The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-01

LONDON. March 31.-To the Englishman
who knows no more than be reads in the
newspapers the Delagoa Bay award is
keen disappointment. All through this war
he has imagined battalions Of German ana
other Europeans soldiers Of fortune and
large quantities OF guns and ammunition
being smuggled into the Trausvaal through
this South African keyhole.
Many have been the signs for a Pitt or
a Palmerston to plant a few British battle
ships in front of that keyhole and block
il up. let Portugal and the world protest
as they please But Lord Salisbury is a
cautious man Instead OF battleships he
sent a diplomatic agent TO Lisbon 10 see
what could be done in a friendly way. The
man in the street said to himself Just
wait tin that award is out Portugal will
need money to pay humping damages
She knows where she can get that money.
and then under the Portuguese clause Of
the Anglo German agreement Delagoa Bay
will come under lease to England. Then
the Transvaal will indeed be in wise"
So said the man in the street and the
average politician as well. Judge his
chagTin when the arbitrator calmly award
not five millions sterling-as one big
South African railway contractor sug-
eested-not even three millions, but
paItry e6O0. 600. which Portugal at once
announces that she will pay without the
kind help Of England or anyone else.
1t is an so dull and so fiat instead of sen
satioual-the unfolding Of that great Eu
ropean secret of the past decade the
Anglo-G German agreement.
Instead Of the massing OF the worlds
fleets around this South African doorway.
instead OF a stern British cry Of Hands
on" to all the nations. shouted from
hundred grim battleships, there is nothing
more than another silly arbitration, in
which ar usual England gets the worst Of
DO. OF course. there is now nothing for il
but to assert that much stands behind this
paltry award: that England and Portugal
must have another drama to enact in con-
cord. that not for nothing did Major La
cerda and nearly thousand artillery. cav
airy. and infantry leave Lisbon arsenal for
South Africa on Monday last under the
ewes Of the King Of Portugal himself and
his brother. the Duke Of Oporto and SO on,
with a whisper of Beira thrown in upon
an of which IL is enough now 20 remark
that when England's option over Delagoa
Bay does become effective, the least return
Portugal can make ViI be to accept price
on the basis OF this award-ihat is to say.
on what the financial papers today call an
old-irop valuation.
In home politics the one moment0us
event Of the week has been a cold in the
head. Because Of thar cold. Sir Henry
Campbell Bannerman could not attend the
annual meeting Of the National Liberal
Federation at Nottingham. to which. i'm
view of the expected general election. Lib
eral delegates focked from all parts of the
country TO learn the platform on which
their leaders intend to appeal to the cleo
torate Here was Sir Henry's chance to
give the Liberals a battle cry. No man
could guess what IL would be. for in his de-
sire to be all things to all Liberals. the
Liberal leader in the House OF Commons
has left everyone wondering whether his
views on the South African problem are
Roseberyite or Morleyite imperial or anti
imperial a Ia Daily News or a Ia Man
chester Guardian"
A cold in the head has banished these
questions. Into Sir Henry Bannerman's
place stepped that young NorJhumbrian
knight. Sir Edward Grey. Of noble lineage
aud unbending manners and convictions.
who when Lord Rosebery was Premier
buried away in the House OF Lords. and he
was Under Secretary for Foreign Affairs IN
the House Of Commons. kept the Rosebery
imperial flag flying in the popular chamber.
let his leader ia that chamber Sir William
Harcourt do or say what he pleased.
And in his lead to the National Liberals
at Nottingham this week Sir Edward
seemed to carry all before him. Preceding
his utterance as the great gun of the
gathering. DR.. Spence Watson. President
of the National Liberal Federation and
other leading Liberals had spoken strong
ly against the war. i'm favor Of IT'S imme-
date cessation, and In favor of the re-
tention Of the status Of the Republics. Sir
Edward Grey on the other hand. without
stopping TO argue about the past declared
that the war must be finished; that Great
Britain must secure the military ocCupa-
lion Of both the Republics. and that the
imperial paramountcy Of the past must
become the imperial control Of the future.
Next day Mr.. Herbert Gladstone. now
the chief Liberal whip, declared that
whether England likes &c or don't like o.
the British flag must wave over the whole
OF South Africa. majority Of Liberals
present at the meeting seemed to be of
the same mind. This then may now be
taken as the national viii. The hope OF
Lord Rosebery Sir Edward Grey. and
others IS that on this basis Liberalism
will be able to guide British policy along
Liberal lines in solving such problems as
the reconstruction Of South Africa on fun
principles OF self government. and espe-
cialiy in securing justice for the Dutch as
well as the British Ia the rearr8ugemeut
81 boundaries and the treatment OF the
disafecJed.
In home politics their programme in
ciudes temperance reform. extended -du-
cation under popular control. and greater
equality OF taxation. Here are the
main planbs upon which Liberalism viii
20 TO the country If. as seems now to be
expected Lord Roberts shall enter Pre-
toria 10 the early summer and the Gov
erument shall cali on a general election.
What part 10 any. Sir William Harcourr
lord Rosebery. and Mr. John Morley viii
lake DO the conflict no man can say. Prob
ably tney themselves do not yet know.
quiet satisfaction is the best term to de-
scribe the British reception OF the op %
door iu China correspondent as pub
iished 90 New York The Spectator
tucks b. away la a note. remar6i-g sageiy
enough that while iu the case of any
other power The correspondence would ba
purely academic. the Government 3r Wash
iuEton has "a way OF cGusideri1e such let
tiers AS contracts, and with the support u
Great Britain would probably not hes tate
90 enforce them. The Saturday Review
doubts this. and asks if there Is @ clause
binding sIguatuIIes 90 enforce Observance
upon any power violating or rgrCuuclng
the agreement. Il not. the document Do
says. is not worth the paper BE- is writ len
uu. Moreover 10 Is startling t9 find ne
agreement based on The assumption that
Chira has ceased Co exist aa aga ulepen-
dent power.
h0STETTERS n ri. ......-- .1 ...5