The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-03-04
ARBITRATION.
4 BIG DEMoNsTRA ALTON IN LONDON
YESTERDAY.
Strong Feeling Shown in Favor of
Permanent Move-Symbols of
Harmony Between England and
America.

LONDON, March 3.-The demonstra-
lions at Queens hall tonight in favor Of
permanent arbitration between the
United States and Great Britain was
disappointing from the point of view
of numbers, the audience, which was
not large being mostly made up of wo-
men. Much enthusiasm was caused
while waiting for the speakers when the
girls who were to sing in the choir
trooped upon the stage in patches.
which were arrayed alternately in
sashes formed of the union jack and
of the stars and stripes, until a COM
plete blending of the flags of the two
countries was effected, intended to be
in symbol of the harmony which the
projectors Of the meeting are seeking
to establish. When the meeting opened
the organ played Heart of Oak, Our
Ships that Sailed" Columbia ana
kindred airs. The choir also sang the
we'll known patriotic air, which is to
some extent common to the two coun-
tries, one-half of the choir singing the
words God Save the queen" and the
other half MY Country 'Tis of Thee"
simultaneously the audience joining in
the dual anthem.
Sir James Stansfeld presided over the
meeting, and was supported by Mr..
w. T. Stead, Lady Henry Somerset,
Right Hon. A J. Mundella, Radical
member of parliament for Sheffield,
Prof. James Brice, Right Hon. George
Shaw Lafevre, Mr.. Hall Caine, Rev.
Hugh Price Hughes, the bishop Of Ro-
chester and others.
Mr.. Stead after the opening of the
meeting, read letters of sympathy WITH
its purpose from A. j. Balfour, first
lord of the treasury; Mr.. Gladstone,
Right Hon. Henry Asqulth, home sec
retary in the Liberal government; Mr..
Labouchere, George Meredith, the au-
thor: Mr. Henry Norman, who went to
Washington on behalf Of the Chronicle
at the time the Venezuelan question
was at its acute phase, and who wrote
strongly from there in behalf OF inter
national arbitration and many others.
Mr., Balfour wrote: "My sympathy
with the object of the meeting has
been more than once expressed in pub
lie, and I hope [ need not emphasize
it. There are, no doubt, questions that
a nation could not permit to be set
tied by any tribunal. But this argu-
ment is not against arbitration, but
against its rash and unconsidered use"
Mr.. Gladstone wrote: 'tI am glad the
discussion of arbitration is to be sep
arated from the Venezuelan question
L
final and full possession of facts that
[ should wish. My views on arbitra-
ton in place of war were gathered
from the part I took in the matter of
the Alabama claims. [ will only add
that my conviction and sentiments on
the subject grow in strength from year
to year, in proportion to the growth of
the monstrous and barbarous militar
ism, in regard to which 1 consider that
England has to bear no small share of
responsibility.
The letter from George Meredith said:
"Since the benignant conclusion of the
greatest of civil wars have looked up
on the American people as the leaders
of our civilization, and whatever may
be said of them, I am not alarmed
by the thought of their wantonly will
hngly or consentingly taking a step to
shatter it,
Mr.. Henry Norman said in his let
ter: feThe Americans are practically
unanimous for arbitration on all sub
jects. The overwhelming majority of
the British are the same Only official
conservatism blocks the way. Is this
the moment to pigeonhole in the for
eign Office a draft of a treaty of ar
filtration with the United states?"
Sir John Millais. the distinguished ar
fist and lately made president of the
Royal academy, wrote one suggesting
that Edwin Abbey or John Sargent,
the we'll known American artists,
might possibly be some day president
of the Royal academy, as a practical
proof of the art brotherhood of the
two nations.
Several letters were read from
Herbert Spencer, Holman Hunt, VIII
son Barrett, the actor William Wat
son, the poet; Viscount Peel, ex-
speaker of the house of commons;
Leonard Courtney, Alma Tadoma,. O.
F. Watts, Dr. Parker and several bish-
ops.
The reading of these letters elected
vigorous cheers from the audience.
Sir James 6tansfeld. the chairman.
in his opening speech said. that If it
were only for the hearing of the let