The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-02-27
HIGH-BORN SOCIETY DANES
IN THE THICK OF THE BATTLE
FIGHTING FOR VOTES
Schemes for Reform of the British
End of African War Scare.


the shade even the keeneSt fought SeHeIdi
parliamentary elections. Fox three weeks
past the fight has been waging alike in Bel
gravia and Whitechapel. Nightly there
are scores of meetings attended by Cabinet
ministers and front bencners'' of both
parties. Peers and peeresses. commoners,
clergy publicans, officers, diplomats, judges,
doctors and labor agitators are all involved
The campaign is not lacking in amusing
incidents. John Burns, the labor leader, in
recent speech referred to the peeresses
who have been canvassing in the Battersea
districts as scented DeliIahs." On Tues
day, after a hard days canvass, Lady Den
high dropped into the London County
Council tearoom to get a cup of tea. Mr..
Burns was in an adjoining room, and Lord
Denbigh slapping him on the shoulder, in
vited him into the tearoom, to the delight of
all the councillors, and said: "Allow me to
introduce you to of the scented
Delilahs." Lady Denbigh shook hands
heartily with the discounted Mr.. Burns,
and thanked him for all the nice remarks
he had been making about her.
BY the way, Mr.. Burnss scented
Dalilahs" include the Duchess of ST. Al
bany, the Marchioness of Londonderry, the
Marchioness of Bristol, the Countess of
Denbigh the Countess of Jersey, Countess
Waldongrave, Countess Cadogan, the
Countess of Onslow the Countess of Sell
bourne, and most of hig1-born society
danes.
The list of candidates for seats in the
London County Council is interesting, and
ought to make the new Council second
gilded chamber. The candidates include
nine peers, four sons of peers, ten baronets,
three privy coucilors, eight officers and
members of the House of Commons, justices
and clergymen in profusion, twenty gen
tlemen,' and a sprinkling of doctors and
lawyers. For the 11S seats to be filled on
March there are 240 candidates, including
a few Independents. National issues have
been included in the fight in manner hith-
erto unknown in municipal politics until it
has become square battle between the
Unionists and Liberals, under the titles of
''Moderates'' and "Progressives." Both
sides have been attempting to draw an
analogy between the oppositions aims and
those of Tammany Hall, parading Tam
many as an awful example of the corrup-
ton which may be expected in London
when the other fellow gets in power. Bar
res of money are being spent on both sides,
gangs of roughs have been hired to break
UP meetings, and hundreds Of disreputables
are being poured into London from else
where to impersonate voters who are in
prison or at sea or otherwise incapacitated
from voting in person. James Bryce, mem
Der of Parliament for the south division of
Aberdeen, Liberal, author of 1.-The Ameri-
can Commonwealth ETC., and the presi-
dent Of the Board of Trade in the Rosebery
Ministry, has been in the thick of the fight,
telling every one what he knows about
H.or,, as.
John Lubbock, NJ p, for London Univer-
sity, Liberal Unionist, that the extrava-
gance of the municipal government of New
York under Tammany is due to commercial
enterprise and financial speculations he
said "A more strictly practical body of
men than the boss and his henchnen have
! not existed in the world, whether for sal
aries or jobs
The War Office scheme for the reform of
the British army, which was explained in
the House of Commons on Friday by w St.
J. Broderck, parliamentary secretary of
the War Office, seems to have greatly sat
isfed the various factions. An essential
fact is that the scheme adds % 900 men to
the army, the largest increase ever pro-
posed in Great Britain in time of peace. 1t
offers q certain number of reserVists q
special payment of 1 shilling daily, to par
take in minor emergencies, en-
abhng the War Office to dispatch 10000 men
on minor expeditions without calling upon
the main reserve. 1t increases the pay of
all efficientS over the age of nineteen by )
pence, the amount hitherto deducted for ra-
lions. and promises that increased effort
will he made to secure the employment for
reserVists. Militia and volunteer officers
also become available for the imperial serv-
ice. Great Importance is attached to the
proposal to recentralize the War Office by
comforting large financial and initiative
constant reference to the War Office An
other reform is the resumption of big ma
neuvers, which were. dropped twenty-siX
years ago. The whole additional cost will
be $2,000,O0O annually.
The present year promises to witness the
biggest boom in shipbuilding ever known,
and doubtless the shipbuflders of the
United States are arranging to participate
i'll the consequent demand for finished iron,
steel and machinery of all descriptions An
idea of the enormous amount of work on
hand can be formed from the fact that the
Clyde alone now has orders for 5S1 600 tons,
apart from the four big CUnard freight
boats which are said to be in negotiation.
The West African war scare Of week
ago has crumbled. hardly leaving an echo.
II there is any fighting it will be on the
initiative of the Royal Niger Company
which proposes that any French troops in
the company S territories shall be elected
Immediately by the company's troops
which Captain Luggard commands. The
company, unlike the government, has q
comparatively free hand. being in the po-
sition of an individual ejecting trespassers
from his property, and the officials of the
company say they intend to act vigorously
Though the secretary OF state for the col
onies, Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain, announced
on Friday in the House of Commons that
the Cabinet was a unit on the question of
West Africa, parliamentary gossip insists
that the Marquis of Salisbury gained the
deciding trick of his game with Mr. Cham
berlain in announcing the dispatch of the
ambassador at Paris in the House of Lords
on Tuesday, the premier both in the man
ner and matter taking great delight in
snubbing Mr. Chamberlain. This is evident
from the fact that the dispatch, which in
substance set forth that France had no
hostile intention in West Africa and had
no knowledge of The presence of French
troops in the Sokoto country. was not COM
municated to the House of Commons by the
parliamentary secretary for the Foreign
Office. Mr.. George n. Curzon, for the reason
that he had not seen the foreign secre-
cary that day.. Certainly Mr. Chamberlain
was most annoyed, more particularly as
many of the Conservatives have expressed
anger at his false alarm.
The Irish local government bill. on the
whole, is received with general favor by
Iriehu,au In The Houea NJ ronntnanS "a