The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-06


herself, and to manage her new quarrel
with her old friend Turkey and her new
with her old enemies-Russi
and France-on her own hook. If she
emerges from the ENHANCEMENT peacefully
things will be as they were. IT, on the
other hand, matters come to blows Eng
land will be in the position of doing gratis
work which the Triple Alliance exists for
the sole purpose of having done. This
prospect of seeing England doing some
thing for nothing greatly warns the Ger
man heart, and will not fail of apprecia-
ton in Vienna and Rome. Of course, in
such an event, which weeks occurrences
bring within the range of practical posi-
bilities, England will not necessarily re-
main single handed. She will have merely
to pay long price for help.
Although the probability of much more
threatening complication of the Chinese
matter has been thrust completely in the
background by the turmoil on the Bos-
phorus it is perfectly understood among
the well informed that the business of OBJ
tanning redress for the missionary massa-
cres forms only a slight, perhaps the
slightest part of the British fleets mission.
The ultimatum of which so much was
made on paper, and before which the Chi
nese seem to grovel so promptly, is even
suspected of being q kind of dummy de-
mand. The Nlceroy whose degradation
was demanded and conceded with such
facility had been already degraded year
before and was only remaining at his post
to clear up his accounts. This is being
represented as fine joke at England ex-
pense, but I am assured that it was quite
understood between the British and Chi
nese officials and was intended merely as
mask for an understanding of a far broad
er and more important nature.
Reports of more curious character are
beginning to circulate among people who
are generally described as in diplomatic
circles about the German Emperor. [
find five or six public men, all more or less
in touch with German affairs, who have
heard within the past fortnight different
stories about him, which seem to indicate
that he is passing through another one of
those queer mental spells of his. His af-
lection from his earliest boyhood for his
charming brother, Henry, has been writ
ten much of, and now he has quarreled
with him, and it is said that on the qeston
of naval management Henry has quilted
Germany under conditions not easily dis
tinguishable from banishment.
Minor eccentricities are related which, if
at all true, amply warrant what is heard of
the popular apprehension and distrust in
Germany. This is the most anxious
period that Europe has known for long
time, and to have any of the many vital is
sues at stake in hands not under abso-
In talXr Qo1Y1o POn4r0l
the general disquietude, but Germany has,
on the whole, more to risk or lose by war
than any body else, and it is quite intelli-
gible that rumors of this sort should fill
her with special alarm. However, it may
be remembered that they were heard often
before, and that no harm resulted.
Again the referendum in Switzerland
has worked in a way to disappoint those
who hoped most from it. The conditions
of the match trade in the republic have
long constituted public sea ndal, compe
tition having driven wages to the starya-
ton point. and, what is much worse,
beaten down all safeguards against phos-
phoric poisoning among the workers,
which there is at its worst.
Factory inspection did no good and
finally 1t was decided by large majority
of the Legislature that the true remedy
lay in the Government taking over the
manufacture as monopoly. This was re-
ferred to the popular vote with the result
that only half of the electorate took the
trouble to vote and that a few progressive,
educated cantons like Basle and Zurich,
which supported the project, were
overwhelmed by the rural parts. The
French districts are especially against it
and IN the very communes where phossy-
jaw among match-workers had become a
terrible and chronic scourge the owners of
small factories were able to pile UP i'm
mense majorities against the proposal
The result, like that on the Jewish killing
of cattle, has furnished text for a good
deal of smart writing on the general SUBJ
iect of universal suffrage.
The South Carolina convention receives
considerable attention in the cable dis
patches and the general tone of British
comment is dispassionately casual, but
the Daily News. which went into mysteries
over Ida Wells anti-lynching crusade and
since then has been the chief bleater in
the Armenian chorus, takes the Palmetto
State sternly by the ear.
The value of its opinions may be cleaned
by its belief that the constitutionality of
Mississippi's earlier experiment in limit
ing the black vote has not been brought to
test before the Supreme Court because the
negroes are too poor to find money for
lawyers bills, but about the earnestness of
Its emotions there can be no doubt. 1t re-
calls proudly that it always championed
the human rights of the negro in America,
and adds: 1.-The Daily News will cham
pion his civil rights as we'll" Whether it
is prepared to proceed to the length of
armed Intervention is not clear, but at any
rate South Carolina ought to know that
the Daily News is watching it.
At last it seems that the ancient project
OF driving broad new thoroughfare from
Holborn to the Strand is actually going
under way. The scheme now adopted will
sweep away the Tudor slum of Glare Mar
ket and also weed out Holliwell street
but preserve both of the old churches in
the Strand. Its cost, without provision
for the rehousing of 1000 people thus torn
up by the route, will be over SIC, ,OO0, 600.
AS an example of the delays which re-
tarded this Improvement it is related that