Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-13
the earth into a towel. an throw it away
affarWards


| The British army Is now suffering from
the sharp practices of commissariat com.
missioners. as the American army did in
Cuba. and several contractors have beer
| found guilty of supplying bad stores to
the troops Apparently the authorities
seem to believe that willful fraud was in
| tended, for they have struck the names
| OF the contractors OF their lists and have
discharged from the army some officers
VINO mad passed the stores as satisfac-
| tory The secretary OF state thought
the case SO bad that he took legal opinion
as to the ACCESSIBILITY of beginning GRIM
inal proceedings, but the attorney gen.
| eral believed a prosecution would not sue
ceed The offense is a civil breach of an
UNDERTAKING, and damages might be re-
covered If the state had to make up the
dehcit by purchasing at a higher price.
Ihis, however, is all that could be done.
Gladstone Memorial.
The question of the allotment Of site on
the line Of the new Holborn to Strand
thoroughfare for the national memorial to
Mr. Gladstone is engaging the attention of
the authorities. Some difficulty has been
experienced in making suitable allotment
owing to the size and Importance Of the
monument. AS designed by Mr.. Hamo
Thornycroft it has a cruciform base, meas
urlng about twenys!x feet every way,
with a pavement round 1t about six feet
wide. 1t Is proposed that the memorial
Snal! nave an architectural basement of
Portland stone, and shall be surmounted
IN the center by a bronze statue of Mr.
Gladstone In the robes of the chancellor of
Inc exchequer. Seated statues or groups,
also in bronze. will be placed on the pro-
1ectlng portions Of the base. The total
height of the memorial will be about thir-
ty-two feet. and it will occupy, with the
pavement, superficial area of about LOG
feet: Three positions have been suggested
Tor the erection, one at the junction of the
new main street with the Crescent road, the
second Immediately to the west of ST.
Clement Danes Church, and the third i'm
Mary-le-Strand. 1t was at first thought
That the first-named position would be the
most suitable. but eventually it was de-
cided by the committee to ask the county
council to allot the site to the west of
St Clement Danes Church, which pos
sesses the advantage Of southerly
aspect-an important consideration where
London statues are concerned The
application will no doubt be granted by the
county council. Before, however, the all
iodment can be finally made the consent of
tne commissioner of works will have to be
OBTAINED under the provisions of a statute
which enacts that no monument shall be
erected In the London streets without his
sanction.
FLUSHING About Cromwell.
The annual debate on Cromwell in the
mouse OF commons took a new turn this
year. Heretofore the discussions have been
on motion to erect statue to the pro-
rector at government expense within the
nails OF the houses of parliament and the
motion has invariably been lost Between
the last regular session and this, however,
a magnlncent statue, the Anonymous gift
t S1 Loru Hos Sc was erected in the
site being selected by the first commits
sioner Of public works. AS none of
the governments money was expended on
parliament exercises no control over it, but
Mr.. SWIFT MacNeal, one of the Irish mem
bers, found way out of the difficulty The
mouse was peacefully discussing the vote
objected to 1t because part would have to
be expended In cleaning the Cromwell
statue. And I would not spend a penny
to whiteWash Cromwell" shouted Mr.. Mac
Neal Than he launched into a TRADE
against the "arch enemy Of Ireland" and
moved to reduce the vote by f1OO. The
mouse took up the discussion, and even the
government. In the person of Mr.. Balfour,
mad say. Eventually the motion was lost
by majority Of over 100. 1t is easy to nm
derstand why the Irish members should
nave raised a protest against the statue
with the best intentions in the world,
Crom"eil falled, as many other great Eng
lishmen have DONE to govern Ireland well
and earned the hatred of the people whom
ne conquered. But there is difficulty in
compromising the attitude of English
members like Mr.. Gibson Bowlas and Mr.
Disraeli, who, apparently In all seriousness
want TO revive the party quarrels of the
seventeenth century, and, in the royaiist
iH 10 "reak vengeance on this unoffend-
ing statue. as Charles ii did on CromwelPs
corpse. Nor is 1t easy to see WHY Mr.. Raj,
-FOUR should have thought It necessary to
give at length his reasons for thinking
Cromwell an overrated man, who did praat
Things, apparently through tn. sheer force
or circumstances. The whole wrangle over
tne statue to a man whom all must agree
IN considering one Of the greatest English
rulers, and who has been dead nearly 23O
years, has surely been little UNWORTHY ~
parliament. 1t is to be hoped that the oues-
uon has now been settled once for all.
Catholics in the TransvaaI,
The Osservatore Romano, the principal
Vatican organ, has been conspicuous in It's
attacks upon this country ever since the
beginning of the trouble in South Africa
1t has out-Heroded Herod in the bitterness
of Its anti-British sentiments. Very nat
urally this has been far from pleasant to
prominent English Catholics, who will, it is
stated, take an opportunity of publicly pro-
testing at meeting to be held this week
under the presidency of the Duke of Nor
folk 1t would indeed be interesting to
learn learn why the Osservatore Romano should
press which supports the Italian govern
ment has been British in its sympathies
and 1t was therefore the cue of this journal
done
most violently. Why Catholics, whether in
Italy or Ireland, should sympathize with
the Beers would. apart from other political
issues. be an inscrutable mystery. Mr..
William Redmond has, as We know. receiy-
ed from Dr. Leyds letter, in which il is
claimed that Catholics in the Transvaal are
on an equality with people of other denomi-
nations The statement has been rudely
ard very authoritatively contradicted by
all sorts and conditions of Catholics who
have lived in and know the conditions IN
South Africa. Among the latest of these is
Mr.. Patrick O'Hea, Durham barrister.
who declares categorically that DR.. Leyds'
statement is "a downright huge falsehood,
and no one knows that better than DR..
Leyds himself" Mr.. o'Hea proceeds to
give glazing instances of the disabilities
under which his coreligionists suffered IN
the Transvaal. Of men offered public sit
Cations only On condition that they would
renounce their religious faith, and Of their
indignant refusal to do SO; of the exclusive
substituting Of Protestant schools, and of the
"disingenuousness and contemplate duplic-
ity" with which the administration of
which DIR. Leyds was a member treated
petition of Catholics for redress of their
grievances. Nothing could be more definite
tor explicit than Mr.. O'Hea's refutation of
the preposterous story of DR.. Leyds.
Pats Us on the Back.