The morning call., 1891-03-29
ABSOLUTELY
NECESSARY.
An Imperial View Of the New
fOundland Bill.
Little Sympathy in England for the Victims
Of the New Orleans Trasedg-The
New Copyright Law Criticized.
Special to THE MoRNINa cAaL

NEW YORK, March 29-Smalley, in his
cablegram to the Tribune from London.
says: The agitation prevailing in New
foundland makes some impression here, but
not much. The proposed act of Parliament
is, from an imperial point of view. abso-
lutely necessary. France and England have
come TO certain agreement pending arbi-
tration. That agreement recognizes that
France has certain rights in Newfoundland
under the treaty of Utrecht. The bill
which gives such offenSe to the colonists is
simply measure of policy, in one sense.
and nothing more. 1t is also, in a wider
view. an act Of good faith to France. The
French are rejoicing, as usual, over English
difficulties. If Ribot's agreement for arbi-
tratiOn had gone beyond the lobster ques-
tion nobody can say what might have hap
pened him or the Ministry.
NOT A SUCCESS.
The attempt to organize an Italian protest
in London against the execution of the Ital-
ian assassins in New Orleans has not proved
great success. One Of the most distin-
guished living jurists writes: I" Nothing has
given me so much satisfaction for a long
time as the uprising at New Orleans. God
speed all such good work. There is no
doubt that its effect will be most wholesome.
am, however, in favor of a large indemnity
to Italy, payable in Italians" He means, of
course, those nOn-Amercanized Italians
who have been clustering in New York
about vengeance.
holy week has brought one absolute nov
elty-the discovery by the Times that the
true source OF Irelands woes is drinking
ether. In very elaborate narrative, it
describes the malady, the existence of
which nobody heretofore suspected, and
gives figures that are positively appalling If
they correctly denote tine number Of ether
drinkers. How they are obtained does not
clearly appear. 1t is happily only one por-
ton OF Ireland which suffers from this vice
tile nortEeast-but there we hear of 620O
drinkers in Draperstown, out of p0pula-
ton OF $500, with many other towns where
the proportion. if less, is still very great.
THE COPYRIGHT ACT.
Sir Frederick Pollock. a high legal author
ity, discusses the new Copyright Act in the
April Contemporary Review. He says:
We have given the citizens of the United
States all that can be gwen in the way of
facilities for acquiring British copyright,
and through the convention of Berne
European copyright also. We have no
valuable consideration to offer them in re-
turn for any further advantage to our own
people" He speaks Of the act as purely
SOiantarS on tLe part OF the Congress OF
tho United States. This is the first English
recognition | have seen of that fact. HIS
remark on the framing of this law COM
mends itself to the craftsman of it, whoever
lie may be. Having sometimes mad occa-
sion to criticize our own statutes | ad-
nit that this time the Congress of the United
States has attained pjtcn Of bad English,
awkward and obscure construction and gen.
eral clumsineSS wholly beyond any recent
performance of Parliament" This is dis
tressing and would Ee more distressing still
if Sir Frederick S own English were beyond
reproach.
PARNELL vs.. HEALY.
1t seems to be still uncertain whether the
English public is to be treated to the spec
tacle of contest for Cork between Parnell
and Maurice Heaiy. Both sides are in
doubt as to what would be the result of the
struggle In Cork in circumstances so pc
culiar as the present, and on neither side is
there much real eagerneSS to bring matters
to an issue. The contest at North Sligo
seems to promise nothing but defeat to Par
a struggle is now admitted. Whatever may
Healy wrangle about the Cork election,
one result is clear-it disgusts the English
public with the Irish cause. England asks,
even the Gladstonlans ask, "Are men who
cannot govern themselves fit to govern Ire
lgnd 2''