The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-08-21
ENGLAND AND THE Beers.
aRoHTH OF A OINTMENT THAT
WAR SHOULD BE AVOIDED.

-. Rritons Are Unanimous In Demanding
r..,.x,.l Reforms-Tales of n Traveller
in Abyssinla-Men Not Wearing Dress
Co.ts Excluded from Swell Hotel
a.. London Notes of the Art World.
v.,nox Aue. 1l.-would reticence better
..rvo tho purpose OF England. In her present
nroblem. than speaking out" as Mr.. Joseph
Sh,mherlaIn has called the cardinal element
,n hi. nav diplomacy Every discussion among
...no,aihle Englishmen on the Transvah
.risi. snds with that question. People here
ara "a unanimous on the necessity Tor Presi-
dsnt Ringers altering his frapchise laws. his
nonopoly concessions. and his police control
=, ,bey we're year ago on the necessity OF the
Froncb eyacunting Fashoda But there are
many who think that more satisfaction would
be rot with much less oratory and published
d.spatches by responsible Ministers. The
word war" has been banded about In reck-
Lao. ,sshion over the whole business. A
rnionist who knows public opinion well
op,,ide OF London. which Is lingo oil the
time. says that not even the DOGGY OF
Home Rule will keep the Government in office
Uit forces war on the Transvaal over the pres
ant dispute. The country at large was sur
nrised and somewhat suspicious to hear that
yest Indignation meetings in the colonies had
passed resolutions dcnouncing the Beers and
Offering volunteers to shoot them. 1t was
Known that mid Rhoiesian lecturers were on
tho stump IN the colonies. but they were not
e1pected here To he taken so seriously. Appa-
renty they rea ly were not. and the ca blod reso-
buttons and fuminntiuns were mostly wind.
Tho two chief papers in Australia take the
stand that was to he looked for. The Melbourne
Argus points ont that. 80 FAR from the attitude
q, the Beers being standing menace to the
Z S4tt wi ha raj
peril ia in the nondescript horde Of cosmopoli-
IAN ,dventurcrs who compose Johannesburg"
and ads:
"Thosc latter have been encouraged by pow
erful md Interested combinations to believe
that by continuous agtltions England might be
worked up to combat pitch although she has
no right whatever to interfere in tho domestic
affairs Of the Transyaal. Chief among the in
etigators Of This policy Is the Rhodesian group.
The main hope to which the shareholders OF
the Chartered Company desperately cling is
that the Imperial Government will some day
paw a substantial sum for the vast territory nd
ministered by the icutenants OF Cecil Rhodes
The Syiney DdIp Telegraph. speaking OF the
Australians who have volunteered to help in
any shooting operations that may evcntuate
in South Africa. advises them to stay at home
and find something better to DO.
Beers country of their own free will. and II the
laws DO not suit them they need not stay Sup
pose a swarm of Dutch mining boomsters were
to come to Australia and float companies in
Amsterdam. and on the strength Of that to
claim the right to politically boss the place. we
simply would not stand it, We would tell them
that the laws OF Australia were good enough
for us. and II they were not good enough for
them they were at liberty to clear out"
With that quotation British sentiment is
certainly not at one: but the attitude of both
Journals destroys the fiction OF colonial
solidarity with the Rhodesian policy. In
this country something similar Is obscrv-
BILE Everybody is firm for reasonable re-
form; but the impatient menacing is so in
cessant as to compel one to believe that Cham
berain's diplomacy. even though he may
not mean it. will end in collision. He will have
afree hand this autumn. Lord Salisbury. be-
sides being in accord with Chamberlain on the
necessity for reform. has deep domestic ankle
ties that will prevent him from curbing his ag
gressive colleague The latters ambition may
have free play. with the prospect OF public
triumph at the end. What many Of his sup
porters. and certainly the majority OF his own
Liberal-Unionist party. ask is. whether his in
born candor and outspokenncss at every stage
OF the difficult dealings. is not great handicap
to their success
Nobody here has been much impressed by the
nebulous concessions and intangible CONNER
cial facilities which so far represent the sum
total Of British diplomacy's success at Pekin.
Discomfort at the existing position Il only less
outspoken now than it was at the beginning Of
tho year because people see how difficult Is
Lord Sasbury's task. They know that Russia
Ia behind nil Chinn'S iiiniory du nlipity and
that France is actively abetting her. Germany
Is willing to sec England struggle for what
open door" benefits she can get aud to be the
FIRST to profit by them. But she il not to range
herself with England and against Russia for So
Inadequate motive. Neither do Englishmen
expect the United States. 50 long as her inter-
ests are not directly assailed. to take their
side in struggle which. though 1t
At first aimed merely at enforcing
equal commercial opportunities for all.
would in its earliest stages become
an Anglo Russian struggle involving all the
many points at issue between these nations.
1t comes to this then. that unless China ia
erged on to some particularly wanton slight to
British interests. the Foreign ONCE in London
will keep to its policy OF patient. persistent
pressure and the advertisement to the public
OF what concessions" it wrings from the
Chinese creatures OF the Russian Minister at
Pekin as substantal success for British diplo-
macy. The correspondent OF the Times at
Shanghai sends a long despatch to his paper
shis week. which makes the m ost considerab bic
OF these successes seem unsubstantial. He
denls with the opening Of the new Chinese
ports to foreign trade. which was provided for
by the treaty Of Shimonoseki. BY that ACT
four ports were added to the treaty list. Chung
king. 'hi. Hang-chau. and Su-chau. The
west River Convention added Wu-chau and
sam-shui, and since then the Chinese Govern.
mont has declared its intention OF throwing
open the ports OF Yo-chau. Nan ning-fu. WI.
sung. Chin Wang-tao. Turning and Marking
voluntarily In certain cases. and under pressure
In others. new attitude on the part OF the
provincial authorities in regard to the question
OF open ports began to manifest itself at tbs
time OF the conclusion Of the Shimonoseki ne
gotiatons: since that date instead OF the re-
luctance hitherto shown, there appears to hnv,
sprung up tendency to open up new ports OF
the slightest pretext.
The correspondent gives fragrant instances
OF the practice OF the Chinese officials TO lew