New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-11

,eu FARMERS DEMAND PROTECTION-MR
,,op,rv,s FORECAST OF HOME RULE-LoRD
posEnERY,s IRISH vIsIT-MR. GLAD
STONE AT UvEEpooI~THEATM-
cA1-MR. KIpLING ANSWERED.
>rY CABLE TO THE Tribune
Copyright, 1899 By The Tribune As'o''a"o"
ro,don Dec 1O.-It was assumed and asser'eu
. week ago in England that the Brussels Con
torarce had failed. There is not much IN ''e
,,rocoeancs of this week to refute that assuRp-
.;on There have been debates. There have oeea
wv o.ooo1s two At least and Mr.. Alfred
de Rotbschild's, rejected by a committee. has oeen
Sorrrollv withdrawn None of the speeches 4as
,oroh Influenced public opinion, and neither oir
William Houldsworth's nor NJ. Allards proposais
are Thought serious except by their authorS'
A +olegram from America announces this MORN
,no that. silver mining having ceased 10 De pio"'-
obIe. the mines are closing. 1t is not known 10"
far that statement is true nor 10 whaV oAVeh'
NJ silver-producing territory it applies III True
and general, it would be regarded mere ae Con-
siderably more important than all the talk at
Brussels
Ribot Cabinet in France is a surprise to every
body including NJ. RbOt himself lie was talked
of last February, before President Carnot ais
covered NJ Loubet, but was not then asked lie
IA able but perhaps adventurous; nor is II thoughV
,i,,dicious that the Foreign Minister should also
,ho President Of the Council The use of the
President of the Council is to keep the other Min
isters in order TO moderate their zeal, and to
spply two minds instead of one to difficult ques-
tons
NJ. Ribot, moreover is a hot partisan OF Franco
Russian alliance 1t may be doubted whether st.
bis annOintmpnt with en-
thusiasm The aim of ST. Petersburg is to tame
the friendship of Paris, not to stimulate 1t. Nor
"a this a moment when a Minister with a future
as NJ Ribot has, or had, need care TO become
Prime Minister. There is sure promise or
stability for his or any other Ministry The
Chamber is completely out of hand. Parties are
'spt I'D. the various factions OF Republicans more
irrecorcilably hostile to each other than to the
Royalists The Panama question must be faced.
The Radicals thought they were coming In by
help of the Panama scandal, and are not pleased
with the turn things taking. Nor is NJ. Brsson
as politician pleased The probabilities OF erect
ing the Panama Committee into Committee OF
Public Safety are somewhat diminished
M. Ribot has, in the opinion of his friends.
sufficient character 10 be Prime Minister in fact
as we'll as name, or to resign. He has also good
deal of political fexibilty. he proved on
presenting himself as Prime Minister TO the Cham
bcr His statement was firm in tone. and in
substance a surrender. His Ministry is. with
two exceptions. the 1.oubet Ministry rear
ranged, and with NJ. Loubet himself as Minister
of the Interior The only scapegoats are NJ.
Ricard, who had made himself impossible Min
lister Of Justice, and NJ Roche. who, as Min
lister of Commerce, had alarmed commercial and
industrial interests. Yet this Ministry reshuf-
fed like pack Of cards secures a majority OF
207 from the same Chamber which a few DAYS
before had turned out the same men by 81 ma
jorty Of s5
1t is, however, the Ministry, not the Cham
Der, which has changed its policy the burn
ing question of the hour. Conccaling his retreat
under shower of fine phrases, NJ. Ribot has
yielded on every important point TO the Panama
Committee. He digs Baron Renach out of the
grave which NJ. Loubet resigned rather than
disturb. He hands over the papers in the Grim
inal prosecution of the Panama directors Whether
be will accept VI. Brisson's amazing bill. for
which the Chamber has voted urgency. is not
yet known; but on that be holds conference
with NJ Brisson. What VI. Brsson asks is moth
ing less than full judicial powers for his com
mittee, subject to no appeal If NJ. Ribot, him
self distinguished lawyer. grants that, he will
grant anything No wonder the Chamber re-
reversed their policy.
One effect OF this surrender is the resignation
Of NJ. Quesnay de Beaurepare the Attorney Gen
eral. There was no ADLER or bOlder man at the
French Bar, none who had done such service at
such risk, and none whose removal would so
rejoice the Anarchists. True, NJ de Beaurepaire
becomes President of the Court Of Appeal But
his loss will none the less be felt in the admins
traton Of justice. NJ Brisson pursues his way,
gardless of all this if he and his Panama Com
nittec had O kind Of divine mandate. lie may, by
the help Of his new powers, force unwilling
witnesses to speak, and unearth many a still
hidden iniquity 1t will still be a question
whether the usurpation Of judicial functions by
a legislative committee be not too high d price
to pay for tie complete exposure of the greatest
Swinde Of modern days.
President Harrisons Message provoles a curious
outburst of English spleen. What the English
papers say Of it is what the Democratic press in
America might be expected TO say. The com
ment is purely partisan. English hostility to Mr..
Harrison is as marked as English friendship to
Mr.. Cleveland, and both are for the same reason.
They knew that Mr.. Harrison and the Repubi-
IAN Party wosld be relied TO protect American
interests They know that under Mr.. Clevcland's
rule British interests are once more to be favor
ably considered. OF generosity to defeated
opponent, there is no trace in these British
remarks.
The proceeding Of the National Agricultural
conference, held in London on Wednesday and
1hursiay, may be summed up in two words
Protection and bi,ac;alhsm II makes the best
friends Of the farmers stand aghast. Protection
will not down. Just as America Is supposed to
have given this hated principle final blow, it
lifts its hoiria form in ST. James's Hall, in Lon
don. An out-and.ont Protcctionst resolution is
carried unanimously, or almost unanimously amid
laundering cheers Who are the men who carried
1t? Admittedly, a representative and most
powerful and important assembly of farmers of