Show THE WORLD POWERS POWRS b The costs of preparation for the com ing conflict are likely to be too heavy for any but the greater nations to bear Italy and Spain are already sinking under the load of a military equipment out of proportion to their resources and France in spite of her steadily growing wealth Is assuming heavy burdens The French Ministry in submitting sub-mitting the annual estimates in January Janu-ary last proposed a scale of expenditure expendi-ture for new naval vessels amounting to 000000000 francs for the period pf seven years ending with 1507 Concentration of power In order to I pcrnilt prompt and efficient action will be an almost essential factor In the struggle for world empire so far a the struggle is conducted in the political field The people of the United States may have something to learn in this respect A greater harmony of policy between the legislative and executive departments of the Government and broad povers for the executive in dealIng deal-Ing with foreign relations need not be inconsistent with Industrial liberty and the freedom of political discussion at home In this field an absolute government gov-ernment like that of Russia enjoys Homo advantages in its ability to make quick decisions and execute them without waiting for the slow ripening of public opinion What Is determined upon be the Czar and the Council of Ministers can executed without consulting con-sulting the slow and tedious processes of parliamentary legislation An illustration of the power which absolutism gives afforded by the recent re-cent loan to Persia made by the Russian Rus-sian Government In return for the control con-trol of the Persian customs at the very moment when the difficulties of Great Britain In South Africa were most acute It is well suggested by the Monlteur des Interets Matcrlels the Belgian financial Journal that neither Great Britain in spite of her Imperial policy nor republican France would think of following such an example ex-ample and that even the German Em plro drew back before the project of effective intervention on a recent occasion oc-casion the creation of railways in the Chinese province of Shan Twig But the Russian Government dniAvIng from the limitless resources of International Interna-tional finance through the medium or a new bank established in Persia has been able almost by the stroke 0 pen and with only a trifling cost to the Imperial treasury even if i the whole principal of the loan were lost to acquire S ac-quire a dominant Influence at the court of Teheran which will make Persia a Russian camp In case of conflict with Great Britain over British India Already I Al-ready within n few weeks after the completion of the loan it has been announced an-nounced by n leading Russian Journal that Russia will rent n Persian harbor har-bor as she rented Port Arthur from China in order to obtain an outlet to I occitnCharles A Conant the Indian oceunChorles Conmt Iin the August Forum |