Los Angeles herald., 1892-04-16
LONDON CABLE LETTER,
Startling Revelations About
the British Army.
A Soldiery Composed Of Strip
lings Unfit for Service.
Scarcely Battalion in Kingdom
Fit for the Field.
How Salisbury Clinches His Hold on the
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. to Go on the
Stump in the Coming
Campaign.
Associated Press Diapatches.

Assoclated Press Dispatches.
LoNDoN, April 15.-[Copyright, 1892,
by the New York Associated Press
The revelations made before the COM
mittee inquiring il to the state OF the
British army have been the sensation
OF the week. A les ling military chief
concurred in the or 1ion that there is
hardly single in .ntry battalion at
home that is not affected. The revela-
tion will lead to active agitation in par
Lament as soon as the recess is over,
the secretary of war having promised
that he will not obstruct full discussion.
Adjutant- General Wood declared that
fully 30 per cent of the men encamped
at Aldershot are unfit for camp duty,
or for days service, on account Of
their youth and lack of stamina.
The duke of Cambridge, commander
in-chief, endorsed this startling state
ment, adding that if called upon
to mobilize two army corps on short
notice, it would be impossible, and
he did not think it possible to mobilize
one corps, composed of twenty-five bat
talions of infantry.
In response to the query if the battal-
ions were fit for home defense, Lord
Wolseley replied: eff we were invaded
tomorrow they would be better than
nothing"
He said the volunteer force is the most
important factor in home defense.
The duke of Connaught said if his
command were ordered to service not
half of them would be allowed to 60 on
account of their unfitness.
The main cause OF the weakness of the
home battalions is stated to be the de-
pletion Of the best men for foreign and
colonial service.
Lord Wolseley likened the forces to q
squeezed lemon.
The duke of Connaught held that
grown men would not join the service
as wearers of the queens uniform, be-
cause OF being socially ostracised, and
because soldiers were wantonly burden
ed with excessive sentry duty.
In regard to strengthening the home
battalion, the consensus OF opinion
favored more liberal pay and better
pensions.
Salisbury clinched his hold upon the
khedive by melting him to open quar-
withdrawal of Mourhka Pasha.
Gladstone announces that he consid-
ers the Newcastle programme definite
platform for the coming elections. He
promises to add series of meetings
during the campaign.
Gladstone, replying to a memorial
from the Irish Baptists and other dis
senters against home rule, on religious
grounds, contends that alarm lest the
Dublin legislature oppose the Protes-
tants, ought not to be entertained, as
the imperial parliament is safeguard
for religious and civil freedom.
Ten thousand delegates will be present
at the Unionist convention in Belfast,
and 10000 persons will participate in
the procession.
The rumor that John Dillon is about
to retire from political life, on account
of quarrel with Healy, is ridiculed.
The prospect is that the cotton lock-
out will be of short duration, as the
employers will hold meeting Tuesday
to decide the question of arbitration.
The struggle is unparalleled in the his
tory of the trade, as $4,000 hands are
now idle and the number will be in
creased to 10000.
w. I. Martin, Mrs. Martin (Victoria
WoodhulD and Lady Cook (Tennie @.
Claflin), sailed on the steamship Trave,
Wednesday, for New York. Mrs. Mar
tin stated that she was offered e50,OO0
for fifty lectures in the United States,
on Humanitarian Government and
other subjects, and would accept if her
health permitted.