The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-16
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
Protest. Against ycommercinIism In
the British Csbinct.

the British Cabinct.
LONDON. Dec. l5.-LOrd Salisbury
Ministry are not Strengthening their posi-
tons with the nation by their refusal Il
take seriously the question OF the rela
tionship of individual Ministers to public
contracting companies ana the stock ex
change. All through the South African
war this has been the sting of nine out o
ten criticisms of Engiand's policy. 1t ha!
been dubbed 1.-The capitalists war; Ever!
other cartoon in foreign prints has pic
tured Mr. Chamberlain knee-deep in thu
gold OF the new South African colonies OIL
otherwise profiting by the displacement o
the Beers.
Very much. il not all, Of this, Is. o.
course, the grossest libel, but iibelers viii
hnd plenty of excuse to pursue their libel:
from the laxity of principle which the
Ministry have shown in this weeks de-
bates in Parliament. Against Mr.. Cham
beTlain S personal honor no serious impu-
| tation has been or can be brought. He
himself holds no directorship, no CONTROL
ing interest in any company associated
with Government contracts, and his long
held shares in a Ceylon company and his
So00 interest in the Armaments Trust Is
| ludicrous ground on which to base any
lions have been inspired mostly by polit-
| ical spite
! But his son, Austen Chamberlain. until
/, recently Civil Lord Of the Admiralty and
now Secretary to the Treasury, stands in
| quite another category. While he was at
the Admiralty he remained director of
! the birmingham armament companies
which were engaged in large contracts with
! the Admiralty So far as the public knows
/ hn CT faf, Il Il
| the only defence he offers the House of
! Commons is that not his but another de-
! partment of tie Admiralty had the dis
| posal OF contracts. Had Mr.. Gladstone been
Premier he would have peremptorily de-
manded the resignation, either of the Of
| flee or the dictatorship.
But Lord Salisbury is quite a different
type of statesman. In his aloofness and
high personal rectitude he knows nothing
and cares nothing about the stock ex-
change, and will not assume that any col
league Of his has less lofty motives. In
deed, when. last night. Lord Rosebery
again insisted on the improperly of a
member of the stock exchange like Lord
Hardwicke. retaining his stock exchange
association after his appointment as I'm
der Secretary for India. Lord Salisbury
thought 1t enough to say that he hoped that
nothing that had been said would induce
Lord Hardwicke to reconsider his position.
1.-THE area of selection of Ministers is mar
row." said Lord Salisbury, and here the
House broadly smiled, remembering that
five Ministers are themselves Cecils. Lord
Salisbury added that he really did not
know what was to become of the State il
the further condition should be added that
no one with special connection with
commercial business may serve the Queen.
kindred topic which has led to much
mud throwing this week is the fact that
a large proportion of the civilians chosen
to administer the new South African col
Onies are directors in or otherwise as
ISOLATED with South African mining and
other companies. The fact is. / believe,
tina; Sir Alfred Milner had little or no
choice. Mining is the one great business
in South Africa, and attracts the best
men. If Sir Alfred was to get the South
Africans best equipped for the new posts.
he had no alternative. The posts, more
over, are mostly temporary.
The following astounding statement ap-
pears in the London correspondence OF
the Manchester Guardian today: mad
it appeared In less authoritative fashion.
1t might have been neglected as bit of
that type Of sensational gossip always
floating about the European courts. The
item runs thus: "Dr. Georg Brandes. the
eminent Danish critic. has just published
In the 'Verdens Gang the most influen-
tial Norwegian Liberal journal, a long ac-
count of an interview with Russian pro-
fessor from the University Of Tomsk, in
Siberia, who called upon him in Copen-
hagen. In tho course of conversation the
professor referred to Count Murayteff che
late Russian Foreign Minister. and said:
You are aware of what every Russian
knows, that Muravief did not die natu-
raj death. That he committed suicide |
by taking poison is a well-known fact. |
The reason why Is also pretty well known. |
Soon after the outbreak of the Boer war |
he had prepared and laid before the Car |
a plan according to which Russia should |
avail herself of the difficulties and the |
dilemma in which England was placed to |
obtain command of the Red Sea. Mura-
vieff had obtained the Cars sanction TO |
the carrying out of the plan. All orders
and instructions in connection Herewith |
had been prepared. when the Caritza, who
has strong English sympathies. heard CT /
the plan, and became so agitated that she
was seized by a fainting fit. The Gar,
in order to secure peace in his own house
hold, suddenly changed his mind. and
all orders. Count Mura-
vieff would not survive this disappoint-
ment.'"
After today's published report of Harms
worth Bros, Limited. there can be no
question about the profitableness of liter
.ture for the million. This group does not
OWN phenomenally successful halfpenny
laily. but makes its astounding profits out
IF a penny weekly journal of snippets,
funny journals. and so on, all
appealing quite frankly to surface sensa
ions, without an attempt to provoke re-
lection. or do anything but amuse. In the
,ear ended October 81 the profits reached
Il 900, being an increase of $3.50. 900
with the previous year, and
hough the directors have been adding to
he reserve fund at the rate of s.. 500 per
veek. they now distribute a dividend of
70 per cent per annum