The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1897-10-31
AS A PREVENTION
TROOPS WERE SENT
Explanation Of Frances Action in Mass
Ing SOldiery in West Africa.
ENGLAND Is IN NO HURRY
To Settle the Matter, And Means Will Be
Used to Force Her.
PULLMAN'S WILL A BAD PRECEDENT
France Preparing to Make War on Bucket Shops
-Dreyfus Scandal Revived, and Some
thing Startling Expected to
Be Brought Out.
PULLMAN'S WILL A BAD PRECEDENT

London, Oct 3O.-The African situa-
tion has been aggravated by the French
semi-official note made public on Tues
day last and reading:
THE news from West Africa fore
shadows great difficulty at Nikki and in
Borgu. The Niger company (Britislh) is
sending officers there to incte rebellion
and dismibu e arms to the natives. In
view of this situation French troops
have been dispal ched to that district
from Senegal as preventive measure.
Moreover the British negotiations for a
settlement of the Niger question have
been in Paris fer over a week and every
things point to Great Britain seeking to
Net matters drag. Seemingly she does
not intend to discuss the question but
means will undoubtedly be found to foil
these Tactics"
1t is amusing to hear the worlds most
notorious land grabbers condemning
France fer following a similar policy.
France, however, seems equally de-
termned not to recede. In fact, the St.
Louis speech of the French colonial min
is er, M. Lebon, seems to show that the
cardinal feature of the French policy in
Africa is the extension of French in
iuenee from the west coast to the Nile
valley and thence to Ethiopia.
A Bad Precedent
Much i'm crest is taking here ~ the
oabled account of the provisions of the
will of the late George M. Pullman, and
the question is raised as to whether such
q precedent is desrable.
The Graphic, for instance, says:
MANY economists opine That an irre.
sponsible heir Is the m,st useful check
nature has provided against the efforts
OF the Napoleons of commerce to get ali
the wealth of she world into their
clutches. If all millonaires declined to
pass their savings to sons who do not
share their talent for accommodating the
ieirlble power of the money bag would
not s,oa grow to dimensions en3angering
society"
The anti-gambling crusade Is taking
shane in France The chamber of dep
uties has appointed a COMMITTEES to in
vestigate and report upon the proposed
prohibition of speculation in grain and
articles of food generally. Almost all
the members of the committee are ia
vorable to the idea of stopping gambling
but they recognize the difficulty of do
ing so without interfering with legiti-
mate speculation. The committee, how
ever, is determined to thoroughly inves-
tigate and examine the representatives
of commerce and industry and will try
10 determine where legitimate speculaIt-
ing ends and gambling commences.
French Employers Liability Bill
The employers liability bill, which was
adopted on Thursday by the French
chamber of deputies, is of a dramatic
character 1t imposes upon the employer
the payment of an indemnity to work.
men who are actually disabled If they
are made idle for over four days. If
workman is disabled for life the employ
ers must pay him pension of two-thirds
of his wages lost. In the case OF Tempo
rary disablement the employer must
% - !, NJ q N
and in the case of death by accident
the employer must pay pension to the
workmans widow amounting to 20 per
&c MT of the wages he earned. Provisions
are also made for pensions to orphans
ana aged parents. In order to secure
these payments even in .he event of
the employers insolvency the bill COM
pels the employers to insure their work.
men against accident.
This is Interesting
There seems to be some substance be-
tween the latest agitation in behalf of
Capt. Alfred Drsyfuss the French ar
tilIery officer who, in 1895, on conviction
by court martial on the charge of sell
ing important French plans TO the Eng
lish and German governments, was SEN
fenced to inIris sonment in fortress>and
who is now confined on a small island
of the French group off the coast OF
French Guiana. The prime mover in
the steps taken in behalf of the prisoner
is NJ Schurer- Kestnea5 one of the vice
presidents of the French senate. M.
SchurS Kestner claims to have irrsfuta-
bic proofs OF the innocence OF Dreyfuss