NEWS OF THE WEEK.
ACONTRIBUTOR to the Figaro has been allowed two in- terviews, one of them lasting four hours, with the Italian Premier, Signor Crispi, and has published a condensed epitome of that statesman's utterances. They were all intended appa- rently, as we have argued elsewhere, to soothe Frenchmen by representing France as most formidable, and at the same time to represent her as the sole cause why Europe does not disarm. That is not true, for the German Powers could not disarm while Russia remained armed, and, in fact, with the present system of military service, all States must disarm or none. Signor Crispi repudiated aggression, either on the part of Germany, whose Emperor was occupied with the social question, and was besides "bon garcon," or of Italy, which wanted nothing, not even Ticino or Trieste. " The nationality question is dying out," giving place to the social question. He spoke, however, very bitterly of the annexation of Tunis, as a " stab at the heart of Italy," which, however, seems to survive it. The tone of the entire utterances suggests a calculated frankness, and on one point S. Crispi was either disingenuous or has been misrepre- sented. He repeated, it is said, again and again that the Triple Alliance expires in 1892, and that no statesman thinks of prematurely renewing it. What are the two Emperors doing, then, with their ostentatious exhibition of cordial attachment to each other P They are allied for the future as much as if documents had been sealed, and Italy must keep step with them. We imagine, however, that the notion of the Alliance ending was thrown out by the Roman Premier, subject to the previous condition, which affects his whole speech, that France would be willing to disarm.
