The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1894-10-29
live Gossip OF London
Developments in British Politics and
Society Tersely Touched Upon.
NEW SOCIAL REFORM CRUSADE
The Sedate British MatrOn Is Shocked at
the Costumes and Antics in Two
Naughty Playhouses and
Wants Them Closed.


London, Oct. 1S.
Coming events cast their shadows be-
fore, and by reading the speeches now
being made in various parts Of this lit
tie island 1t would appear that this gov
has very warm time In store
when parliament assemblies for the win
ter session. Mr.. Joey Chamberlain has
again been busy, this time in talking to
his own constituents at Birmingham.
On this occasion he dismissed the
Home Rule" question with very few
words. II intend for once" he said,
ito leave this question severely alone.
The Irish people are sick of their polit-
ical leaders who have made profit out
Of social disturbance, and are engaged
in exposing the meanness, the mendaci-
ty, and the petty vanities that have all
along underlain this so-called national
long peroration was directed to giving
the existing government "beans" gen.
orally, and the Local Veto Bill' a
trouncing In particular. The object Of
the veto bill Is, in the first place, to put
down drink, and the bill runs on the fol-
lowing lines: 1t aims at preventing
drinking rather than drunkenness and
seeks to punish the publican while 1t
ruins the comfort Of a moderate man
who desires to relieve his thirst. The
bill destroys local option, and should
any district decide that it does not want
any public houses in its vicinity then
the licences must go, and publicans-
who are not necessarily sinners-are
absolutely ruined, for nothing in the
bill provides for any compensation.
This is obviously unfair, and it was to
this question that Joey mainly directed
his remarks. He poured floods Of satire
on the usual eight-hours' work meas
ure, too, and wanted to know whether
we should require two shifts Of servants
in the future. Fancy" he said, be
ing In a storm at sea and the sailors
saying their eight hours was up, and
they could not do any more work."
Then Mr.. John Redmond, NJ. p, has
been having his little go" at the gov
ernment. The occasion was q meeting
in support of the Parnellite party.
Strangely enough Mr.. Redmond does
not agree with the abolition of the
House of Lords. He said that IL the
question of abolition comes before
Home Rule" then the latter would be
permanently shelved. No." says Mr..
Redmond, "let there be another election
and then II substantial majority be
In favor of Home Rule, then the Lords
dare not reject the measure" He de-
clared that it was the duty of all Irish
men to bring about the dissolution OF
the present government. Resolutions
were passed to this effect and the result
will be that Lord Rosebery will lose q
few of his supporters. Whatever his
views may be, Redmond is certainly
a genuine patriot.
A thorough sportsman, good fellow
and English gentleman has just passed
suddenly away, In the person Of Sir
John Ashley. Many will miss the genial
Mate. for nothing In the way of sport
was beneath his notice. Boxing, boat.
ing, shooting, sailing, the turf-all had
their attractions for him. In 1S4S he
was gazetted to the Scots guards, and
fought in the Crimean war; being
wounded in the neck at the battle OF
Alma. His life was one of ups and
downs, a rich man one day, and, as he
expressed it himself, "deuced short
the next. Despite this Sir John mixed
In the best society, and was loking for.
ward only few days before his death
to shooting party of which the Prince
of Wales was to be member. One OF
his sporting matches is worth recount
ing. He and Caledon Alexander made
three matches; one to plow an acre Of
land for 5000; two, to shoot fifty pigeons
for f2O0; and three, to ride their owl
horses a mile and half at Newmarke
for monkey" The last named came
off first. Sir John weighed 16 stone,
pounds, and Alec, 16 stone; and although
betting was against him, Sir John woI
by three lengths. Alexander won tn,
shooting match but, sad to say, tn,
ploughing match never came off mucl
to the Mates" disappointment. Hi
son succeeds to the baronetcy.
The licensing committee of the Lon
don county council has been sitting thi
week and some extraordinary attack
have been made upon one or two of on
most popular places of amusement
| The National Vigilance association is
| fearful and wonderful body Of peopl
who would shut up all that is brigh
| and go-ahead in our dull city, and con
denim us to only attend lectures and tea
| fights. The first attack was directe,
against the Palace theater, the chic
objection being the living pictures. 4
Mr.. Coote was the jumper -on-in-chiei
and he characterized the pictures a
being grossly indecent, immoral and
pub &c scar dal. L:dy Henry Somerse
was to have also attended to denounc
them, hut she w3s fortunately calle
away to America. Another horribl
, detail that grieved Mr.. Coote was, tina
a male man thing arranged the tab
leaux! No wonder the committee shoe
their heads and retired to ponder thes
things. Their verdict amounted to "Yo
have been very naughty but we won
punish you this time-only don't do
again." Then came the case of the "Em
pire," whose audacity In appealing fo
renewal of license was vigorously or
posed by Mrs. Ormeston Chant an
Mrs Sheldon Amos. The first name
visited the Empire because two Amer
can friends who had gone to hear CheN
alier sing his coster songs had bee
very much shocked. So Mrs. Chant wer
| an1 had a battarxy nf cbnnlrc al tn he,