the j Prussian press to make mischief between ; France and England moots with conspicuous ■ failure. Most of the lending Paris journals j take no notice whatever, of the vagaries oftheir Berlin contemporaries. Tho Debate, however, contains an important which manoeuvres of the German semi-of-ficial press to take advantage of the present situation, in order to compromise the vap* prochcment between France and England, are exposed with direct reference to the recent articles of tho Berlin Post. I his writer points out the fact that certain journals enjoying little authority in Paris have nevertheless been a god-send to the German writers. Summing up his opinion of the significance of these isolated attacks in the French press against a good understanding between France and England, as well as of those few "chimerical spirits" who would substitute for the Franco-Russian alliance a sort of liberal international union opposed to the so-called reactionary Powers, tho French writer says: "We who see close at hand the representatives of this latter policy, and who can almost count them, know that their propaganda is in no way a danger for the Franco-Russian alliance, and the best proof of tho inanity oi the theory that the Anglo-French rapprorhemcnt is incompatible with tho Franco-Russian alliance, is that M. Delcasse. who is the author of the policy of rapprochement, has at the same time pursued a course tending to strengthen and develop the Franco-Russian alliance in view of fresh necessities." The leading Paris journals are well satisfied with the AngloFrench rapprochement, and the large majority of Frenchmen now regard the good understanding between their own country and England as a valuable addition to their alliance with Russia, while the saJutary influence exercised by King Edward on the foreign relations of Great Britain is appreciated in Russia as well as in France. The ' 1 fact that, the Figaro gives unusual prominence i to this fact tends to prove that the information it contains is likely to be welcome to its ' readers. Speaking of the King's influence in the affairs of his country, on this head, one writer says: " There is not a French , heart that will not rejoice at this revelation. If France, with a unanimous and impassioned impulse, has sided with Russia against , Japan, her wishes will be all the more ardent, S as they no longer risk costing her the friendship recently concluded with her Anglo-Saxon neighbour."