| Show A BIT OF HISTORY How Queen Victoria Prevented a War in Europe EMPEROR WILLIAM DESIRED IT France Was Growing Too Strong On Sails burrs Sucgestlon Her Majesty Addressed a Note to the Czar It Was Effective Special to THE HERALD Examiner Dispatch BERLIN Oct 4By cable to the New York Herald Never before has the outlook in Wilholinstrasae been more peaceful than at the present moment But from what I learn on the most unimpeachable authority it is the calm not that precedes but that sometimes comes after the storm for I am to day in a position to send you a most startling and dramatic bit of history revealing re-vealing the narrow escape that Europe had this summer from being plunged into war and that fairly appalls strong nerved statesmen who only within the past week have been appraized of a danger now hap pily averted Readers of the Herald have doubtless remarked the recent protestation so formally for-mally and ostentatiously announced first at Canabrnsk by the chancellor of the em nire Oenfirnl von Hanrifi nnrl atrain at emscheid by Herr von Bootticher Prussian Prus-sian secretary of state for the interior They both declared At no time has peace been so surely guaranteed as at pros nt Moreover the obnoxious passport regulations in AlsaceLorraine wore an ulled at the very moment that these offlc isis protestations were made and the German foreign office perhaps for once forgetting the maxim Qui sexcusc snccuse announced that this measure was intended as evidence of a peaceful intent This chorus of peaceful protestations coming without any apparent cause was almost like a bolt from a blue sky and set many persons thinking I have now authority to say that had it not been for the excellent womans common sense of Queen Victoria ana sound judgment of the Czar who in a moment of emergency acted in perfect accord Europe would perhaps at his very moment be in the throes of war The facts are these Last summer when Emperor William was at Osborne he was one evening asked by the Queen to accord him a confidential conversation upon a mat ter of the utmost importance The request vas accorded and the Emperor saidin substance stance I have something on my mind 1l seek your counsel The situation in Germany Ger-many is intolerable it cannot last twelvemonths twelve-months longer the country cannot bear the present financial strain required to wep up its present fighting strength Socialism is daily assuming more terrible proportions Germanys allies especially Italy are no longer able to keep up the present pace The strain is too great on her France on the contrary is becoming stronger and stronger but Franco is Iso ated It is absolutely necessary that Germany Ger-many should seize the first occasion to declare de-clare war upon her The latest moment to which this can possibly be put off is the spring of 1692 The Queen listened attentively to all the Smperor said and replied As long as I Jive I firmly hope that peace will bo main tamed I am old but still I feel that my last years shall not be saddened by more blood flowing The responsibility that rests upon you Is a terrible one It would in my opinion be criminal for any sovereign sover-eign or statesman to attempt to precipitate events In any case what you have said causes me the greatest uneasiness The conversation ended The Quean that very evening sent for Lord Salisoury and informed him ot this strange conversation and desired him to talk with the Emperoc hntit I am afraid tHat would only make things worse your majesty replied Lord Salisbury Salis-bury for if I attempted to discuss the question the Emperor might cut the matter abort by taking me by the shoulders and pushing me out of the window Besides it align excite his majesty to do exactly the contrary to what I might suggest No continued Lord Salisbury there Is in my opinion only one thing to do Write an autograph au-tograph letter to the Czar telling frankly what has occurred and urging him in the interests of the peace of Europe to lose no time in making a friendly advance toward Franc in order to convince Emperor William Will-iam that Russia would not consent to sea Franco wontonly attacked This would cause the Emperor to reflect and In my opinion this is the most effective way of preserving the peace It would be well continued Lord Salisbury if England should also simultaneously make an advance ad-vance toward France The Queen at once followed Lord Sails burys advice A confidential envoy was forthwith intrusted with the Queens autograph auto-graph letter to the Czar The Czar fully appreciated the critical situation The French fleet was then in Sweden The Czar immediately sent an invitation for it to come to Crpnstadt The Queen at the same time invited the French fleet to visit Portsmouth The rest is already matter of history The above facts reach me from such per sonuges and in such a manner as to inspire the utmost confidence I am not at liberty to disclose the sources of my information but were I to do so they would carry with them the greatest weight London as wells ss in Berlin With this comment I send you the above bit of history for what it is worth |
