_Senator. Lodge, a close friend of President Roosevelt, made last
Saturday at Boston a very ,important speech. After defending reciprocity, and especially reciprocity with France, "a country with which we would fain strengthen our good relations," he observed that in his opinion America would in the next Session of Congress have a treaty with England " which will remove honourably whatever obstacles now exist in the Clayton-Balwer Treaty to the building of an Isthmian canal." The object of the Government was to maintain good relations with all the world, and there was only one point of danger. " The Monroe doctrine must be rigidly upheld. The entrance of any great European Power into the American hemi- sphere, either by the acquisition of territory or by the estab- lishment of forts or naval stations, would be an instant menace to that peace we are so anxious to maintain." Europe is, in tact, forbidden to acquire even a coaling station in either of the Americas. As both Great Britain and France already have possessions in America, this can refer only to Germany or Austria, and, indeed, as Austria seeks neither colonies nor transmarine stations, to Germany alone. The warning is to her, and will help to stimulate the Emperor's plans for creating a great fleet.
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