The San Francisco call., 1896-03-22

start out from the Congo frontier, makes
the prospect of collision somewhere in
this no mans land almost inevitable.
Hence France feels bound to protest in
plain language. It is clear that there will
be a powerful outcry for something more
than protest, and that it is to be difficult
for the Bourgeois Ministry to behave as
cautiously as one feels sure it would pre-
fer to do. But this temperance of the
consolidated Triple Alliance on England S
side is telt to be very embarrassing in
Paris. There are plenty of ways for Eng
land to take as much Egyptian money as
she needs for the expenses of this invasion
whether France or Russia refuse to con-
sent or OF. 1t is not even certain yet that
Russia Will join France in this refusal, or
if she goes that far that she will go fur
'ther. Russia plays always her own hand
in her own way. She can command
French support for any conceivable plan
of hers. but the French know better or
will soon learn better than suppose that
the converse is true. Russia will not lift a
finger for France if it be not plainly to
Russian advantage. France alone can
only scream reproaches at perfdious Al
bion.
No doubt they viii be tolerably well de-
served, but by themselves they break no
bones. 1t is of course possible that Rus
sia may see profit to herself in encourag-
ing immediate disturbance, but her more
probable policy is to counsel patience and
silence until some dark day when England
finds her African task too terrible for her
strength and must perforce submit to the
will of her enemies. Therefore, unless
Paris gets out OF hand and thrusts a vio-
lent policy upon the Ministry, fancy that
England will be allowed to walk unre-
resisted into tn e Soudan morass.
So wrapped up in the exciting theme OF
the Soudan has Parliament been this week
that other topics have had very little
chance of attention. 1t is rumored now on
the ministerial side that the ordinary ex-
ira pension to the Duke of Cambridge will
be dropped from the army estimates be-
fore the House reaches a discussion of it.
The first impulse was to ascribe its mys-
terious appearance there after the definite
government pledge that there would be no
such thing to the personal interference OF
the Queen, but it is now known that she
resented all her venerable cousins demon
strations of protest when he was forced TO
retire, and was especially. indignant at
this effort 10 evade the stipulation which
she herself sanctioned when it was made
Other information narrows the response
bility for the trick to the War Office, and il
this sensational Egyptian business had
not swamped everything else there would
have been by this time a sharp outcry
still come, for he is the least popular mem
Der of the Cabinet, alike with his col
leagues and Parliament and if troublous
times are impending the country will
readily respond to a demand for stronger
and abler War Minister than he has shown
himself to be.
One of the best-known labor members in
the House, Havelock Wilson, has waged
an obscure warfare in the courts for d
long time with some press critics, whom
he describes as an organized gang of ene-
mics who are banded together to destroy
him. Finally the matter came to an issue,
and his libel suit against them for calling
him a thief resulted in the jury giving
him a farthing of damages. This is equivi-
lent TO an Endorsement of the epithet, and
Havelock Wilson, who insists strenuously
on his innocence, has begged the House OF
Commons to appoint committee of in
vestigation.
This the Government declined to do, and
so Havelock Wilson will resign his seat
for reelection at the hands of his Middles,
borough constituents. who gave him ma
jority of 2000 votes last summer and will
probably increase it now. The charges
against him turn on his use of the ship
ping trades union funds, over which he
had control, and only differ in degree from