Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-10-07
SALISBURY ROASTED
ENGLISH LIBERALS TAKE A TURN
AT THE PREMIER.
GREATEST FUNK IN EUROPE
Disgrace Abroad" and Disaster at
Home Is the Description Given OF
His Administration With
France Feared in Authorizations
Being Hemmed in Badly.

London, Oct. 3.-1he question iron
ically asked by the conservative press
relative to the whereabouts of the lib.
eTal leaders has been answered in trip.
hammer style during the past week b.
the speeches of John Morley, formel
! chief secretary for Ireland, H. H. AS.
Cuith, former home secretary, anC
George W. E. Russell, former under
secretary Of state for India. Disgrace
abroad" and disaster at home" were
the tenor of all the speeches, as was
to be expected, but it must be admit
ted that the arraignment is approved
by the cOnsciences of many conserva.
tives, when they recall the record OF
the last few years. Mr.. Russell, in
dealing with the subject, recalled Bis
marck's verdict of Lord Salisbury as
being "a lath painted to look like
iron" and Lord Randolph Churchills
later estimate of the premier as being
the greatest funk in Europe" Mr.
Russell added his own opinion OF
Lord Salisbury. namely "'frailty, thy
name is Cecil" Russell recalled the
recent instances in which he said the
premier always started with fine dis
play Of vigor which oozes away as
soon as his opponent shows light. Con
tinuing, Mr.. Russell said that Salisbury
backed down before Secretary Olney
and is now backing down before Sher-
man and that, during the course of
the peace negotiations between Greece
and Turkey, the ear and Emperor
William handled Salisbury so effectu-
ally that he was made to eat his own
announcements. Mr.. Russell con-
Guided: His lordship has just cor
coded to the French full sovereignty
over Tunis and signs are not wanting
that they will soon begin to elbow us
out of Egypt. Even the mussulman
savages of India have taken heart
knowing that they are dealing with
man of words. In short, there are no
limits to the endurance of poltroonery
in high places"
Unless the signs are deceiving, trou-
BILE is brewing in west Africa between
the British and the French, who,
since 1889, have trebled their protec-
tOrate over the western Soudan. and
the great bulk of the accession to
French territory has been carted out
of the country generally regarded as
being within the British sphere of in
duences. There are mysterious stories
alOat OF disturbances at Lagos, on the
west coast Of Africa, and of the move
ments of British troops to that part of
the world from adjoining colonies,
coupled with the news that the French
colonial minister is going to Senegal
A great MOhammedan chief is operat-
ing on the gold coast and other signs
lead to the belief that the situation is
dangerous and that a conflict of inter-
ests has become acute. A high CO.
lonial official says: THE native fer
ment amounts to nothing, but the fact
is the French are hemmlng us in
around Lagos and pushing us into the
sea and unless we are established by a
commission to delimitate the Anglo
French frontier more successfully than
formerly there is bound to be trouble"
The chancellor of the eXchequer, Sir
Michael Hicks Beach, returns to Lon
don this week, where his arrival is
eagerly anticipated by the United
States monetary commissioners.
While the chancellor may communi-
cate a message Immediately to the
commissioners, it is not unlikely that
it will be a notification that the gov
eminent is still unable to give them
a definite reply to their proposals, but
he hopes to be able to announce con-
illusions at some specific future time.
Public men who are in the best posi-
ton to judge, think that recent devel-
Opments fOreshadOW negative
answer. The situation has resolved
itself into contest between the bank
ing interests and the bimetallic forces
in the government and the impression
in the latter circle is that Hicks Beach
who is personally an advocate of
the gold standard but who seemed dis
posed to accede to the wishes of the
bimetallists, is being turned against
the project of Great Britain's cooper
alton by the pressure of business in
terests.
Major Handy, special United States
commissioner at the Paris exposition
of 1900, had cordial interview with
the French minister Of foreign affairs
Hanotaux, in regard to the object Of
his visit to Europe, but he and his
associates are dissatisfied with the
small amount of space allotted to the
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