The San Francisco call., 1895-12-29

can dispute, and the rumors afoat about it
are entirely valueless.
1t is more certain than ever that Eng
land has pulled out of the Levantine i'm
broglio bag and baggage, which lessons
the chances OF Russias desiring to make
combination against her in other quarters.
It's understood among politicians here in
touch with the Foreign Office that Russia
is guaranteeing fairly large Rothschild
loan to Turkey, part of which Russia is to
take on the OLD war indemnity sccount,
and the rest of which is to be used by the
Sultan TO pay salaries and working ex-
penses, which are terribly in arrears. Then
ne is to have time till spring to pacify his
dominions as roughly as he likes, and if
the job is incomplete when the snow
melts, Russia is to consider whether she
has not moral mandate to finish it. Ap-
parently there will be fewer Armenians
then than there are now.
Gladstone's departure for BiarritZ, where
he will spend his eighty-sixth birthday to-
morrow, has operated further to depress
the Armenian sympathiZers here. Al
though he has done rather more for them
than would have seemed decorous in an
opposition leader occupying less unique
position, they have been clinging to the
hope that he somehow would be induced
to do a great deal more and actively
head popular agitation which should
force Salisbury's hand. He is reported to
have said that if he were Premier he would
run the risk of coercing the Sultan, as he
did in 1880 on the Greek and Motenegrin
question, but that, being in private life, he
had no right to insist that another should
assume what was undoubtedly a great
risk again. He has taken with him huge
boxes OF books, but one of his young men
says that they are this time chiefly novels,
and nothing has been heard of any special
literary work that the Grand Old Man has
laid out for his holiday.
In his lifetime nobody could have seemed
less likely to affect the politics of nation
than the poor feather-headed little Max
Lebaudy, whose pranks as the millionaire
petit sucrier" diverted Paris for years,
but his death has stirred up deep popu-
lar feeling, which may easily influence q
considerable section of the electorate, and
in turn produce results IN the Chamber of
Deputies. 1t is clearly enough proved
that he was treated with exceptional rigor
while undergoing military service, and,
finally, when it was demonstrated that he
was very i'll, was deliberately refused the
care which any peasant conscript might
have had and put in a hospital ward with
fever patients from Madagascar, contact
with whose malady killed him offhand. 1t is
shown, moreover, that Nine. Seyerine and
other journalists pursued his superior
officers and other authorities with threats,
if any favoritism or mercy were shown to
him, that press campaign would be
begun, alleging corrupt trucking to the
rich man. The question was raised in the
Chamber yesterday, and, though the ques-
tion was passed over without action, War
Minister Cavaignac's answer pleased no.
body, nor is the position of the socialist
papers, that such a worthless youngster
could do nothing better than die. likely to
commend itself to the Bourgeoisie on sec
ond thought.
New Panama disclosures are understood
to be due next week, and will be put in
such form that action of some sort will be
imperative. Already a partial list of the
incriminated Deputies is published in a
radical paper which has friends in the
present Ministry, and within q few days
the air will be thick with denunciations.
This prospect revives the talk of making
last desperate effort to get the majority
nerved up to the point Of throwing this
minority Ministry out before great Ca
tastrophe comes, and Meline is being put
forward to make fight about Madagascar
with that hope in view. He is the spokes-
man of those who resent the consideration
shown to the foreign residents of the island
and to the treaty engagement with other
powers. They demand immediate denun-
citation of these latter and the esta blish-
ment of an unqualified French rcle at
Antanarivo. If NJ. Bourgeois cannot be
beaten on this no one sees how he is to be
defeated at all. The attack will appeal to
all who wish domestic policies to be left
alone and who find profit in keeping the
public excited about foreign and colonial
affairs. NJ. Bourgeois has undoubtedly
drawn in the Foreign Office horns, estab-
lished much friendlier relations with other
countries than his predecessors dared to
maintain and concentrated attention on
the internal affairs. A conflict between
the two policies was inevitable from the
beginning, but his opponents thus far have
been frightened by the Panama threats,
and whether they will now get courage
from despair remains to be seen.
Hungary, which by chronological rules
ought to be in the rear guard of human
progress, continually sets the rest Of the
Continent examples in civilization. Its
Liberal Ministry has now addressed de-
cree to the universities of Buda-P Pesth and
Klausenburg, ordaining that hereafter
women shall be admitted to academic
studies and be allowed to fit themselves
for the profession OF teachers in secondary
female schools, physicians for women and
children, and dispensing druggists.
The circumstances of Stepniak's death
have raised an immediate suggestion of
suicide in the minds of the general public
which the inquest can hardly be said to
have dispelled. His immediate friends
earnestly repudiate the idea, and very
likely they are right, but the SUSPICION will
cling nevertheless. His latter books have
been commercial failures and he had fallen
into bad odor with one section of the Rus.
sian revolutionary party, which would
furnish reasons for his supposed suicidal
act.
tsaII ~ L. y