The morning call., 1891-03-15
THE BARINGS'
SETTLEMENT.
Mastery Efforts Of LiddeTdale to
Bring It About.
Sir Charles DiIke's Candidacy for ParIia-
ment Entirely Too Premature -Fhs
American Copyright LaW.
Special to THE MORNING CA=L

New YORK, March ia Tribune ..on-
don special says: Lidderdale. the Governor
of the Bank of England, is not only an able
financier but also dramatic artist. He
appeared in this new capacity at the Gen.
eral Court OF the Governor ana Company OF
the Bank of England held Friday II then
became his duty to describe what he had
done in the matter of the Barring Bros
Nothing in Monte Cristo surpasses it in
romance. The Barings made clean breast
of it, and early in November last Lidderdals
and his friends were invited to come to
their rescue. They spent four days In an
investigation and found that the Barings'
liabilities exceeded e2O, 100000 Their assets
more than covered this great sum, but they
could not be realized on in time to prevent
their failure. To allow that house to go
down would have been the signal for q
crash. to which all the other financial disas-
tiers in history would have been trifis.
$50 at 5 o'clock on Friday afternoon" says
Lidderdale, "a guarantee list was opened
and headed with G., 600 by the Bank OF
England.
GObSChlHIIONS fOOhED IN
sin half an hour the amount reached e.
900, 600, and at 10 :45 the next morning it was
e6. 100000, and at u o'clock l was able to
announce that the liabilities of the firm
would be surely met. Ultimately the guar
antee list reached e17,25O.O0O. Liquidation
has proceeded, and the Barings' liabilities had
been reduced March 1st to $500, 600 plus
a6, 100000 due the bank. The assets will
cover this. There is promise of surplus
and no loss to the public or guarantors is
expected" Well might the General Court
pass a vote of thanks to their Governor.
and we'll may it be said, as it has been. that
he had nothing to envy the victor Of Aus
terlitz or Sedan.
DILKE's CANDIDACY.
Sir Charles Dixie has chosen what seems
to be an odd moment for his effort to re-
enter public life. He puts himself forward
as GladstOnian candidate year and half
before any election is likely to occur. There
is no vacancy in the Forest of Dean. nor
there likely 10 be any till this Parliamenthas
been gathered to its fathers, Sir Charles
puts himself up to be shot at during all this
long interval. So great is his impatience
that be forgets, and expects others TO for
get, his own explicit pledge not to attempt
w lc-tuttl piluliC hlC llc udu
his character. He has neither vindcated
it nor taken any single step toward vindt-
eating il. What he has done is to publish
pamphlet embodying such comments on the
proceedings IN the divorce court as to him
OF to his legal advisers seem likely to shake
general conviction in his guilt. 1t is an Idle
effort. His former colleagues are against
him, Gladstone most strongly of all. Sir
b Charles Dilke's object is an office. Between
him and an office stand two lives, Glad
stones and the Queens. II is certain that
he cannot regain his former Cabinet rank
during the lifetime of either. The Liberal.
that is the GladstOnian party, resents his
temperance
THE COPYRIGHT LAW.
The passage of the American Copyright
Bill, which was wholly unexpected here,
has been received in a shopkeepiug
spirit. We ought not indeed to expect much
laudaton for what is, after all, only an act
of common honesty. After stealing English
books for several generations, we have
voted that We will steal no more. 1t is not
a death-bed repentance, but it certainly
comes too late to be graceful on our part, or
entitle us TO the admiration of the universe.
These, however, are reflections more proper
for us to make than the English. and such
English Acknowledgements as have appeared
in print are of the grudgiDg not to say carp
ing, order. The view taken IS commercial
view. The English seem to care less about
the English author, whose rights are now
for the first time to be protected ia America.
than about the English printer whose profits
are supposed to be in danger of diminutioa
from American competition.
BEHRING SEA QUESTION
Not only is there no excitement in England
over the Behring Sea question, but there is
a general conviction that England and
America will find common basis for arbi-
tration. Blaine and Salisbury have each
conceded something, and the points now at
issue between them are.not thought TO be
serious enough to prolong the controversy.