Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE,WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22,1887. EUROPEAN POLITICS.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XIV, Issue 4895, 22 June 1887, Page 2

Poverty Bay Herald PUBLISHED EVERY EVENING GISBORNE,WEDNESDAY, JUNE 22,1887. EUROPEAN POLITICS.

The celebration of the Queen's Jubilee and the Emperor William's ninetieth birthday has afforded pleasing signs of the relations between most of the European powers. The issues of peace or war etween nations does not depend now on the personal feelings of sovereigns nearly aa much as in olden times — indeed, States may be involved in war a-jainsfc the wish of their nominal rulers — but '.uch event 3 as have just occurred in London and Berlin must at least have a strong tendency towards the maintenance of peace. Kings and statesmen who join in festivities and convivialities can hardly be at each other's throats without a decent interval, any more than the general run of ordinary men could enjoy the hospitality of otiiors one day and ivy to effect their ruin the next. The international demonstrations at London and Berlin afford gratifying evidences of the best side of national life. The attendance of foreign guests at a Court festivity sometimes implies anything but what it portonda to, and tho o.vilitiea between statesmen of ditl'erent countries are on occasions like those of some society ladios who are said to kiss and " my dear" each other while really cherishing tho most bitter and rancorous feelings. But; in the two great recent events there has apparently been nothing of this, and plenty of its opposite. As far as can be judged at this distance, the foreign guests at Berlin r, id London fully shared the best feelings of the loyal German or Briton. Affection and respect for the aged Emperor was shown very strongly by many other than Germans, and the mont admirable feeliim appeared to actuate every one of tha eminent foiviguors who went to Berlin t> show on b half of their uati ns that affection and respect tc i the Nostor of sovereigns. Doubtless the aamu sincerity and goodwill actuate all the great personagen now in London, for if in the world's history there have baen tw>> sovereigns whose position and age and the circumstances of their careerscould win for them ihe esteem and honor of subjects and strangers, they are the nonogenarian Emperor and tho Queen who has ruled wisely for half a

century. The two rare, and, indeed, almost unique, events have afforded matiy most gratifying indications of tho best part of human naluro as shown in national | amity, which cannot but give joy to every humanitarian who desires to see peace and a cassation of tho horrors which civilisation ought to have ended but has not. But the demonstrations of joy and amity iv the British and German capitals are in keeping with other hopeful signs of the maintenance of peace. Just as a few mouths ago everything was construed to mean imminent war, so of hue nearly every event has pointed the other way, and the a.aie of Europe is as favorable now as it can ever bo on the existing basis of things, and while a number of nations remain merely so many barracks. There is now no apprehension from Kussia. The Power which so long kept the world in suspense and European statesmen on tenterhooks as to what it might or might not do is now regarded with comparative indifference. The alliance between Germany, Austria, and Italy causes Russia's desires and ambitions as to the Balkan States and Turkey to be unheeded, and England can now regard Russia with the calm confidence of the boy who snaps his fingers at tho chained dog. The Czar and his Government — so far as the terms are not identical—are now very quiet in their pretensions about Bulgaria, and the loud dictation of a few months ago is reduced to mild suggestion. The difficulty has not yet been "mottled " by the appointment of a new Prince, but meantime the country seems to be jogging along just as well as or better than it could do under the average run of princes, and every month that passes show that the Bulgarians could thrive and win the -respect of the world if only let alone from outside. There is probably no Bulgarian who is not happier than the Czar, dogged at every stop by an army of assassins, with hardly a month in which an actual attempt is not made to uive him the fate which has overtaken ao many Cz.irs. The life of the most incurable invalid is more certain than that of the physical giant who holds the lives of millions at his disposal, and his early death at the hands of tho Nihilists is the only event which can be at all clearly de. jried in the dark waters of European politics. It seems hopeless to expect that Russia can gain her place as an ordinary well-governed and civilised nation except through the murder of a few more Czars. The activity of his enemies causes the present Czar to live in a state to which death would be preferable to many,— in fact it can be little else than a living death. The Gorman Emperor has not to be fenced in and guarded like (he Russian monarch, and it is a. new thing to need to protect an English Sovereign by soldiers against would-bo murderers But the dynamiters, seeing tho Crimes Bill nearly passed, are insensate and savage enough to try to blow to fragments an aged and unoffending lady, if they could only do so withsafeiy to themselves. Civilised humanity will have a feeling of relief on learning that tho designs of the murderous savages, men far lower than the brutes, have been frustrated, and that tho Queen is left to die of old age, probably twenty yoars hence. England has her hands as full aa ever of her Jrish trouble, but she has almost completed a means to greatly lessen that trouble by passing the CJrimos Bill ; and in these colonies, at any rate, everyone will wait with hope that its operation may bring renewed peace, prosperity and contentment to the unhappy country, and safety to the inhabitants instead of the danger and thraldom in which they now are. Tho many who believe that several millions of excellent people are kept under a reign of terror by a few professional agitators, enforcing their decrees by dynamite, boycotting, and assassination, will speedily see if that is so Everyone will hope that tho long misery of the country is about to end, that the fearful outrages which have caused humanity to shudder will cease, that full right will be done to the innocent, and that criminals and murderers will get their deserts. After centuries of failure, however, no one will be too confident, though recognising that there is no alternative to continual trying to put wrong ri^ht. Of course all the trouble is to agree as to what is wrong and right, but ninecenths of mankind are agreed that murder and outiage are not right, and if that is ended there if everj' reason to hope. But, great as the Irish trouble is, Britain would not change places with either of the Continental Powers, which are obliged to live like starving men on a raft, each afraid to sleep or turn his back for fear of being killed and eaten by the rest. The nations are ground down by their huge armies and armaments, though the tension caused by the danger of early war is relaxed. France has cooled down very much of late, and the genoral who it waß feared might at any moment ,*tart a conflagration, has had tho matches ta.^en from him. Either with or without Russia, there seems no danger of France breaking the peace for a long time. In fact, looking at all the circumstances as far as they can be known on the opposite side of the world, the condition of each European nation is as good as can be expected, with a certainty of no war for several months, which in the present condition of things is all that can ever be calculated on. No nation has any present cause to fear trouble from without, and, except for the fearful military pressure, only two States have internal troubles. They are Russi.i and Britain ; but, while it is impossible to divine how or when Russia's home troubles will end, thsro is «ood ground for hope that IMtain will put an end to her Irish trouble — and to some of those responsible for it — in the very early future.