The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-10-04
POLITICS AND LITERATURE.
Basis for the Prediction of a Sweeping
Liberal Victory for Mr. Gladstone.
The Various European Questions of Diplo-
macy-DepreSsed Condition of English
Literature and Art-Rev Mr.. Haweis
Correspondence of the indianapolis Journal


for the year. Trains and steamers are bringing
the first of the holiday folk home again from
sea and river, from valley and mountain. l am
among the first of this homecoming crowd.
London looks triste to me. The trees in the
parks are turning brown. Fleet street and the
Strand are being repaired, great new street
has been commenced, Queen Anne no longer
keeps guard at st. Pauls. They have carted
her away to Belts studio, in order that he may
make a replica of her. She was crumbling
away, and looked very disreputable. Now that
she has disappeared, the space that she has left
vacant is so artistcally valuable in connection
with the general appearance of the front
of the famous church that it is question
whether the new Queen Anne will not have to
be placed somewhere else. When l left London
only one newspaper was full of the filthy story,
real or imaginary, of the Stead revelations.
Now all of them are full of the dirty business,
for Stead and his crew are being prosecuted as
you know, and the case is fully reported SO
far the only one of Steads narratives which
have been publicly investigated is the abduction
of Alice Armstrong, ordered and conducted by
himself 1t is miserable business, and don't
see that Stead has any shadow of legal de-
Tense. He puts forward in his paper moral
defense-his good intentions, his high purpose,
and all that kind of thing -but he has the most
obfuscated notions of the rights of parents and
of public sentiment it is possible to conceive.
He processes to be delighted at the full reports
that are appearing, although at present his psi
ton is about as unenviable one as his bitteress
enemies could desire The Pail Mall Gazette
~
92, 900. The trial to which Stead and
the chief proprietor are now committed will not
cost them less than Ed, 900 before it is finished;
and, without desiring to prejudice the case in
any way found in the country, as ] found in
town, the general opinion is that all the defend
ants will be convicted of abducting and indie
Gently assaulting (by an alleged medical exami-
nation) the girl. Alice Armstrong. This is the
public prosecutors opinion. At the moment
London looks dull and very much ''out of sea
son." though if one explores the sources of news
and gossip one finds that there is plenty going
on 1t is mysterously whispered that the Stead
and Pail Mall business will develop very extra
ordinary denouement. Meanwhile propose in
this letter to give you glance at the topics of
the day through the medium oe three interviews
of "men who know"
"T have been away from London said to a
political friend tell me all the news"
THE best news know, he replied lis that
Gladstone will join the political campaign. He
will make the Midlothian tour"
'When2
SIN October.
''Has his health much improved9"
'He is considerably better. still little hoarse
but he is taking the greatest care of himself
and he has given his promise to address Mid
Iothians."
SIS it to be another pilgrimage of passion?
And who is he going to kill?'
"A patriotic pilgrimage, my FRIEND" was the
reply, land he is going to kit Lord Salisbury"
Nobody elsel Not Sir Randolph Churchilll"
"Oh, he does not count"
what about Mr. Parnell"
He has cut his own throat by his declaration
for the dismem berment of the empire and it is
a similar case of suicide with little Churchill
and his friends by reason of their alliance with
him."
Then YOU consider the Tory suspension of
the coercion act and their willingness to reopen
any criminal conviction in the past which would
be warranted by and recent evidence, an
alliance with ParueF'
II say that the Tories ready to make dis
graceful conditions Cor the Irish vote"
Having taken lesson from Gladstone, eh2
But you are giving me opinions; give me
news"
THE opinions embody news but the news
does not please YOU" he answered. But will
give you some Journalistic points for America"
'Thats good"
"There will be no war between Spain and Ger
many. The two powers are furnishing up their
war-ships and practcing with torpedoes But
there will be no fight Bismarck will get the
Caroline Islands He is temporizing just now in
the interest of the young King and has proposed
arbitration, but the Carolines have practically
passed into the hands of Germany. Bismarck
will offer all kinds of concessions to keep the
King on the throne, leaving the all healer, Time,
to familiarize Spain with the eclipse of her
colonial power. Bismarck may fail in keeping
the King the Thrones he may fail in prevent
ing revolution but he will stick to the Caro-
linz islands. Take that tip from me. have
been dining with German official who was
recently at Varzin. l don't profess to say that
he is an intimate friend of Prince Bismarck, but
he knows the Prince, and is in position to
speak with authority"
"And what of the Afghan dificultyW
Settled for the present, for a year, perhaps
for ten but the protocols are only a truce
Whether we be Liberals or Tories, we have got
to fight Russia some day, and l am with Lord
Salisbury in getting ready for it l think Glad
stone, in having the Quettah railway torn up,
committed an error but be hated Beaconsfeld
and all his works, the Quettah railway works
included. He is great Old boy, is Gladstone;
nevertheless he is strong enough to acknowl-
edge fault and know that in the midst of
| the latest difficulty with Russia he deeply re-
GREETED his stoppage Of the defensive operations
on the Indian frontier, and even the withdrawal
from Candahar."
''Well. and the mission to Turkeys"
''You seem delighted; yet success would have
beer a good thing, would it not2"
For the Tories, yes"
'.And for the country, eh2"
"Perhaps."
''You know it would; it would have settled the
Egyptian difficulty, which is the international
difficulty of the age But let us keep to the
news. / have had vacation am back on the
mill, and you have not left London because you
are political wire puller, and we are on the eve
of a general election
THAT is so, unfortunately, and want to help
you. Sir Drummond Wolf at Constantinople
has had to contend with Franco Russian oppo.
sition, a Franco-Russan intrigue and
the Sultan has asked impossibilities of
the government That is the Tory explanation.
1t comes from the foreign office and | believe it
is true. The mission is a failure Egypt is inst
where she was when we left her. except that she
A,cx fan L..