The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-12-13

init itself to the humiliation of another
fiasco.
The sudden danger of a vast railway
strike, which confronted England this
week, was entirely unexpected by the pub
lie 1t appeared, for a day or two. that
the management Of the London and
Northwestern Railway Company was de-
liberately forcing its union employees to
a test of strength, and some people are
sorry that the struggle is not to take place.
The issue would have been so clean cut
and important that 1t is pity on some ac-
counts it could not be fought out. The
managers of the road learned that the en-
ployes union intended to make certain de-
mands. Thereupon the managers asked
certain of their men two questions:
Are you a member of the amalagama-
ted society Of railway workers? If so
would you, at the bidding of that society,
quit work?'
were affirmative the men were discharg-
ed. Hence the trouble arose. The amala-
gamated society assert that some men
were discharged simply for refusing to an
swer the questions. Public opinion would
not support the railroad in the latter case,
though large section of 1t would do so
in the former. The railway company has
put itself right before the impartial pub
lie by offering to refer the matter to the
board or trade, and yesterday a meeting
was held at which the railway managers,
the union leaders and the government
officials conferred and then the company
consented to reinstate the discharged men,
while the union leaders agreed to abstain
from interference in discussion of grieV-
ances between the employees and the COM
pany. The result Is instructive as show
ing the power of public opinion in Eng
land. The right TO labor to combine was
defended on all hands, and even the
staunchest tory and landlord papers told
the railroad directors they had made an
error in tactics and that their only policy
was to climb down. The London and
Northwestern Company is the largest
combination Of capitalists in Great Bri-
tain. The fall in its shares consequent on
the dispute equailed a total depreciation
of $25, 900, Co.,
Some interesting experiments have been
carried out this week at Shoreburyness,
where is located the British army's school
of gunnery and experimental ranges, the
object being to test the efficacy of the ball
loon as an engine of war. A balloon was
sent up just 1900 yards, though the hight
to which the captive balloon would be al
lowed to rise was not communicated to the
artillerymen beforehand Then the gun
ners began to fire and the first shot show
ed they had got the range. The balloon was
shot at the fourth shot and smashed at the
seventh. Two fifteen-pounders were used
by the gunners 1t has been suggested that
he would be bold man who would go
ballooning In war time, when guns are
about warranted to bring him down at one
mile, but it must be borne in mind before
hastily arriving at the conclusion that
war ballooning is played out, that the ball
loon was captive and that nearly every
condition on this occasion favored the
gunnefs. In fact, as a leading expert spec
tator of the experiments points out, they
proved nothing more than already known,
viz: That it is possible to hit a balloon at
comparatively low elevation where the
range can be fairly approximated.