TABLE TALK.

Lyttelton Times, Volume LXXVI, Issue 9609, 30 December 1891, Page 2

TABLE TALK.

London, Nov. 6. TIM HEALY AND M'DERMOTT. Mrs Parnell’s action in stopping the nse of the Paris funds, standing in her late husband’s name, for the evicted i-ish tenants, has roused the wrath of the ; National party to ho.iiing point. They ?e----j lieve the poor woman to have be>n I Parnell's evil genius, and now frankly siy | so. Txm Healy, whose viperish malignitr ; and scurrilous tongue no consideration! I of decency can ever curb, spoke of Mn I Parnell at a public meeting last Sunday in language which even his own organs bad to admit was unrepairable. Mr Alfred M'Dermott, Mr Parnell’s nephew, an abhi letic young man cf twenty-three, ia a soli-! | citor by profesaioa, and a Unionist in politics. He was, however, much attached [ to his lato uncle, and tho Healy attacks j on tho unfortunate widow still lying in her house at Brighton, sick well nigh unto death, made his blood boil. What Mr ; Parnell’s solicitors had thought it right to do with regard to the Paris funds he didn’t know, but that she herself under- , ; stood nothing of the matter he felt confi- ; dent. Anyhow his aunt’s name should not 1 bo taken ia vain by Mr Healy, M'.P. ! Mr M’Dermott did not anticipate a row, | and therefore carried only his ordinary walking cane (a. stout Malacca) when he sought Mr Healy out on Tuesday in the solicitors’ buildings of the Pour Courts. The barrister was ia a snappy temper, and listened impatiently whilst M'Dermott explained Mrs Parnell’s condition, and asked him to give an undertaking not to refer to the poor lady in public for the present. Mr Healy laughed sneeringly. Mrs Parnell, he said, had stopped the use of the Paris funds for the miserable, starving peasants, So long as she brought herself into pnblio controversy he must refer to her as the necessities of the case required. “ Very well,” said M'Dermott, “Mrs Parnell is my aunt. Please understand I shall not permit you or any other fcnl* mouthed public speaker to call her an abandoned woman.” , Mr Healy sarcastically regretted hurting the feelings of Mr Parnell’s relatives who seemed to have grown very fond of Kitty O’Shea all of a sudden. He feared, however, he could not permit his conduct to be governed by threats of dynamite or outrage, Mr Dermott thereupon lost his temper, and, seizing Healy by the throat, held him at arms length, and thrashed him vigorously. Accountsdifferastothe severity of the punishment, Mr Healy himself (who ought; to know) says it was trifling, and that he shook himself free directly. The doorkeeper and the policeman who separated the combatants, however, declare that between forty and fifty blows were given, and vow Healy must be black and blue all over. A constable arrested M'Dermott, but Healy refused to charge him, observing contemptuously—” Pooh 1 The man’s drunk, rowdy drunk," This insinuation roused the chivalrous M'Dermott to a white fury. "He's insulted my aunt. Here’s mynard,” he tried to explain. ** Very drunk, indeed,” said Mr Healy witheringly, and gathering up his briefs he walked leisurely off to the Courts as if nOtbinK~lio.'d-hrappened. Mr John Redmond autt other membera of the Parnellite remainder telegraphed M'Dermott oongratnlatory messages, as did numerous Unionists. SANDRINGHAM. The purchase of Sandringham for the Prince of Wales was a little job of Lord Palmerston, who wanted to get rid of his wife’s son’s property on good terms. This he did, as the purchase money, .£200,000, was soon shown to have been preposterous. The rent roll (nominally £7000) proved, after allowing deductions for repairs, &0., to be much nearer £3OOO. The house had o be rebuilt, and expensive improvements of all sorts constructed. Captain Shaw pronounced the lower floors of Sandringham Hall to be as nearly fireproof as a country house could he. The upper floors, in consequence of money running short, bad to be finished off anyhow* Here the fire on Sunday broke out. It turned out, however, a far less serious matter than was at first supposed; £IO,OOO will clear the damage, and that sum, of course, the Insurance Companies pay. A NOVELTY IN JOURNALISM. Not content with the success of Tit Bits (Limited) and the Strand Magazine, Mr George Newnes is about to start an illustrated weekly called TAe Million. The idea was suggested by some new printing machines entirely unknown in this country. With their aid, Mr Newnes hopes to produce illustrations in six or seven different colours. The paper will not contain news, as the printing of each number will occupy some considerable time. Mr Newnes, in fact, relies for success entirely on the novelty of the idea. THE CLERICAL SWINDLER. The case of the Bath clergyman and Government Inspector, Dr James Caspan Clutterbuck, which I mentioned to you last week, proves on examination to be even more extraordinary and incredible than one could have believed possible. Not merely poor old Mrs Turner, but several other highly respectable folk, including the master of the Bath School of Art and the bead of Dorchester Workhouse have been swindled oat of their hardearned savings by this abandoned old "devil-dodger.” The police reckon that since 1888 he must have obtained on false pretences quite £20,006. It all went in the same manner—reckless speculation of a perfectly childish description on the Stock Exchange. Dr Clutterbuck’s! method of obtaining money never varied. Affecting to be a great friend of Mr Goschen, he represented that he was able to obtain from the right hon gentleman Treasury bills which paid 10 per cent and 15 per cent interest. On Monday Mr Pearse, the master of Dorchester Workhouse, from whom the miserable and white-haired Doctor of Divinity had extracted his entire savings, was examined. Witness said Dr Clufcterbuck told him Mr Gosohen had long been his dear friend. Barings and Rothschilds wished to charge eo much for launching the defence loan that Mr Goschen resolved to ‘‘raise it amongst themselves.” Witness asked Dr Clutterbnok to get him 16 per cent interest if he could. Dr Clntterbuok (pocketing witness’s £2000) replied "I will, dear friend, for I sympathise with your desire to see your ohildren well started in life.” (This hypocrisy is almost on a par with the Rev Dr taking the sacrament with Mrs Turner at the moment of robbing her). LABOUR NOTES. A somewhat serious development of the warfare between Capital and Labour in England is the lockout which now obtains in the London boot trade, and which affects many thousands of men. For once in a way, even the ultra democratic organs find themselves forced to blame the employees_ for precipitating the lock-out, which is the result of sectional action on the part of a small number of men. The guilty parties in this instance are the workmen in a boot factory in Hackney, who struck without consulting their Union, and whilst their grievances were being considered by she Conciliation Board. By all true wishers for Labour’s welfare the action of the Hacknoy men is deprecated ia tho strongest terms, for by their foolhardy procedure that have brought great hardship upon their trade brethren in London, and, may be, upon their craft in Provincial centres. When the Hackney men struck, all the London employers unanimously determined on a lockout unless the men returned to work by Oct. 31. And they have kept their word. As the Chronicle , to my mind rightly, maintains, it is this kind of sectional action which hinders Labour’s onward march more than anything else, and means the defeat of tho men in almost every effort to mprove their position. Until the working men learn that it is only by concerted, well-timed and ably-guided action that any permanent benefit can be gained for them, tho masters will have no difficulty in keeping the whip-hand. At the present time ’the federation of Capital is the true federation, whilst that of Labour is only so in name. There is no cohesion amongst workers ; every little batch of men fight-

ing desperately on side issues, regardfeii often of the general community sad th i main points at stake. When capitalletr combine—-as for instance the shipowners-* there is none of this sectional action

They work through a Committee which ii all-powerful, having s free band to etthel fight or compromise, whichever may ho to the benefit of the parties to its inceptfoou. A SHORT OUT TO TRB Ul£3jMSKSo3jtk The Dockers’ Union convened •' K| meeting on Sunday last at tbe W-eet fedS dock gates, in support of themen:4i|tetrik( at the Canon and' Hermwkgß whftrvrt Hr Harry Orbell, who the strike, for ths MmW i betted man, confessed that for the men's" 'cause ''’was m professed to be saagrdite,' "■ tat ihf eventual victory of Horeih by the way, iso is in direct' opposition, ti John Burns, who bluntly deoteoed lasi j week that the sooner rotrqmodte work the better for jtheraaehna, fa their families, and for the: Union

Tom Mann, who also .spoke at sqao day’s meeting, confined himself pan sipally to aspersing the hona j£des of i®u Jockowaers' and wharfingers' proposal kith regard to permanent employment Sa said he wan tired—everybody ia«-o the disputes at the docks, and of has sin hat the dock directors and wharfinger tere anxious about the welfare of th hen. They (the men and himself hiew all about the permanent echemei Under the present circumstances the; viere impossible. They all wished to permanent employment; but not. o aramshackle description, when UKHne receive fair wages whilst IOOj served. Mr Mann then informed M aidienco that, “daring the pastmcnth.o so he had drawn up a plan that wool rearrange the work of the Port of Londor aid, by it, the work would bedone qpiekei be;ter and cheaper, while the men wool receive good wages and work far fawe heirs. That plan he hod forwarded t Lad Hartiagton, as Chairman of £b Laour Commission, and if it was came out it would mean the wiping out, ol tb present dock directors and whurtownei

and the placing in their stead of on responsible corporation, which would con due; the work for the benefit of th people. Then they would not have com men working all the year and some On); a few months, and women would not b obliged, as they were at some wharves, t do dockers’ work for fourteen hours a day. 1 If Mr Mann's scheme survives the ordes of the criticisms of the Commission he wi be the more appreciated by all men Everyone would hail with delight the ew of the dock squabbling, and if Tom Man

proves to be the ieus eewtochtna to list about this happiness his name will be p served to posterity. performances in the past, the portion. Mr Mann’s speeoh qnoted abore-aaro* strongly of unrestrained egotism;