Birmingham state herald., 1897-02-28

but so far it has been able to obtain only funds enough to equip and trans port about 15,000 for that purpose. It looks as though non -Mussulman hnan- cierS and contractors have arrived at the conclusion that the beginning of the end is near for the former have tightly closed their strings and the latter have had the audacity to press for a settlement or their long standing accounts, proceed ing which is very like crying for the moon. The porte has got no money, but he would be oblivious of history who would lightly assume that the fact ihdi- cates that Turkey is not in position to wage war. The troops who lately passed through Saleniea were without ambu- lance or surgical appliances of any kind, but their arms were evidently all right and the ammunitions appeared to be ann pie. The artillery, too, was in good con dition and the batteries were well horsed.
 The popular scare over th- dangers of the compartment system of railroad travel here, a scare which had its origin in the recent mysterious murder Of Miss Camp, has been increased this week by two or three fresh outrages. A woman has been the victim in each case, but fortunately the culprits have been ar rested. The panic among women traYel- CTS is leading to many absurd and ludl- crous incidents. Few women will now enter a compartment occupied by lone man, and no man cares to enter Where there IS only one woman, TOT her eNluSHl nervousness in most cases is by no means fiattering. One thoughtless individual who found himself alone with young woman on a Southwestern railway train this week was foolish enough to take out a pocket knife to cut the pages Of mag azine. His companion al once opened the door, although the train was run ming fast and climbed out on the foot board, shrlelIng for aid. The passengers in adjoining compartments heard her and signalled to the guards, the train was stopped and the terror-stricken girl res cued. The public alarm has become so general that th= board of trade has writ ten letter saying that they are In com municaton with the railways on the sub ject, but no plan which would meet gen. eral accordance has been devised It will seem absurd to American readers that the boards consoling reflection Is that "the question is one of much diffi- culty and it will continue to receive the best attention of this department
 The fact is that it is simply matter of expense. Cars of the American pattern, weight for weight will carry less than half the number of people conveyed by the little boxes used on the English rail- ways. There is an interesting illustra- tion on the Southeastern railroad, where the only Amerlcan-built train in England runs between London and Hastings. This train is very popular. It has capacity of 250 passengers. It will, however, be, taken off in summer, when travel is heavy, because an English train of the same weight will carry 500 passengers.
 England is the last place in which one would expect to find any criticism of the United States to protect it's citizens in Cuba, and yet even the London Times comments on the weakness of the Amer ican government in this respect. The Havana correspondent of that journal writes:
 "There is much comment by all classes on the fact that the United States gov ernment makes no strong effort to pro- cure protection for the lives and prop erty of American citizens"
 This and another independents testi- mony to the weakness of the American attitude in the face of the gross outrage and indignities of the Spanish authori- ties is arousing deep feeling among the Americans in Europe.