New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-12-12
THEIR ABOLITION MAY RESULT FRo8
THE ENGLISH ENGINEERING STRIKE.
SOME CABINET RuMoRs ExPLoDED-rHE RADICAL
DERBY PROGRAMME OF THE NATIONAL
LIBERAL rEpERATroN-coMyE OF
ENGLISH wEEKILEs ON PREsI-
DENT wrIxLEY's MESSAGE
AMBASSADOR HAYS
REPUTATION AS AN :.
AFrEn-DISNER ?.
= cAnLr 70 TIE rnrnuxE.l

In Austria II Is pause electric with suspicion
Of impending revolution. for parliamentary gov,
ernment has broken down. and 1t Is only ~
means Of absolutisrn that financial votes IN &c.
count be enforced and the compromise ox
1867 maintained. To the Austrian crisis may b. 7
added an Hungarian crisis. since the bill FOR
prolonging the Ausgleich can be succsssfu'ly !.
obstructed. and an imperial coup d'etat may
be necessary in Budapest as well as In Vienna
Whether double exercise OF absolute authority
can be practised without extreme peril to the
monarchy Is the question which the Emperor
now compelled to consider, after long reign
passed In experimenting with one compromise
after another for reconciling the jealousics OF
hostile races.
In France there Is also momentary calm
after the overweight excitement over the
Dreyfus- Esterhazy scandal. The press hostili-
ties have abated, and the outbreaks OF students
not serious. The effort to make politicsi
Of the secret procedure OF military trials
has failed. and. although many mysteries remain
unHevealed. trial by newspaper has condemned
itself as more scandalous than the worst abuses
Of secret tribunals
In Germany there Is temporary lull In tine
development OF the Emperor's new policies in
Asia, since China by conceding every demand
has left slight ground for the continuance OF
naval preparations Bismarcks gospel Of Beat
possidentes' has been preached In vain;
second squadron will sail with full stock OF
munitions Of war; and the occupation OF tern.
tory will continue until the naval votes are
carried and Chinese promises have been ~.
deemed. The English press affects much amuss.
ment o.er the Emperor's ambitious design 70
found a worldwide empire, and some journals
comment sarcastcally on the rumors that
heavy insurance has been effected on the life
- ha~t
age to fortune, who will command the German
force In Chinese waters. They are slow to per.
ceive that the Emperor understands Germany
and has much ability.
In England there is hardly a ripple on the
surface Of politics. The rumor mongers
have been In such desperate straits that
they have been reconstructing the Cabinet
The first version was that Lord George
Hamilton in consequence Of his extreme
views In favor Of the forward" policy
in India would be forced to abandon the cabi.
net and that Lord ,Lansdowne who felt un-
equal to the work Of the War ONCE. would
succeed him In the India once. AS Lord
George was himself consigned to india as Vice.
roy, where his forward policies would be more
dangerous than in the India once. this story
successfully refuted itself. Lord Lansdowne
has also discouraged the gossips by making
long speech on military service and proving that
he knows the details Of army reorganization
and that his heart is in his work. The second
scheme Of Cabinet revision was produced when
the bottom had been knocked out OF the earlier
rumors. This was based on the retirement Of
Lord Salisbury from the Foreign ONCE IN conss-
quence of overwork and iIl-health. Lady Sails
bury 1t is true, has become a confirmed In
valid, and her husband is unceasing In his at
tentions to her, but his own health Is vigorous.
as has recently been shown by his speaking for
over an hour in Albert Hail. The work OF the
Foreign Office. moreover Is lighter now than II
has been for q long time. The inventors Of
these stories neglect TO name Lord Salsbury's
successor in the Foreign ONCE; that Is an I'M
portant detail Mr.. Chamberlain might pos
slbly be able to help them out by recommend
ing Mr. Balfour the only statesman capable
Of succeeding Lord Salisbury. provided Mr..
Balfour could have seat in the House OF Lords
and leave the leadership OF the Commons to the
irrepressble champion OF Tory democracy
This plan would satisfy the least imaginative
dealer In political rumors for It would be an
effective safeguard against the dulness of Eng
lish politics.
Club talk to-day turns upon fresh rurnor thas
Mr.. Chamberlain will take the War ONCE. e.
pecially as there Is sharp disagreement De-
tween him and Lord Salisbury over West Afri-
can affairs This transfer would be . virtual
confession that whenever there Is dimcult )oo
on hand Mr.. Chamberlain Is the only Minister
equal TO 1t. 1t is not probable that Mr. Chamber
lain Is willing to admit that ne has exhausted
the resources Of imperial statesmanship ana 70
eager to abandon the Colonial once. nor ID u
likely that he Is unwilling to allow the Prime
Minister some degree OF liberty OF action In for
eisn affairs The Cabinet Is probably Laughing
heartily at to-day's meeting over these nctions.
The Tories have other legitimate sources OF
amusement The new Derby programme OF the
National Liberal Federation is snsularly de-
ficient in sobriety and judgment. Even the most
progressive Liberals are aghast over the pro-
nosal OF woman suffrage. Mr.. Balfour was right
last night In condemning the craze for pro-
erammes as the besetting Liberal weakness.
The Derby programme. unlike the Newcastle
creed, Is not binding upon the Liberal con-
science The Federation distinctly refused 70
commit the party to the new proposals. ana Iexe
N. leaders free to act on their own discretion
Mr.. Morley has promptly renewed his allegtsnoe
TO the old programme. and has proposed prac.
tical method of dealing with the House OF Loros
by enabling the Peers to find seats In the Com
mons II they prefer the stirring excitement Of
real politics to somnoent retirement. Lord
Rosebery will support this proposal. but eir
william Harcourt will take less interest In II
The Liberal Federation without Mr. schnad-
horst is debating club. with advisory functions
and rneddiesome activities. What the Liberal
party needs Is not new series of programmes
sent I'D like pilot balloons. but leader capable
~ ,rnnressing his own will upon the rank and
file.
The bottom has fallen out Of the Chitral die.
cusston, incautiously brought on by Messra
Morley. Asouith and Fowler. Private telegraua
published to-day between Mr.. Fowler and Lord
Elsin fail to support the charge Of breach q
faith concerning which there has been much un.
necessary pother. Real Indian questions are
much more serious. Sir william Lockhart'o