The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1897-01-10
IN THE REALM
OF JOHN BULL
Renewed Activity Among
the Politicians Before
Parliament Opens.
Series Of Amendments TO Chal-
lenge the Government on
Irish Reforms.
England Awakening TO the Great
Suffering in India, AMI Will De.
wise Relief Measures.


number of prominent politicians to Lon
don from the various places where they
spent the Christmas holidays and the
renewed activity at the several political
clubs indicate the opening of the Parlia-
mentary season Before the session opens
three Cabinet councils will be held. The
first meeting of the Ministers will be de-
voted to EettIing the details of the work of
the session.
At the second meeting, which it is ex-
pected will be summoned for January IA,
the Queens speech opening the session
viii be prepared, and at the third meeting
the general line to be taken by the Minis
tiers on the debate in reply to the Queens
speech will be decided upon.
The most important of a series of
amendments to the address will directly
challenge the Govern ment on the Irish
financial reform question. AS has before
been stated in this cable rrespondence,
John Dillon and John Redmond will each
offer an amendment, but under the de-
velopment, of what is called the "New
Unionism" the Government will have to
face much more formidable opponents
than the leaders of the two sections of the
Irish Parliamentary party. The Irish
Unionists, led by Colonel Saunderson,
member for North Armagh, who is ceIe-
brated for his bitter opposition to home
rule, propose to attack the Government
on the taxation question, and if the pend
ing arrangements are carried out Colonel
Saunderson will move an amendment,
which will be seconded either by Dillon or
Timothy Healy, showing the strange
political bedfellows that have been made
by the taxation agitation.
The debate on the address is expected
to last over two weeks, and there is in
creasing uneasiness among the ministe-
riahsts as to its issues. No defeat OF the
Government is expected, but it is feared
that there will be such depletion of the
Unionist majority as will force the Cabi-
net to deal with Irish matters within con-
venient promptitude.
The Nationalist Unionist coalition
grows in strength rapidly. Ireland will
not await deliverance from the new COM
mittee through which the Government
designs to delay dealing with the Irish
demands for financial redress. If the Irish
members of all political faiths fail to OBJ
tain some better satisfaction of their de-
mands than the appointment of a new
commission they can make the whole ses-
sion campaign of obstruction, which
would blast the Government programme.
1t appears that England has at last
awakened from her apathy regarding the
Indian famine sufferers, and that meas
ures will be taken to alleviate the distress,
notwithstanding the purblind attitude of
the Indian Government which does not,
or Will not. see that the situation is one
of the worst it has ever had to confront.
The bold official reports from the famine
districts fail 10 reveal, may even be said
to conceal, the terrible perspective of suf-
fering which lies behind the natives. The
Government of India and the India Office
are doing what they can TO prevent in
formation from Independent sources from
reaching the public, and in response to
inquiries as to the truth of statements APP
pearlng in native newspapers of India
simply declare them to be exRggerations
or perversions of fact.
The official aim in attempting to mini
mize the calamity can only be supposed to
be due to anxiety to escape censure for
lamentable want Of foresight; but the
truth is now gradually leaking out, and
all the advices received here fully confirm
the summary of the situation cabled ex-
cluslVely to the United Associated Presses
last week. Private and independent ad-
vices concur In stating that thousands of
persons are dying from starvation, or from
weakness that prevents them from as
simllating the food they can obtain 1t is
known that IN the district of Jabalpur
alone, district which has population of
1900, 900, 10000 persons have died. Thou
sands OF others Will have to perish despite
any efforts that may be made to succor
them. There are people living in remote
districts far from the railroads and other
lines of communication, to whom it would
be impossible to carry food until the death
lists are enormously swollen.
Large as the existing Indian relief sys-
10 10 firalu
famine period which, it is estimated, will
extend over the whole of 1897 Cable
grams from the Viceroy of India have
been received here telling cheerfullv of
rains that have fallen in several parts of
the country, but of what possible use are
rains to a people with starvation staring
them in the face2 They cannot sit down
and wait for crops to grow, ripen and be
harvested, but 1t appears that the Indian
Government, with mprehensible fat
uity, has acted on The belief that rain aud
not food was wanting. OF course, rain
will prevent a recurrence of the famine,
but what IS wanted now is food, and that
right speedily, to save thousands upon
thousands OF men, women and children
from torturing death.
The Indian Office authorities here, act
ing on unfounded presumption that no
aid was required aside from that which
would be gwen by the indian Govern
ment, checked the Lord Mayor of London
from starting famine fund, but as the
advices now at hand show that the ar
engagements Tor hghting the famine are
entirely inadequate, the Lord Mayor, at
the request OF Lord George Hamilton.
Secretary OF State for India. has onened a
fund that promises to reach large figure.
The question of national relief Grant
will be raised in Parliament.
Intense anxiety Is manifest in Irish
circles concerning the probable fate OF
Edward ]. Ivory, the dynamite suspect
who will be brought to trial next week
As the Indictment has already been fonnd
there will be no preliminary delay. All
though an array OF eminent counsel has
been engaged in his behalf, the net has
been so closely woven around the unfor
tunate man by the New York traitors and
spies, of whom he is the victim, that there
is not shadow Of doubt of his conyic-
tion.
Ivory is now said to be convinced that
he has been made the tool of a mum Der of
so-called representative Irishmen in Amer.
lea who think nothing of wreckiag life
so that they may have fresh material for
demagogic proclamations concerning the
hatred of the British people for the Irish,
and for new appeals to the ignorant and
cred for funds. There is absolutely
no question but that Ivory was betrayed
TO the British detectives by the very men
in New York and Brooklyn who induced
him to undertake the so-called mission, |
and it is also a fact that these same men
have advised him to make a spread-eagle |