| Show FRENCH encroachments ENCROACH MENTS the french ultimatum to slam slain is it i one ne that all things considered considene J 19 g 1 purely outrageous the Inde indemnity demanded la Is fixed at franca not including private claims for dam age done which would probably be as much more or say at least altogether this thia alone might not be 1 so ao excessive it does not take rauch much fighting to roll up a bill of expense and 3 lose equal to that but it la Is not alone on the contrary it ii is the merest ba bagal go telle in comparison with the other claim by france which to ie for the com plate evacuation by the siamese gov eminent and practical surrender to the former of the whole of the river mei kong meaning the control of about five times as aa much territory in lower china as the french now have As I 1 the river with its principal trI tributa tributary butr A 1 connects british burmah with slam the nature of the encroachment 1 1 CA can n easily be understood it seems to be an open secret that slam siam is to be pounced upon by either france or great britain as aa soon as a pretext for so doing arises it if there ther aa i fore the doomed nation does not sub ROD mit to the terms of the ultima ultimatum it means war and war without ln in ference ter from a third power and that I 1 A 1 means inevitable subjugation with lo 10 but j t little delay it might mean that in any I 1 event since there has so far been no 3 intimation that asse assistance ass stance tance to the thea weaker power would be forthcoming save from china and it ic is not likely that with their experience in fighting the french in anam fresh lu in their memories the chinese are longing for 3 4 further experience in that direction H besides russia has openly espoused the cause of france anti and the moment that china became entangled with the french in the fast bast she would mool moat at likely find herself overrun on the west i by irresistible swarms of cossacks 11 with her next door dook neighbor fully installed as the ruling power in southern china england would indeed have something to occupy her attention if nut not her bar vessels and her men I 1 it seems a perfectly reasonable con elusion that france made her demands demand bigger than she bad any idea would be accepted the exclusive control of the mekong me kong river with practically no opposition to n east of it might lead to the acquisition of the remainder of siam but bat this would require time more time perhaps in the french estimation than would be needed if a war of were inaugurated at once it conquest cou quest that consideration of the I 1 la no 0 wonder a siamese mom situation is for the time being overshadowing the home rule question in the british parliament |
