TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Evening Star, Issue 11726, 8 April 1902, Page 7

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

[FSOtt OtJll SPECIAL CORBESPONBZNT.I LONDON, February 21. ROW THE AUSTRIANS MANAGE A STRIKE. The past week has seen some lively doings in Trieste, the, only port the Austrian Empire can boast. There arc some things they manage better in Hie dominions of the Emperor Joseph than we do in the Old Country, but the management of a mob is not. one "of them. The stokers of the Austrian Lloyd Steamship Company went but on strike for an eight-hour day and some minor concessions. The company were obdurate, and invoked military aid I* - fore, apparently, any overt act of aggression on the men’s part occurred. Thereby the temper of the entire population of Trieste was roused, and a general strike bloke nut on Friday last. All business ■was stopped in the harbor, all the factories ceased work, and the tramway ceased running. There was no electric lighting and no telephone. No newspapers appeared, and no ship left or unloaded ; no goods train could be got off. In short, all branches of labor went to the aid of the stokers on strike. Soon the Austrian Lloyd Company showed a readiness to compromise, and Dr Ellenbogca. one of the Vienna Socialist leaders, went to Trieste to negotiate a settlement. All was going well, bat in the meantime, as about 35.000 idle hand* were filling the principal thoroughfares, the military authorities occupied all the public buildings and the principal points of commnnication, and the soldiers behaved in a way that provoked and exasperated the hot-blooded multitude. A collision was inevitable. At stone was flung at an officer, who fell unconscious, and then, without warning to the public and without*any prescribed signal, the soldiers fired into the crowd. In a moment they dispersed, clamoring and groajfing, only the few dead and about twenty-five wounded remaining in the street. Among the dead was a girl, a few women, a lad, and a post official, who was hit while sitting at a desk in Ida office. In other quarters of the town the military gave free piny to powder and ball, and scores of people were arrested without any seeming justification. The Town Council intervened, and secured the release of many, and in Ihc Reicbsrath. the brutality of the military was scathingly condemned by the entire House, and a unanimous resolution passed demanding a strict investigation into the conduct of the soldiery at Trieste. Meanwhile the Trieste Council had decided to give a public funeral to the victims of the soldiers’ fatal fusillade, and many citizens hung ont black lings in honor of the dead. Once more the military intervened, and constables and soldiers entered the houses, forcing the owner? to take down the flags. This gave rise to a fresh outburst of popular indignation, and there were no bounds to the uproar. A constable was shot down, and two other policemen flung into the sea. The people began to tear up the streets and destroy the lamp-posts. The troops again interfered, and fired upon the people, three being killed on the spot and many wounded. Gf the latter, several have since succumbed to their injuries. At five o’clock, while this was going on. the JVfnyor of Trieste, who presided over the Court of Arbitration, consisting of three representatives of the company and three representatives of the men. appeared on the balcony of the Town Hall, and said in a loud voice: “The com pany have- given way to all the demands of the strikers. Everything is settled." But the populace, by this time were, thoroughly nut- of band, and the announcement had so little immediate effect that the authorities felt bound to proclaim “a stale of siege," thus handing the whole city over to (hetender mercies of the very men who were responsible for producing the chaotic state to which Trieste was reduced. Happily, so far no further bloodshed has occurred, and Trieste appears to have resumed its normal aspect. SEVERING THE LIBERAL SIAMESE TWINS. At the very moment the Liberal ostriches, with their heads in the bush of Unity, arc loudly cackling about the egg of unanimity they claim to have laid at Leictslei. Lord Rosebery, the cock bird of the party, instead of “stoutly strutting his dames before,” is crowing on his hill of “definite separation ” a challenge to the game rocks of the party to gather round him. One cannot help writing in metaphors, for the whole time of the Liberal party seems spent in quarrelling over them. We have had “ploughing the sands,” 44 filling up the cup,” “main stream and the cross currents,” 44 fly-blown phylacteries, 4 ’ “ spade work in a common cause," the 14 clean slate, 4 the 44 political tabernacle,” and a deal of “ skimble-skamble stuff.” And all the while the patriotic and unpatriotic sections of the two parties have been as far asunder as the two poles. At Liverpool the other day Lord Rosebery disavowed Home Rule, and when “C.8.” at Leicester last Wednesday, prior to tho meeting of the National Liberal Federation, expressed his adherence to the old Gladstonian policy of a separate Parliament, it was clear that on that vital point as well as on the war the free lance and the discredited leader, did not see eye to eye. At the Federation's General Committee meeting, by the reluctant AvithdraAval of various amendments, an appearance of unanimity was produced to the following meaningless resolution;—“ That this Committee emphatically condemn tho policy of insisting upon the unconditional surrender of the Boers as the only method of ending the war in South Africa, and affirm their conviction that the future contentment and security of that country are hound up in obtaining a regular peace, on broad and generous lines, as the result of a regular settlement. The Committee heartily welcome the powerful impetus given by Lord Rosebery to this alternative poiicv, rejoice in the practical unanimity of opinion in its favor throughout the Liberal party, and call upon all Liberal members of Parliament loyally to support Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman in advocating it and pressing it forward in the House'of Commons." Fonritli tlio Liberal scribes burst into paians of congratulation on the party's “Avorking together in regard to South Africa upon intelligible and practical lines.” They avouM have done well not to hallo until they were out of the Avood, for to-day Lord Rosebery severs the slight membrane that has joined the Liberal Siamese twins, a proceeding Avhicli, it is to he hoped, will result in the political death of Doodi Camp-bell-Bannerman. In his Leicester speech “C’.-B." declared; “I don’t know Avhether Lord Rosebery speaks to us from the interior of our political tabernacle nr from some vantage ground outside.” He and his following have their answer from Lord Rosebery in to-day’s ‘Times’: 44 Speaking pomificallv within his ‘tabernacle’ last night, he ("C.8.”) anathematised my declarations on the 'clean slate 4 and Home Rule, It ts obvious that our views on the war and its methods are not less discordant. I remain, therefore, outside his tabernacle, but not, I think, in solitude.” ’Hie war to the knife and fork of last year has become war to the clean slate of this. The inference to he drawn from the last sentence is that Lord Rosebery intends to rally round his banner the Liberal Imperialists, and hopes to secure the adhesion of a certain number of Unionists who have lost, faith in the 44 Hotel Cecil.” Lord Rosebery may have the glib tongue of a recruiting sergeant, hnl we fear his caapcity for_ 44 graft ” is far inferior (o his “gift of the gab.” A coalition of Liberal Unionists and Imperialists would he . more feasible under Mr Chamberlain, worker and fighter, CRUELTY to carp. Until 1900 there Ams no law in force preventing cruelty to wild animals, the Cruelty to Animals A(?ts of 1849 and 1854 not up plying to animals forte natures. In 1900, However, the Cruelty to Wild Animals in Captivity Act struck at cruelty to Avihl birds, beast, fishes, or reptiles not already protected. The first prosecution under (ho o«av Ad took place mi Monday, when an Oxford street fishmonger and his assistant Were fined for cmelly to Prussian carp, which are sold alive to Jews and Germans tl Christmas time for 2d apiece. Into a tank 55in long and 15in wide, containing a depth of 7Jfin of Water, Geale, (he fishnongfir, squeezed 700 Prussian carp, each

from 4in to 61n long. When an inspector of the S.P.C.A. passed the shop at ten o’clock at night he found a solid mass of fish, a number at the top of the Avaber struggling ,'or ah - > a large number dying in the middle, and about 200 at the bottom dead. Mr Rycroft, F.Z.S., having testified that the fish were capable of suffering pain and died from painful suffocation, the magistrate came to the inevitable conclusion that there wore too many fish in the tank and an insufficient supply of water, and imposed small fines. THE LORD GREAT CHAMBERLAIN.— WHO SHALL HAVE THE KING’S NIGHTSHIRT? The spectacle in these democratic days c' four peers strenuously competing for (he privileges of bringing to the King his “ shirt, stockings, and drawers ” and dressing His Majesty on the day of his Coronation, ot pouring out for him the water wherewith to wash bis hands and face before and after dinner, and taking as perquisites tins King’s bed. nightshirt, basins, and towels; of more than a dozen jhic: s and almost as many lawyers assembled in solemn conclave to settle these knotty points, is really too comical. It is a thousand pities that the time and money Avnsted in the investigation of these mouldy feudal formalities is not spent in providing the nation with Government departments capable of dealing in a business-like wav with the nation’s affairs, instead of in that dilettante amateur fashion that has caused so many ghastly bungles and scandals. However, the gaiety of nations will certainly be increased by the inquiry which began on -Tuesday before the Committee of Privileges of the House of Lords into tho rival claims of the Ear! of An caster, the Marquis of Cholmondcloy, Earl Carrington, and tho Duke of Atholi to l>e Lord Great Chamiierlain of England. The four noblemen contend that the office has descended a.s a lu’i'cdiUu-y dignity, the Crown that ; t is absolutely at the disposal of the Sovereign. The Earl of Ancaster and Lnms Cholmondelcy and Carrington agree that the office descends from heirs in coparcenary, and the (avo latter claim that Lord Cholmondelcy L entitled to half of the office {though whether to the shirt, stockings, and dniAvers, or the nighahirt and Kurds and basins does not appear), and Lord Ancaster and Lord Carrington to one-quarter each (say. a stocking and a towel apiece). The Duke of Atbnil claims as heir to an Earl of Leicester and also as heir to an Earl of Oxford, the latter through the half-blood. The Crown's case is ihiit the office cannot descend through coparceners. 11 reams only natural to o’njed to being dressed in sections, one-halt by Lord Cholmondeley. one-quarter by Lord Ancaster, and one-quarter by land Carrington. The services of one experienced valet, avoii Id surely be of more value than the combined efforts of the four peer flunkeys. Elaborate questions of pedigree, descent, feudal, tenures, and awards of the Crown are involved. Mr Haldane, K.C., occupied the Arhole of the day in his long historical story, which ho diArided into four chapters, the creation of the office by Henry 1. about 1133. the second extending to the time of Henry VHL, tho third to 1626. when there wa,s a decision after investigation by the House of Lords, and on to 1781, Avhen there was a second investigation and decision, and the fourth from 1781 to date. The duties of the office Mr Haldane extracted from the Coronation roll of George IV. —viz. : “To have livery and lodging in tho Kings Court at all limes, and bring to His Majesty on the clay of his Royal Coronation His Majesty's shirt, stockings, and draAvevs, dress His Majesty in all his ap parel on that day,' and . have all protrs and fees thereunto belonging -viz., forty ells of crimson velvet for his robes against tho day of His Majesty's Coronation, together with the bed avherein the King lay? the night previous to the Coronation, with all the valiancies and curtains thereof, and all the cushions and clothes within the chamber, together with the furniture of the same, and also the night-robe of the King, wherein His Majesty is vested the night previous to the Coronation. And likewise to serve His Majesty Avitli water as well before as after dinner on the said day of his Royal Coronation, and to Lave the basins and towels and the Cap of Assay for his fee.” ’i’he office was one of the great offices of State of the Royal Dukes of Normandy transferred to England after the Conquest, and became hereditary. A book in dog Latin. ‘The Constitution of tho King's House,’ showed that the Chief Chamberlain was to have 14d a day, board in the house, candles, and a sampler horse, with his liveries. The first grant of which there was a record was that by Henry VT. to Alberic De Vere, afterwards father of the Earl of Oxford. After an exposition of the tenure of grand sergeantry, by Avhich Mr Haldane contended the office av.-is held, he went on to trace the pedigree and fate of the Eads of Oxford. The fourteenth Earl (known as " Little John ”) avhs extravagant, and quarrelled with his wife. Cardinal Wolsey had to take him in hand. The household Avas cut down and subjected to close scrutiny. Little John was ordered not to drink hot AA'ine, “contrary to his complexion,'’ sit up late, or accustom himself to unwholesome meat, also to moderate ids hunting expeditions, and try to live in amity Avith his Avife. He was advised to demean himself to the countess, so thatthere might be perfect love betAveen them. This interesting domestic recital Avas cut short by the natural interruption of tho Lord Chancellor.- But what about the Lord Great Chamberlainslup’.' The fifteenth earl officiated at Anne Boleyn’s Coronation, and av rote-that he perceived the Chancellor had spoken Avitli Cromwell "in a matter concerning mine inheritance secretly, wherein lie found you very hearty, and like my especial friend, a.s always ye have been.” When the Court adjourned on Wednesday Mr Haldane had worked his laborious waydown to 1555. At the close of Thursday’s sitting he had at last reached Queen Victoria’s reign, a nd then the Court thought t a rest from the intricacies of grand sergeant ry and coparcenary and the like advisable until Monday. MISCELLANEOUS. M. Santos Dumont, whose aerial exploits have been astonishing and delight mg the lucky beings whose home at present is the Riviera, came near to drowning a few days ago. He was taking his fifth flight, and steered from Monaco toward Cap Martin. Just’over against the Pigeon Club at Monte Carlo his “aerostat” was seen to suddenly point its nose skyward and plunge stern foremost into the sea below. Boat? Avere swiftly out to tho rescue, and M. Dumont, half diwned, but otherwise unhurt, was br’ongh ashore. So was bis machine, but in a sadly damaged condition. The explanation of the mishap is simple. The “ aerostat ” was sailing badly, because it Avas insufficiently inflated. The errant motion made the guide rope catch in the scrcAv. to free which tho aeronaut made the balloon assume a perpendicular position. But that position caused the oil of the motor to run out, and fearing an explosion M. Dumont pulled the contrivance for tearing the balloon, thus incurring the risk of drowning with a whole skin rather than the palpable and painful alternative. M. Dumont is still in bed, slowly recovering from the effects of his immersion. “ Viscount Hinton,” the organ-grinding claimant to the Poule.tt title ana estates, may or may not be entitled to the empty title, but it is clear that he has r.o right to the mansion house and estates at Hinton St. George, Somersetshire, the recovery of which he lias been suing since la?t April. The Lord Chief Justice, on Saturday, gatre judgment fc.r the defendants, William John Lydston, Earl Poulett, and Rosa Countess Poulett, on the ground that, even if the organ grinder Avere the eldest legitimate son aaid only child of William Henry, Earl Poulett. by Elizabeth Lavinia Newman, his claim to tho estates was barred by a family settlement of 1855, Avhich pro\-ided that the estates should go to the late earl, “and after his decease to the use of the first and cverv other son of the said William Henry Poulett by any Amman or Avomen whom he might marry after the decease of his present Avife (meaning the said Elizabeth Lavinia Newman), and their issue.” What is sauce for the British goose is also sauce for the Dutch propaganda. Lord Lansdowne’s reply to the proposals of Dr Kuypcr Ava.s, it turns out, couched in almost the same terms as the Dutch reply in 1875 to the tender of our good offices to bring to a conclusion the war with the

Acheonese in Sumatra. Sir Archibald Arisen, who was Governor of Penang at the time, has brought to light the following reply from the Dutch Governor-General at Buitenzorg to our informal overtures:-—* “Government not inclined to accept any intervention whatever negotiating with the chiefs in Acheen. In case they wish to submit, they must address themselves to tho commander in Acheen- Communicate this telegram to Lieutenant-Governor of Penang, adding that the Governor-General appreciates Ids endeavor for assisting to bring the war to an end, but is convinced that the best way to attain this end is to adhere to the above principle.” On the first signs of submission, when the armed resistance of the Acheenese appeared to be broken, the Dutch introduced a civil system of government amongst them. Tbcv construed this as a sign of weakness, and promptly resumed the war, which still continuing. The moral for us ih bouth Africa is obvious. In the purchase of Hungarian horses we thought that the Remount Department had reached the topmost pinnacle of crass incompetence. But according to the St. Petersburg correspondent of 4 Thu Times ’ it has just been piling Pelion on Ossa in Russia. It endeavored through private agents to buy horses there .in midwinter, the worst possible time, and iu districts where there are plenty of horses, but none for sale. The Russian Remount Department marks off as preserves the best districts for horses. In these- districts horses cannot be bought in any number without the express permission of the Minister of War. Every decently informed person in Russia knows this, but apparently our ignoramuses in London never took the trouble to consult their military attache, nor any other person of authority. It sent its agents into one of these very districts. The necessary permission,_ when at last requested, was, of course, refused. If vou could only spare us Messrs Laurier, Ibn-ton, and Seddon for a few months after the Coronation we might appoint them a Koval Commission to scour the War Office, with full power to despatch the colossal bunglers there, whoso mismanagement has been responsible for thousands of valuable lives and millions of treasure, to the blockhouses in South Africa, with bully beef and army biscuits as their victuals, Press, cuttings about the War Office as their literature, and the worn-out crocks of tbe army as their chargers. A few intelligent noncoms ” would easily fill the gap in the Pall Mall office. Two yenrs hard labor is an exi.t£nVM\ light punishment for the unspeakable crime of which an Old Bailey jury found Francis George Widows alias Nobhs guilty last week? Nnbbs for many years ha.s been lecturing about England “as an ex-Roman Catholic. monk, and in spite of frequent and painfully free comment and castigation from ’ Truth' he has contrived to persuade bun dreds of undoubtedly respectable and presumably sane people to believe in him and bis noisome talos of priestly depravity and license in tho Roman Catholic Glmvch. Nobhs, as a matter of fact, never was :n the priesthood.’ Tie was the illegitimate son of a woman who died at Norwich many years ago, and for the past thirty years he has been living on the credulity of simpletons with a taste for nasty stories concerning the. religion of those who do not fn eye with them in matt-eis of dogma or form of worship. He has travelled pretty Ave.ll the world over, and m Canada came in conflict with the. local guardians of public morels through committing an offence similar to that for which he is now in prison. His experience in gaol hn turned to account in his lectures by posing as a. past chaplain of the Toronto Institute for people who have sinned a,gainst society, a.nd his intimate knowledge of the daily round ins’de a prison was to many convincing proof of his bona, (files. Nnbbs went to prison protesting.that tie tyas the innocent victim of a Roman Catholic plot, but as ,i matter of fact he is the lightlypunished victim of his own infamous eonduct —conduct which should have prevented him being able to mix avith his fellow-men a,gain for a far longer period than the Common Sergeant has -decided upon as a punishment fitting Nnhhs’s crime.