The herald., 1898-02-27
EUROPEAN WAR SCARE
NOT SOLID ENOUGH TO CAST A
SHADOW
THE IRISH GOVERNMENT BILL
Received With Favor by Members
From Erin-Comments on Ameri-
can Railroads-British Chat
Associated Press Special Wire

Associated Press Special Wire
LONDON. Feb. 26.-The West African
war scare of week ago has crumbled,
hardly leaving an echo. If there Is any
fighting 1t will be on the initiative of the
Royal Niger Company, which proposed
+ that any French troops in the company's
territory shall be elected Immediately
by the companys troops which Captain
Luggard commands. The company, un-
like the government, has comparative
ly free hand, being in the position of an
individual ejecting trespassers from his
nroperty and the officials of the COM
pany say they intend to act vigorously.
Though the Secretary of State for the
colonies, Mr.. Joseph Chamberlain, an
nounced on Friday in the House Of
Commons that the Cabinet was unit
on the question of West Africa. Parlia-
mentary gossip insists that the Marquis
OF Salisbury gained the deciding trick
of his game with Mr.. Chamberlain in
announcing the dispatch Of the embas-
sador 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 evil
dent 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 French troops
in the Sokoto country, was not COM
municated to the House of Commons by
the Parliamentary Secretary of Foreign
Affairs, Mr. George N. Curzon, for the
reason that he had not seen the foreign
secretary that day."
Certainly Mr.. Chamberlain was most
annoyed, particularly SO as many of the
conservatives have expressed anger at
his false alarm.
IRISH AFFAIRS
The Irish local government bill on the
whole Is received with general favor by
Irishmen in the House of Commons. so
much so that the members on Monday
seemed to be basking in the millennium.
Messrs. Dillon, Healy and Redmond find
themselves more in accord than for
years past. Mr.. Redmond, in conversa-
ton with a representative of the Asso-
ciated Press, said: "rhe bill, so far as
1t goes, is satisfactory. 1t places the
management of all purely local affairs
absolutely in the hands of the people.
OF course, 1t is not a substitute for home
rule. On the contrary, if it works well,
it will be powerful weapon in our hands
to forward home rule. 1t will prove that
our people are capable of governing
themselves with good sense and tolera-
ton. A conference of the Irish members
Of all parties on Tuesday unanimously
decided to place the conduct of the ques-
tion this year in the hands of Mr. Red
mond. who has given notice of motion
raising the whole question of Ireland's
over-taxation on the presentation of the
budget"
A ROYAL PREACHER
Prince Oscar of Sweden, second son of
the King of Sweden and Norway, made
his first appearance on Sunday last as a
mission preacher for the Young Mems
!, Christian Association of Stockholm.
His wife also addressed the audience
which numbered about 1000 people, Both
the Prince and Princess speak fluently
and simply.
YANKEE RAILROADS
The Times has just concluded the pub
licauon of a series of articles on Ameri-
can railroads in which its correspondent
has bestowed unstinted praise upon their
equipment and punctuality, as a con-
trast with the habitual tardiness here.
The Times correspondent thinks the
American excellence is due to one man
control.
Commenting on these facts, the Times
urges English railroad men to take
lesson from America. abolish the alb
: surdly weak locomotives and increase
the size of the trucks. Continuing, the
Times says: "As to the one man power,
we do not share our correspondents en-
thusiasm. 1t is all right when the man
is a good man, but an unfortunate Eng
lish investor has bitter reason to regret
boss control"
MINOR MATTERS
The London social season was officially
opened with the Princess of Wales
levee on Tuesday, and the Queens draw
ing room yesterday. Her Majesty, as
usual, only received the diplomats and a
few persons having the entree leaving
the rest to the Princess of Wales.
The Liberal newspapers are full of
denunciation Of the doings of the Duke
SAKE Coburg and Gotha and his Journey
Ing from Malta to Alexandria on H. M
s. Surprise, when he donned his Admir-
ais uniform, necessitatng the hoistng
of the standard, the fleet saluting and
the Duke being constituted senior Off
,cer of the station, to the great disgust
Of those who consider the Duke to be a
foreign Prince with honorary rank in
the British Navy, although he is Duke
of Edinburg and second son Of the Queen
Of England.
The Sultan of Morocco, in order to re-
arm his army with modern weapons, is
sending large portion of his unrivalled
collection of guns to Germany and Eng
land for sale.
Truth has been asked to expose what
Is said to be a scandal in regard to the
sale of the American Cemetery at Jeru-
salem by the American Presbyterian
Board Of Foreign Missions. The sale is
alleged to have been made in order to
replenish the Golfers of the board, and
secrecy, 1t Is added, was observed be-