Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-05-15
JOHN BULL AS A BUFFER.
His Acceptance of the Monetary
Conference Invitation Merely
A BID FOR BI-METALLIST VOTES.
He Is Little Sore at Uncle Sam for His
Steamship Move, And
HOPES TO GET EVEN In SOME MANNER
IBY CABLE TO THE DISPATCH.


LONDON, May 14-[Copyrightl 1.-THE
Tories have succeeded in keeping the North
Hackney seat, and the achievement is
trumpeted forth to the world as Conserya-
tive victory. How small is the mercy for
which the loudest of thanks are thus being
oferedl 1t can be- measured by the fact
that the Tory majority has been reduced
by 534 votes, compared with 1886. 1t the
Liberals can do this well at the general
election all over London as they have just
done in North Hackney, they will win at
least II seats now held by Tories, with ma
jorities ranging from & in Central Fins
bury to 500 in Stepney. If the Tories are
satisfied with that prospect the Liberals
certainly have no cause for complaint
The Governments acceptance of the
Washington invitation to an international
silver conference is striking proof of the
progress made by the bi-metallist movement
in this country. The chief pressure brought
TO bear upon the Government came from
Lancashire, which has been almost wholly
converted to the belief that bi-metallic
standard would restore the prosperity of its
staple trade. Capital invested in Joint
stock cotton mills deprecated 35 per cent
in Is years, and the average net profits have
dwi2dled to l per cent per annum Ian
cashire people, employers and workmen
alike, have been taught to attribute this
alarming state of affairs to the low price of
silver and the Quotations in the exchanges
Merely Meant as Bluff.
The Government, in view of the ap-
preaching general election in which Ian
caShire is a very important factor. was
bound to do something, but the acceptance
of United States Governments invitation
must not be taken to imply that there is
any immediate prospect that England will
adopt the bi-metallic standard The
Liberals Will in all probability be in power
before the conference has held its first sit
ting and that party is strongly mono
metalliSt. The British delegates will enter
the conference empowered to do nothing
more than listen and talk The Bi-Metallic
League has converted Lancashire, but a con-
dition precedent to final victory is the win
ming over of the great Liberal party, and
that, if it ever be achieved, means hard
work for many years.
A noisy section of the labor party which
wants Parliament to fix the number of
hours per day during which ful1-grown
men shall be allowed to work had bv its
delegates an interview with Lord Salisbury
and Mr.. Balfour this week. The delegates
would have had no chance of being received
by those august persons had not Mr. Glad
stones refusal to receive similar deputa-
tion induced the Tories to believe that
political capital might be made out of the
business.
Nobody Particularly Wen Satisfied.
A speech made last night at Bradford bv
Alderman Ben Tillett, one of the eight-hour
leaders, warrants the belief that neither
party has much cause for satisfaction. "The
sristocratic and moneyed classes" said
Tillett, filled Parliament to protect their
own interests Despite all their promises,
every politician of note had taken mega
tive position on matters affecting the dem
ocracy. Mr.. Gladstone was evasive and had
suubbed the labor party. Mr.. Morley had
insulted it, Lord Salisbury twitted at it,
Mr.. Balfour had been cynical, and Lord
Randolph Churchill hystericaL There was
not q representative man in either party
who was not opposed to the labor pro-
gramme. The ruling classes cared nothing
that the millions were weltering in ignor-
ance and poverty, so long as their own
pockets were filed" and 50 on.
The fact is, the labor party in this country
has been so pampered and petted bv all
political parties that it has become a
spoiled child. For wears past when il has
cried for the moon it has been accustomed
10 receive a star to go on, and nowadays,
when it howls, it expects to be bribed into
silence with nothing less than the entire
solar system.
John Bull in a Quandary.
John Bull has arrived at the conclusion
that he has been very badly treated by
Uncle Sam in the matter of the armed
cruisers, and he is casting about for means
whereby to prevent other steamship COM
panles following the pernieious and un-
patriotic example of the Inman people He
is not yet decided whether to make a
transfer Of the British ships to United
States registry an act of high treason, or to
Crapple with the difficulty in the natural
commercial manner of outbidding the
American bidder. Some of his sons are in
clined to get hysterical over the business.
Colonel Howard Vincent, NJ p, for in
stance, wants to know: "Are we to RELY
upon mama from heaven in the dav when
ocean gravhounds under the Stars and
Stripes pull up with shot the food of our
millions?" But on the whole the matter is
being discussed calmly here.