THEJRRIGATIOX AGE. 25 



There is no question but what Prance, Germany, Austria and 

 Russia had decided to intervene with the object of making Cuba an- 

 other Crete. Spanish sovereignty in the Antilles was to be main- 

 tained, and an autonomous government established in Cuba under the 

 protection of the European concert. Having regard to the Venezuela 

 dispute. England's adherence "in the interest of peace" was consid- 

 ered certain, but the continental diplomatists found to their astonish- 

 ment that England not only refused to be a party to any attempt jo 

 impose conditions upon the United States in the interest of Spanish 

 and French holders of Cuban bonds, but Her Majesty's government 

 even declined to agree to remain neutral. The result was both lu- 

 dicrous and instructive, the violent change of front on the part of the 

 Russian, French and German press being so obviously inspired. 



In Great Britain the desire for Anglo-American rapprochement is 

 not a superficial sentiment of the moment. It is deep rooied and gen- 

 uine, and British shareholders in English companies doing business 

 in America find it difficult to reconcile the attitude of the American 

 Government towards the Rio Grande company with the recent whole- 

 sale shouting in the United States of "God Save the Queen/' Even 

 the speedy settlement of the Bahring sea award failed to arouse more 

 than a knowing smile. The Britons are essentially a commercial 

 people, and like all commercial races lay great stress upon public and 

 individual probity. 



Notwithstanding the high esteem in which the better class Amer- 

 cans are held abroad it is difficult to induce the average Englishman 

 to believe that the authorities at Washington brought the Rio Grande 

 injunction action in good faith', or fail to realize the injustice of the 

 attempt to ruin the Rio Grande, or that the department is ignorant of 

 the way General Mills has prostituted his official position in the in- 

 terest of the group of speculators backing the International Dam 

 scheme, with which he is identified. 



Not content with circularizing damaging and false reports as to 

 the objects of the English company, its solvency and the legality of 

 the company's titles, General Mills and his official supporters have 

 done their best to have the rights of the English company invalidated 

 by Act of Congress. Quite recently they succeeded in getting a pro- 

 viso tacked on to an innocent little bill, which was entitled "An Act to 

 permit the use of the right of way through public lands for tram roads, 

 canals, and reservoirs and for other purposes.'' By persistent lobbying, 

 and aided by certain departmental officials. Mills had a proviso in- 

 serted, which in substance provided that none of the existing laws 

 should be so construed as to "Authorize she appropriation or storage 

 of the waters of any stream or river, State, interstate or International, 

 to which others below have right by prior appropriation, or the ob- 

 struction or interference with the navigable capacity of such streams 

 or rivers, and such appropriation or storage, obstruction or interference, 



