BRITISH AND FOREIGN PAGE.

Dominion, Volume 1, Issue 223, 13 June 1908, Page 10

BRITISH AND FOREIGN PAGE.

LATEST NEWS BY OYERSM'jMAILS',

, CURRENT TOPICS. 7 '' • V"~ —

viorth-West Manchester Election. Referring to the defeat of Mr. Winston Churchill, at the ' North-West Manchestci election,-the.-" St-i\ild^rd".; (Unionist) . says.: -'After :ah. unusually, hafd -fight, and at the most important jitncture that;.h.as..oqciired since the' - Liberal - Government: came into - power, . North-West Manchester has shown what it thinks of the policy of the men .in office and of 'a fiewly-promoted but by no means .insignificant me'mbsr of tho Cabinet by'refusing to re-elo'ct Winston Churchill, arid by' returning tlio Unionist candidate,' Mr.' Joynson-Hicks, - with a - majority jof- 429. In 1906 Mr.', Joynswl-Hicks was boat-en by a .majority of 1241.' He has retrieved his defeat of two years ago, and Nortli-West Manchester has -recovered its reputation: for enthusiastic loyalty, to, the principles which its new. member may safely ' be .trusted to upheld. /The issue' of" .the contest is eminently- satisfactory. ' Not,{hit the victory can bo looked upbn altogether as a Mr. Balfour was not alone in believing that Mr. Joynson-Hicks would win, notwithstanding the odds against which'ho and his supporters had to contend. But it will be a surprise, and, wo-imagine,' an extremely - disagreeable ./one, to' his' .op- . ponont; to-tho members of the Administration of which Mr. Winston , Churchill is ran: indispensable feature.; . and. .to tho. .whole Liberal party,- from Mr. Asquith to the rank and file" of the various groups, on-: whoso allegiance—not always rendered, with conspicuous alacrity—ho has .to depend.' That' Mr. ; Churchill's friends . and 'associates, not ; only in Lancashire, but all over the ■ country wore more than a .'little nervous -as to'tfi?-" risks he ran has been evident, of 'course,•' all along. The strenuous'endeavour made - to strengthen his position by dragging -up 'the' big guns of the party to defend • it' proved,''at aqy rate, that the matter was regarded' as critical at headquarters. Although, however, Mr. Churchill and v'his' friends knew well enough that they were'infor > :hard 'fight,' they reckoned on' ; beirig-' able to retain _ the seati' even ' if the event should,.givo him ' a majority a good deal, smaller /than that of 1906. Mr. Churchill has 'scorod fewer votes'by? 651 than -he ob--tained then. Mr. Joynson-*Hicks heads tho poll with '5417, 1019 more than were given to him the last .time he stood. Liberal Press Comments. The.".Manchester Guardian'' states: —The Free Trade; majority in the present House of Commons is enormous,- and nothing that' happens ■' at by-elections ' c-ah /perceptibly weaken it". At a by-election, therefore, we can vote as we please on side, questions "br" questions of 'the day, l and it' will timo enough when, tho next general election, conies round to' re-assert our opinions on the. main issue. So ran the argument; and though we _ do not think, it / sound; and haro tried to' show good reasons'for that opinion,-there can be no doubt'that'it is specious,.and.it' afforded quite a.-tolerable! excuse tor. any-, body who on this occasion wished to indulge in 'a' party vote while not admitting that it implied any surrender of Free Trade opiriiojiV Those—and thero can be no doubt that they are very numerous—who voted under this impri^ioh';;eannot "be 'reokoned as Tariff Eeformersi' iior becauso theyihavo,.voted for'/0.. • Tariff Reformer now does it follow that they will' vote for him /They have thrown' away alfteo Trado'seat at this election j.'Ahdy.may' wiri.iifc;back at the nest.Vi.Oiie:; lossj 'howerer, is irreparable. We cahnot hope to' be represented by Mr. Churchill again; Against him havo been arrayed .not merely the regular, and legitimate forces; of. the political party to which he- is opposed;' but those of a dozen outside organisatiohd as well. Against. air these combined' forces Mr.; Churctiill' has waged' a. gallant if unequal ' war.' During the time ho was our member-he served our city and the country well.. His career is. only at 'its beginning; a . great political future lies , could have wished that his name might continue to be linked with ours. lii losing hilii wo not" only lose one who has already- won'' distinotkin and _ high; office, butarising /arid; formative political' force which wo would", gladly have kept'for our special help and service. - - - -'.

A Set-back to Russia. "The jiapers publish a. messago from Washington, according to which , tho dispute between, Russia and the United States in is likely to be ended without further difficulty," says the " Spectator." "Thß dispute referred to the exercise of Russian .authority at Kharbin—that wonderful musnroonr city which owes its rise,-to, railway enterprise. There Russia holds land for railway, purposes; but it was,, certainly not intended that this, possession should authorise her to exercise all the- rights of government over the population within- the territory. Tho United States Consul, who arrived-in Kharbin in January, whs appa-, reutly instructed by his Government to dispute the Russian claim to general adminis-. trative.power, and the negotiations, between-' Mr.,Root-and Baron Rosen suggest that,he has .done so successfully. .The point is- im-port-ant. Only the other, \day . the Peking correspondent, of the 'Times' telegraphed! that * Chinese sovereignty in Manchuria,- is being ground, small between the millstones of Russian asceridency in ' the north - and Japanese ascendency in the south.'" ,Th 9 Man Behind tlw Sultan. ; , The, Sultan j "always acts in tho samein-. explicable. way, and tho result has always • been tho same," writes "The Times"' apropos of the' Sultan's climb down to Italy'"Ho kicks, against, tho pricks, and he lutfts himself considerably in consequence. Perhaps Abdul Hamid is not himself exclusively to blamo for a course of action • which is altogether unworthyof his intelligence." There is a power behiud the Throne which notoriously oggs him on to,take up this singularly inept attitude. Constantinople is the city of specialisation, and unfortunately there is a specialist,in reaction and-obscur-' antism there, who stands in the highest favour with the Sultan. Izzet Pasha' preaches reaction and obduracy in his master's ears, in season and out of season,-and Izzet Pasha's influence in tho--Palace is as powerful as it is inaligii. How it <ari cohr tinue. tOjprevail with Abdul Hamid/ after it. has again and again resulted in discomfiture and humiliation; is one of-tho mysteries* ofYildis. But it does prevail," and' so','lolijf.as" this is so Abdul Hamid-will, whenever'he'has to confront a naval Power that is in earnest." Hooliganism In Rome. "Almost ' tlie .whole , of the. Roman Press has at last. tak;en up, the question,;of. tlie hooliganism which is now _ rampant in the streets of the Italian capital," writes. tho Romo correspondent /' of .: tho " Morning Post." " Scarcely a night passes without some harmless loot passenger boing murdered or assaulted, by tho ruffians, who have organised . what tho ' Tribuna '.- calls tho nocturnal .'reign of terror, established by the teppisti'—the Italian equivalent of* bur hooligans.'. Now.it is, a soldier, brutallyi as- j sassinatod, now it is an Englishman attacked on his.-way'to a bridgo party, now"it-is'a' married couple waylaid by a band of malefactors. Meanwhile, despite tho great: increaso in the-number of theso crimcs, Rome is notoriously undor-policod, so that; in some out-of-the-way quarters it is easier to meet a hooligan than n policoman; nor is to defend oneself,, for tho outfit of the teppista is not complete without a knife, dcapita tho laws against stabbing, and tho new Bill dealing with' tho whole question of knives, which, was presented by Signor;-Gio-litti last November and-is still before Parliament. It is announced that this measure will bo pushed on as soon as the Chamber,resumes its sittings'. ' Tho' question of' public safety in . Rome has become so serious that the now Prefect, -in conjunction with* ■ tho Government, is czpccted to tako strong measures against the evil-doers."

Berlin's ,Palling Bihhrqte. > "Statistics puMislied i by tlio Berlin 'Vorwarts,'" says the " Daily Mail's " I'aris correspondent, " show ihat Germany is affected by the almost universal fall in tho birth-rate. ■ In 1907 births' in -Boi'liii numbered 52,404, ' this b'eiilg at'the ritc'-'b'f'K per 1000 itihnbitants. In 1876"'thtt' ifibh was 47 per 1000,' t\ and tho total 4G,2<33-.'; j I ; Ha number'of fnmi- . lies with throo children acerensed from 7087 , in 1887 t0;6434 in 1907"; 'wills four children, from 4920 to 4070; aiiil I! ftith five, from 3571 to 2509. Account, must'also bo. taken, of the great increase in Berlin's;population, so that t the figures / are 'l-eally- more significant than 3 they' /appear.atyfirsi"'sight.". ' ' :: The' Kansorheter;- • ;% y* So the hansom tnxieab, after a shortJived, trial,.soomsr.to-.be a failure." says the j'fp.ailj' -Now?.We, confess that we are • not suiTirispd. ;; Tho. experiment carao too !• lito. - Tho motor taxicab had captured thoi field,,a.nd its-rival entered, tho'contost. under i. hopplessly -handicapped. - ;Thia _liansoni.-.vi-ill ; stj witli us for a con-!siderablc,,tinie-.Vo! come',, but tho evidence of our..cj ; e.s .shows .tliafc-',ifc/-is fighting a' losing t Tlig.v taxicab J-paily • becomes more : . ;riumiorous,. and. its "efficieiicy is quite unchnl- : -ierigeaWel.%Vf.v-vV •" r ". i v A Salvation Socialist. : 'MSencjral; Booth"has celebrated his sovcri'ty-ninth-', ftithdiy,''.; writes Mr.. W. T. ' ,: Sttiad l -iif''thb ; '' l 'Daily Chronicle." "Ho delivered a- great speech to, a crowded audience : ;'at ! 'QiieeriVHall 'thrit'/jiight, but when I visited'him' at : HKdlby Wood at 11 o'clock tho 'followingmorning'' Bo' was - waiting for me as fresh/and-vigoroiis as ever. .'I am a Socialist,'-said; General Booth; 'a Salvation ' Socialist-!': aiid"always : hive been. A Salva- . ;,tioii differs; ff-ijfti a .Fabian Socialist, for wo other end. I am work-- ' WnneT'otfono side of the moun- ' taiiV,''yofir.''ii^Uti6al , rij'aH.ieß or ■ •.with 'all'thdif scliehioS'Sf social reform, aro working at tho other-end.- God bless tliem, say' I, "I, have- nothing against them. But my" way -iB not their way.. My side of ijhe mountain is not their side of the mountain, but'if wo botk'-keeTTon at our own ends -perhaps wo ■4EQ-y-Tneet'in?»tha middle. I deal -With the individual first. I want to make "a- fieiv:inaiir.ofThiiff.'vl'X' dospair of no man. In every humaiir.being.'iliero is a 1 soul, much of wh{ch, is. away with all nianner'.bf evil, but 'thero is a regenerative, -capacity';in -the soiilj ..which is. never altogether lost". ..To.iiet..hold of that, to bring the. pjv|no >lv Cjr?,ee- )^ tq r ;JJear upon it, to revivify'iti fo' expel the'-Uaser; elements; .is' to sav ; e' , tho l .nVaii, l ''and,tliiit..save(3 individual will be a'fdr"better, citizen.lfor working .out the schemes of your. Governmental Socialism than •itfe-unßarett;Miin? , "' ! - Ritt . " Onp "riame, hate 'tlbcn barely mentioned, either-.'-by •■tho ' organisers in. Canada or by the coiiiiriittoe' ih lohdoii, in connection withQuebec Tercentenary," says ,tho . "Times," "and that is' a_ L namp'-'iit'somo ways the most glorious■ and ' the -*most'-' important of 'all. : Great'-as-dur-dobt is to-Wolfo and to Saun- - ! der3,' to'Mu'rray.an'd to "Amherst, for tlio con- ; .quest .of' Canada, ft. must riot bo forgotten •thai tho man. Who nlono planned it all, who ohose-theso man-'an3 inspired. theni with his ■ 'own high"cburage;' riiur senso of England's glory, was the great Minister who shattered hia liealth .in tiio . stupendous task. This is , tho -200tli.v anniversary;. $f the greater -Pitt's birth,' and it would cortainly not■ bo. unlit-' ting.'that'it' should he "signalised by aßsoeiat-irig-'hisi p'itli festivities in < -that i^ti'of - .''iho"Emgir6' which we .owe to 1 othor single, man. In the words of Macaulay, 'The ardour • of his'-sounhadi'sotatho''whole kingdom on' : fire.:,; It /inflamed-every soldier who dragged .the. canUbnrUp the'heights of Quebec.' Nor was that all. He planned the campaigns : himself,"'.and. saw thafc -no details in arma- < frient or equipment , should be. wanting for - lack of forethought: . 'It is hoped that i it is riot ■■ yet too'late to'associate with this i noteworthy, .-celebration tho name of-'Pitt, i who , knew,'.': to . quo'toi from , a recent , letter- I 'of- Mr. "Eipling'j"frbm"tQuebce. . But-, apart 1 from thatfthero- shouidi'be sufficient tempta- i •tion.; for. aU.viir.;;tliis,,'country who have at .1 hbart the glory of our lands to contribute, i according to their-means to the birthday gift for our eldest-daughter-Dominion, by honouring the names of Montcalm, the chivalrous loadef 'of'.forlorn.'- hqpo, and Wolfo, tho aotivo,- resolute; 'and-persevering hero, whose ) ■geniiis saw all, stdk'o'd' all, and won all." c

Tourists'to .Horaoo's'Farm. ■ \ " Horace's Farm appears to bare gone out of -fashion,writes iU'.jWm. Miller ill the • 'Morning-. Post." , "Of- the countless tourists- w!io u came to; Home; very few nowadays make the classical -torn - to the retired Sabine Valla?,, where,,the,.mostalmundano of poots played at cultivating;the., soil and worked at cultivating his possibly the reason may be that the Democracy has 110 further use for the 'Odes' and;,,the 'Epistles'.; possibly this neglect may„jic only another, instance of tho fact ppmted out by Mr. Gladstone that foreigners saVimoro of Italy when it was ■less/acp6ssifflo.,' : i : 'i , he Insurious atmos-phere--,of cosmopolitan ..hotels does not into riso_at six in ordprjto talcp-.their luncheons ' behind the .mouldering,jTcmplo \ r acuna,' tho Sabine Victory,; at'romantic-Rocea Giovmo, whero tho piot 'wrote'-hiß.Je'fteK to Fuscus on'the advantages city life. Tho earljC tfairiLdfom.us ..at Vicovaro, the j>ictho Anio, which has, lately, reverted Fat ;lca'st officially, to its Hor'atiatv nam©', of' Vari'a." Vicavaro was the ;ma"rTjot3omi. ortho.fiisticating poot, whither.the','iive good "fathers of'families,' whom he employed on his'Sabine''farm, were wont to repair "for their and whero they doubtless laughed with, their oronics over the c]umsy"offortS of 'their-'literary employer to 1 turn-,oyer the clods-and remove the stones' from-his .vuimi China-arid Wosfdrri Ldarnlng.

-To.-those .who: ,,caroj. to speculate in 'all.. .Jhujnili.ty ' .ou.;„'tho.L widest, problems ,pfthe; ;future,-- ,',pur/:- Shanghai . cor-'SayS".i-,i/'.The Times," "offers a wido-. and,. teiuptiu'g ".field. There is 110 longer any, doubt,..-.lie .tells. us, that the old order .of .thought which-has giiidod. the lives 0? countless millions-in tho Chineso Empire through- a,,long-Succession of centuries is passing ..av;ay.-_,for ,c'ver.;._ Tho movoment in iW.ostorn'education has become irre;sjstible;."," It'is •ir'resiE,tiblo becauso.it comes not;,from abovoi.iiuiv.fi'dm below. It ropresnnts. .tli6,'gcnuiiio;.Rjll.of;the people, or rather, of those wido middlo classes of tho people who alouo possoss an articulate will. They havo .'forced it'upq'n.Jiho Government, and the Government, . r a3.;jt;, ; !ylways does whore it recognises«that 'tbi3j;ivii!l has spoken, has ■adopted-'its itself witli Bcoking-tovguido which it cannot stem.-' Tllnj'dertiancl for 'Western learning' is, : rof: ;courso', primarily' not a demand for knowledger-as-. aiiT ; end.,ii'l itself. Until the war." with Japan;!and;.'tho.Avar botween Japan aiidvßussia, • the tradifcicnial veneration in which thhi Chinese.»l<3dVithoir own classics, 'andi.cducatiolv/'lirtitetl.iiiid.'thoso classics, • was .unshaken. Bub,;tjic;;first,of the.so wars convinced thomr' by .'i.lfa b'niblr lessons , that this education did.'''nbtVjiroduco. sagacious statesmen ot!pkilf.ul : .'!Soldicr3,.:"',;Tho- second taught 'them-that with^Wosfprn; ; learning- an' Asiatic Stated might' victorious#'.. resist one of tho igrcatost'-of Europ&tti'Ttfifcra. To <100,000,000 of; mofi*. whose ancient civilisation has resulted in-ethical-concoptions wholly alien from ours, and whoso intellectual ideas are not loss div6i"sej' th'o" : 'tft>rld'"of modern thought is,' we " are.'told'," to''bo .opened. Will tho subjects of. this portentous oxporiment emerge from ifc. with .success? The ansv/or is pregnant with'great issues to mankind. It would soom-to'dopend upon-tho power of tho Chinese to-maintain thoir reverouco for tho vital truths and principles which unquestionably ImclorKo tlieir old : s.v6tpijr; while they aro cultivating, nssimilating,_and adjusting to their pwn requirements.^thasc-which are tho• foim■dattetf'o'f 'th'6"'hevv'.'"''Th'o measuro of that power it would bo raah, indoed. to estimate."