The San Francisco call., 1896-02-16
Chamberlain Poses as Having
Severely Dealt With Cecil
Rhodes.
DIPLOMACY IN THE TRANsvAAL
Kruger Will Be Induced to Make All
the Concessions Demanded by
the UitlanderS.
Copyright, 1896, by the New York Times.I

copyright, 1896, by the New York TimesJ
LONDON, Enc, Feb. ia week OF
Parliament has not done much to llIumine
the perplexed British mind or to tranquil
lie the British nerves Undoubtedly its
chief effect has been to rub into public
consciousness new doubts and reservations
about Lord Salisbury's fitness for his
place. Every debate which has arisen has
automatically hung around like the needle
in compass to point out some new fool
ishness or wanton contradiction in his
speeches, and Balfour had to get up so
many times to defend or explain away his
uncle's indiscretions and banaIities of ut
teTance that latterly when he arose the
whole house Uttered and even the
nephew's loyalty could not prevent his
showing that he saw the joke and pri-
vately was rather tempted to laugh him
self. The perception of this curious situa-
tion may be the sole source of the rumor
which I have heard hinted at from several
and different quarters of the House OF
Commons last night, namely, that Lord
Salisbury's health is very queer and his
disappearance from the public scene will
not be long deferred.
1t must be several years ago that I re-
ported information coming to me from q
perfect source to the effect that Salisbury
had been warned by physicians that he
was definitely in the grip of Bright's dis
ease; but that is malady which often
gives to its victims a very long rope, and
nothing now recalls it to mind except the
teneral feeling among politicians that ex-
Srpt on the theory that he is going to pieces
IS recent performances are unaccountable.
Nobody, however, suggests that there is
anything the matter with Cham berlaiD.
His triumphs at Westminster have been
quite of piece with the popular success
which be won before the session began.
1t is true that close observer NAV dis
cover that bulk of the Tory members sit
sourly silent when he is cheered and eve
HIM with moody dislike, but they do not
dare to do more, and ne faunts his orchid
boutonniere and smart, glib, cocksure de-
pertinent in their sulky faces with evident
enjoyment. According to his story, he
has igurat1vely mopped the earth with
Cecil Rhodes. He grew almost pathetic in
his picture of that once great mans re-
duced dimensions. One would think that
he returned to South Africa like prodigal
son whose father slammed the door in his
face, destitute, detected, to begin life over
again in remote exile. Mr.. Chamberlain s
cold, sparkling eyes almost managed a
tear for this melancholy spectacle, and the
listening House uttered sympathetic
hear, hears" which might have been
taken for groans.
But If you talk in chartered company cir
cles it is to find an extraordinarily different
view prevailing as to the position oi
Rhodes and his partners. They got rid ot
the costly responsibility OF police and
other administration without any curtail-
ment of benefits, and they began to see in
the whole transaction merely promise oI
larger dividends than ever; being gentle
men who are not engaged in expanding
the empire for their health, they are able
TO contemplate this prospect with a smile
1t is mol likely that much new light will
be thrown on the present or future state O.
the Venezuelan controversy by the debate
which is expected to begin Monday. Sil
William Vernon Harcourt has made
specially of the subject the last two
months and prepared for comprehensive
and powerful attack on the Government,
but the Queens speech rather takes the
wind out OF his sails. No disposition has
been disclosed among the private Tories
to say disagreeaple things of the topics
and the officia! Tories profess such com
plete anxiety to settle everything To
Americas liking that 1t seems somewhat
bootless to lombard the long since aban
doned Notifications where Salisbury in
he h,,r IA I
line. There is no reason whatever tc
suspect that these official professions of 6
desire to arrange the matter amicably con
ceal any ulterior design, and that being
the case it seems as if the thing might
with profit DE taken out of newspaper dis
cussion for a week or two at least and left
TO the two foreign offices where it belongs
Somehow it had not been easy at any
time during the week wholly to credit the
finality of Sexton's refusal 10 become the
head of the party. Healy's letter to-day
in which he goes 10 the ,ength of Offering
TO retire from public life if Sexton will
say that it will promote harmony and en-
able him to accept the post, removes the
last chance of the Dillon and O'Brien
clique to misrepresent the situation from
at least that point of view. IfSexton still
persists in holding back 1t will be interest
ing to wait and see how long it is before
ne gets the post of president of the Irish
Nauonal Bank. No secret is made of the
lace that II Dillon forces his election to the
onalFInanship Tuesday the party viii al
once break up.
estern Europe and even America may
iohoef with profit on the fact that the
only visible result of the slaughter of many
thousands OF Armenians has been that the
tzar ana the Sultan are now warm allies
IL is interesting, too, to note that they find
their hrst opportunity to appear arm in
arm IN Sonia, where SGambouloff's butch.
cry and ferdinand's base violation of the