The San Francisco call., 1896-06-28
Tangled State of the Finances of
the Troublesome Chartered
Company.
RHODES AND CoNFEDERATEs.
Various Plans Proposed for the Pur.
pose of Bringing the Conspira.
tors to Trial.
tcOIyrlght 1896 by the New York rimes.I


LOEDON, ENG, June q. - Poor Mr.
Balfour, having been forced to exhibit
himself in the penitential sheet, candle in
hard, for sufficient period to enable his
whole party and the public generally to
digest the fact of his unfitness for the
command, it is now smart Mr.. Chamber
laln's turn to claim popular attention
and show what a different sort of person
he is.
To-day's announcement that the Char
tered Company directors have finally been
squeezed into dismissing Rhodes, Belt and
Harris furnishes an effective overture for
next weeks performance in which the
Brummagem star will have the limelight
all to himself Labouchere's question,
put down for Monday, as TO what steps the
Government has taken to insure itself
against financial loss in South Africa,
may bring on a big disclosure of Cham
berlain's policy or the revelation may
come a little later. The question is a
most pertinent one, because the COM
pany's liabilities are by its charter limited
to the amount of its paid-up capital,
whereas it purports to be assuming re-
iponsibility, not only for the Transvaal
lndemnities, but for the enormous outlay
involved in lighting the revolted blacks
in Rhodesia, which must amount to 8
great deal more than the company can
pay.
Even before these troubles began experts
held that the Chartered Company s
finances were in very queer state, and it
u
evitahle unless the Government comes to
the aid of the company. Presumably
there will be loud and strenuous appeal
for this from the interested parties, who
possess immense social and political in
fuence; but it is certain that the demand
will be vehemently resisted by the Lib
erals, who would have an overwhelming
popular majority with them. This pro-
vides situation just after Chamberlain's
own heart, one in which dexterity of
movement and high order of cunning
are more f1.st 5Ytant than the solder quail
ties, and he is said to believe that he is go
ing to emerge from the ordeal with colors
flying, at least that is what his hackers at
Birmingham all believe,
They are saying, too, without conceal
ment, that the time is close at hand for
Balfour to make a graceful withdrawal
from the scene which is too rough and ext
gent for his delicate nerves, and to let
Chamberlain come into his own. This
talk is now so loud that the Tories can no
longer profess not to hear it, and it puts
them in perplexing quandary. They
themselves say in almost SO many words
that Balfour is mo good" as a leader, but
the alternative of Chamberlain, which
they now see is imperative, frightens
them. They all say they would not serve
under him, and probably this is true of
at least enough of them to destroy the
present Ministerial majority. On the
other hand 1t is manifest that Balfour is
the only Tory in the House of Commons
whom Cham beriain would consent to re-
gard as his leader. Ii BaIfour goes Cham
berlain must come. and the perception of
this fact is rendered doubly bitter by the
knowledge that Chamberlain is all the
while undermining Balfour, weakening
him and prying him out of his place. 1t
is very curious situation, all things con-
sidered.
1t is expected that next week we shall
learn what the Government, that is to say,
Chamberlain, proposes to do in the way of
for the trial and punishment of
Rhodes and his confederates. A variety
of methods of procedure are open, but the
London Times predicts that the one
adopted will be a commission of both
houses nominated by the Lord Chancellor
and the Speaker, with Chamberlain as
chairman. TIE objections to this will be
that the Lords are open to good deal of
suspicion of prejudice in the Chartered
favor, and there is also the
about finishing the inquiry
before the session comes to an end. The
general House of Commons opinion is
that there will be royal commission of
three Judges, as in the Parnell case, and
it is understood that they will be Russell
Hawkins and Pollock. There is the fur
tber com plication OF the Jameson trial,
which ought to be finished before the
other inquiry is begun. 1t is now under
stood, however, that if their technical OBJ
lection to the jurisdiction of the London
court fails, Jameson and his colleagues
viii at once plead guilty thus obviating
.he necessity for a long trial.
The confagration which threatens the
existence of the Ottoman empire con-
.inues to be smothered in one place only
10 break out in another. The Cretan re-
volt for the moment seems to be under
partial control, but there are new and
outbursts of disorder in the
Van district OF Anatolia and among the
Druses OF Lebanon. By the time these are
stamped out it looks as if Macedonia
would be on fire. Vienna is getting re-
ports OF outrages and revolts in various
parts of Macedonia, which point to the |
conclusion that the general rising which |
las been organized so long can hardly be
now. Besides, although every
,ody says that Russia is intent upon
it, nobody can prove the state
nent.
Prince Nicholas of Montenegro began
-isit to the King of SerVia at Belgrade to-
ay. 1t is to be returned next month, and |
Ii the other small courts of Eastern Eu-
ope are agog with rumors of an impend-
ng Balkan confederation under the astute
leadership of Ferdinand of Bulgaria
Which shall do all sorts of wonderful
hings under the patronage of Russia.
M. de BloYitZ records from Paris the