The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1891-11-22

LONDON, Nov. 1s.-[Speciall- The
principal political event lately has
been the appointment of Mr.. Balfour
to the leadership of the House of Com
mons, for which position he has been
chosen not only by his uncle, Lord Sal
isbury, but by the whole of tho conserv-
tive party. Many and brilliant are
the talents which have gained for him
at 43 years of ago, this important post.
After Mr.. Gladstone and Lord Sails
bury, Mr.. Balfour is certainly the most
prominent politician and best tory de-
bator in England. An aristocrat by
birth, wealth, and bachelor, he is
also an accomplished scholar and man
of the highest culture. AS Irish secre.
tary, his philosophical cynicism and
fearlessness enabled hin to AIRY outhis
doctrine of coercion, and Irish mem bers
of Parliament hated him for the i'm
perturbable and nonchalant way in
which he listened to their taunts and
insults.
Mr.. Merely says of him: "The truth
is that the chief secretary treats the
Irish members witfnthe easy contempt
OF white man for the negroes of cot
ton plantation. Their antics and droll-
cries amuse him, and if they carry it
too far, no knows he can always lock
them up" In fact, Mr.. Balfour, as a
necessary consequence of his aristo-
cratic pedigree, is lacking in broad,
human sympathies, and has an essent-
tally federal contempt for 1.-THE
Masses"
N trx,', fn,
nephew as leader of the com
mons and other connection in
the foreign Office, would seem to be
strengthening their hands for grand
hight in the coming session-avowedly
the last o. the present parliament.
MR. Parnelrs removal from the poll
tlcal scene does not seem to have
brought the reunion OF the Irish parties
any nearer. Naturally tho loss of such
determined and gifsed leader leaves
the Parnellites much poorer. But when
the time comes to join hands, the Irish
members will be patriotic enough to
sink minor differences in order to gain
their great object.
MIR. Il. z. O'Connnor has brought out
an Interesting "Life of Charles Stewart
Parnell, which is sure to have popu-
lar audience. Mr.. O'Conner once had
the privilege of hearing, in railway
carriage, Parnell's profession of faith:
religion had turned up as a tonic of
discussion, and to the surprise of every-
body, Parnell said he he had faith in re-
!igion, that he had once lost it, but that
1t had come back again, 81 believe" he
added, lin tho religion was born in"
Mr. Gladstone's declaration, IN his
Newcastle speech, of the necessity for
the British evacuation Of Egypt, has, as
usual, aroused storm of remon-
strances from Chamberlain and the
conservative party. Mr. Chamberlain
states that tho work performed in
Egypt by Englishmen, has been 1.-THE
resurrection of nation" and that il
we were to leave now, all the good
things which had been performed would
be undone.
The Daily News series of excellent
articles on Life in Our Villages" has
done much to concentrate public atten.
ton on this point, and will greatly in
fuence public opinion on questions of
rural economy. Before the end of the
year some definite attempt will be made
towards practical legislation on this
knotty problem. 1t is in the villages
that the baneful effects of our English
Landlord system, and of the power Of the
clergy OF the Established Church are
most keenly felt.
The Paris labor exchange is a power
full organization for workingmen and
women, and was founded in 1887 bv
the town council to secure work for the
unemployed. There is an executive
labor board of twenty-one memb srs,
elected by the delegates of the different
syndical chambers which are included
in the exchange. To belong to a syndi-
cate one must be 81 years old. working
at the particular trade of that syndi-
cate, and pay subscription of twenty
one francs year. The premises at
present occupied by the exchange are
not commodious, but in December the
new labor exchange at tho Place de la
keuublique will be opened; this fine
large building contains $50 Offices,
During the last twelve months the old
exchange has obtained situations for
about 100000 persons.
In July the Paris municipal council
voted funds for the creation OF chair
Ior the history o. labor, and appointed
M. Rev1lle, who has devoted himself to
the study OF the labor question in all
the manufacturing centers Of Europe,
especially in England, and is man of
high university attachments. So that
In Paris, the Democratic capital of
Europe, has been instituted the first
European labor chair. Truly the
French lead in ideas, as Mazzini saws,
The Paris exchange publishes a paper
of its own and takes in thirty other
papers and specially devoted to the
labor question, including one in German
from the United States.
The Dukeof Fife is selling many of
his farms in Scotland. He was never
very popular as landlord and no one
expresses much regret at the estates
ha hn nd