New-York tribune., 1896-01-31
cyORYOFTHE PEACE MESSAGE
~, WALTER BESANT's MEMORIAL WAS
REVISED BY HALL GAME.


,acr Ian 3O-Thc authors tempest In n
..,,,, "a Blowing over. There has been much
,scessary mystery over the Christmas ad-
,r.ss ~ English authors 10 their associates III
america. l, was first proposed by Sir waiter
posan- 10 Sir w Martin Conway. chairman OF
.,o Con1mittee Of Management The latter ap
nroved the idea and asked Sir Walter besa''
- nreoare an address In the intrest OF INFERNO
.,o-al peace The address was written accord
,rs,v and sent to Sir w. Martin Conway VINO
.oss,sored II too long. too controversial anu
s,ed MIR Hall Caine 70 revise H. win '"e "'
,-oyel of the author. Mr. Caine struck ou' &C.
,oir ncrtions and substituted other passages
80, oaarass was returned to Sir Walter Besant'
uh, with the sanction Of Sir W. Mar''" No'
,rov sent II 20 Herbert Thring. secretary OF 'he
g Authors II was printed and sent TO
tho members Of the society for sigma 'ur.s' '''e
o,so being met by Sir W. Martin Conway
personally. u,,.
w. oddress was also telegraphed TO America
- ,,,,ushed IN full, by the English press WIN
...orahle comments bu; subsequently exception
uas taken to cert.,a pr '--es when were GIN"
cssd as undignifed and unpatriouc' Inc PUN.
vas raised that the CoT-'tt:e OF Na""s
had not been consulted. and that 'h7 use ~ '
.oc,etv's official paper was unau'oorzeu. -"""'
..,ro lo.ters were published. and the au'rorship
., .ba address was generally assigned ~ '
C,;,a who had merely revised IT, inee''"e
~ the Committee of ManaCemen, was he'u' d.
vbich a resolution condemning ana repucia""s
,he address proposed SIT NAIIer he''
..ronslv protested against this action as a"
.,,aric,n authors and threatened 10
-, troro the committee and council. Inc op-
no-,s q, the address. frightened by the posi-
.m.,. of the societv's disruption, Adjourned 'he
,.,,s Cir Walter Besant was absent '"io"s"
,u,.ss from a subsequent meeting OF me COM
,,.,se hut sent a vigorous letter. again threat
.n,np resignation The committee cohNeileu 'i'V
resolution into harmless statement 'ha' '"e
serers Of the address alone were respo"Sio'e
for II. a fact which had been apparent ~ o" ~
begnn.ng The agitation OF the ques"o" wa
timed the opponents Of the auuress p7''s r
o,,,y unconscious that they were making
.,or,.e,ves ridiculous by caving over peace
message at time whom every fihis'e' "a -
crown was delivering conciliatory speeches, anu
nobody IN England wanted war WIN A'''
,,o.,.hue AR Caine who had been hard a.
xorls IN the Isle Of Man ana hau KNOWN
-, what was going on. returned 10 Loh"oh
..,s report 10 the Authors society OH '"'
,ub,ect OF Canadian Copyright. lncreoio'e a.
=, -, sae,o there was talk OF taking unseein'E
.s,.or.ogs q, this meeting and raising the ques-
a., =, the authors address as a rider 10 'h'
,,gbt discussion At previous Meeuhs
,,,ba Cor,rn,ttee Of Management, II. Rider nag
,,ord had he-n elected chairman. and the ue-
o,s,or had been reached that the burning ques-
,,o, ~ the authors address should not ne dis
us,sd Mr. Caine was well received ana no.
body would have supposed that large proPor
Von Of those present had come 10 'he 'i'ee'''s
expecting that there would be an oio-i"'''''''
row over the authors address
s,noa that meeting efforts have been made 10
nour oil on the troubled waters. SIT Waiter
Besant will not persist In Wlthdra"Hs "0'''
the society founded by him unless the discus
s,on over the authors address be renewed IN an
offensive form at the meeting In the middIe o'
February.
Tho nevt issue OF "The Author" will contain
q plain statement OF the facts from slr Nai'ti
pesant respecting the circumstances In whlch
the address was issued and signed by ooo au-
tbors 1t will show that Mr.. Gaines part III
the transaction was merely that or reNlser' VINO
had nothing to do with the circulation OF the
Address and that, apart from the lrreSuidt''S
in the secretary's use Of officially marK"n s'a-
tionery there was nothing TO apologize TOT III
the whole Of the transaction. Inc aouTeSs was
q message of goodwill from EhgIsh au'"o'S
% ,be,r ,aIlovv craftsmen in America and was
In harmony with. the Hloi"i 80 80
countries Carplng critics VINO nave Deen
sneerlng at the phrasing and splitting ha'rs
over techn,calities and making much ado ABOUT
nothing. alone have reason 20 be ashameo' n'
their action they have conirived to convert an
instrument Of good od-felowshp into oohe Oh
contention They h,ve succeeded oy 'aA'"s
much OF the grace out OF the originally grace
full and affectionate address which was hono'-
able to all concerned in Il. l. ~ r
ABYssINIANs NEARING BARAT1ERi
4 GREAT BATTLE SEEMS iMMlNENT-'"'<'NE'
GAiIIAHO.S FORcE WILL REINFORCE THE
al. Al