The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-03-08
ITALY AS A MUTUAL FRIEND.
HER DEFEAT MAY RESTORE THE
ANGLO-GERMAN ENTENTE.

Crispi Supposed to Have Appealed
for Assistance TO Salisbury Before
He ResiSned-StrOng sympathy Ex-
pressed for Italy by the London
Newspapers.
London. March lit is held in certain
| diplomatic circles that the Italian disas-
| ter in Abyssinia will restore the entente
between Great Britain and Germany. The
compact between Prime Minister Sails
bury and Prime Minister Crispi regarding
common maritime action in the Mediter-
ranean and the Anglo-Italian arrange
ment relative to Kassala and the south
ern Soudan gives England special inter-
est in keeping Italy strong. an interest
as strong as Germanys who desires to
keep her ally undisabled.
Before Signor Crispi concluded to re-
| sign, it appears that he telegraphed to
| Lord Salisbury asking for some form Of
effective support in Abyssinia. 1t is inn
/ possible to learn what actual form of sup
port was asked for, but the British for
| eign office certainly received the night
| prior to Premier Crispis fall, long dis
| patches from him. Rumor has it that
| he wanted to know whether the British
troops in Egypt could be sent to tempo
| rarily occupy Kassala and watch the
| dervishes, while the Italian garrison at
| that place Joined the main force that is
| opposed to King Menellk. The French
| newspapers concur in the opinion that
| Great Britain and Germany must aid Italy
in some practicable way.
With very few exceptions, the London
| newspapers express strong sympathy
| with Italy. The Morning Post, OF all the
! papers, suggests, that financial assist tance
| should be extended to Italy. This is as
| sistance that Lord Salisbury dare not at
| tempt to give. He may consent to the
| occupation of Kassala by the British
| troops, but to deal with the rotten Ital-
! ian finances would be fatal to the cabi-
| net. Signor Crispts last appeal to Euro
| pean financial houses was futile but
| the negotiations ended in secret help be-
| ing given to Italy through a German syn
| dicate, which received guarantees from
| the imperial government for the repay
| ment of the money advanced.
| The Statist says that if Italy confesses
| that she has been beaten by the Abys-
| snians and wthdraws her troops from
| Abyssinia, her finances, though they will
| be wore for the money spent, will not
| be in hopeless condition. If she decides
| to restore her prestige ii will involve the
| expenditure of f24000,000 and the nation
| will ultimately sink beneath the over
Until the Italian cabinet shall be re-
| formed diplomacy will be quiescent. If
| the current opinion in the official circles
is right, Lord Salisbury will advise Italy
| to accept the position and make peace
| with Kink Menelik.
The German-Boer plot to secure possess
sion of part Of Delagoa Bay, the Portu-
| guese territory on the east coast of At
| rlca, through the purchase oil the conceS-
sion granted to German firm, is dis
cussed in Berlin and Lisbon, and is vari-
| ously denied and admitted. The North
| German Gazette says it does not see why
| the Hamburg firm should not acquire the
| strip of territory in question in the same
| way that many Englishmen acquire prop
erty at DelagOa Bay. The firm acted for
| themselves alone in the purchase.
| The Globe, of London, asserts that there
| is proof that the TransVaal government
| supplied the money for the purpose of the
| land concession.
The Times Berlin correspondent ex-
| planned the case as already alleged by the
| United Press, but added that the Berlin
government knew nothing of the terri
| tOr1al concession.
| AT any rate the affair has now lost what
| interest it possessed, having been swallow
} ed up in the greater events arising, from
| the Italian trouble The TransVaal now
| takes place in the back ground.
| The long pending report of the commit
| tee of agriculture has been made public
| 1t recommends the remission of rs per cent
| of the rates on agricultural lands, a sys-
| TEN of government loans, and farming
! improvements. The radical minority on the
| committee sign a separate report. They
| declare that the result of the adoption of
| the sugges tions of the majority will mean
| that f3,O00,000 shall be annually given as
| state relief. Landowners, they declare,
| should bear their share of the local bur-
| dens.
Lord Dunraven has been reelected pres
| ident of the Solent Glasses Racing Asso-
Sir Michael Hicks-Beach. chancellor of
| the eXchequer, has refused to receive a
| deputation who desired to visit him in the
| interest of the gold standard The men,
| bers of the cabinet do not want to hear
| anything about it during the present par
| lament. Nevertheless the bimetallic
| league will ask Lord Salisbury to receive
an immense deputation comprising rep
| resentatfves of chambers of commerce,
| trades councils, and other industrial bo-
| dies. On March II, the House of Commons
| will debate a motion urging the govern
ment to become a party to al international
| monetary agreement.
! actress, Mary Anderson, has written a
| charming personal note introducing her
| autobiography which has just been pub
| lished. She, writes: Il am content to be
! forgotten except by such friends as
| hope will always keep a place for me in
| their hearts," She expresses the hope that
| the book will be useful to young girls,
who think of going on the stage, and says
| her experience may show that the gilt
| ter of the stage even to the successful,
| is not all gold, but that stage life is
really a life of hardships.
The chief commissioner of the Salvation
Army here still maintains the hope that
says that when Ballington Booth comes to
England to see his father, the influence of
old associations will have a great effect
| in altering his opinion.
The political event of the week has been
the question of the liberal organization.
| The radical section has long been dis
satisfied with the intimate connection be-
| tween the National Liberal Federation
and the Liberal Central Association,
| The official liberals deny that there is
| any fusion between the two associations
| and contend that their principal func-
| tions are and will remain separate. The
main duty of the Liberal Central Associa-
| ton is in parliament, it being officered
| by the party WHIPS. On the other hand,
| the National Liberal Federation is sup
posed to weld together the various liberal
| associations of the country and to voice
the views of the party independently OF
official leaders. Outside of these primary
duties, the two societies have many OBJ
jects in common. For purposes of econ
omy, they are housed in the same build
ing and worked by the same staff The
party purse, which was greatly strained
in the recent general election, is now al
together too Strengthened to admit of a
doubling of offices and salary.
The radical committee which is leading
the agitation, of which Mr.. Henry La
bouchere, Sir Charles Dixie and the Hon
Philip Stanhope are the most prominent
members, wrote recently to Sir William
Vernon Harcourt, the liberal leader in
the House of Commons, submitting their
views and asking his advice. Sir Will
iam's reply has not been allowed to trans |