The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1900-12-08
KEYED HIGH.
Condition of Public Opinion in
Great Britain.
Brought About by the Attacks
Upon Joseph Chamberlain.
WILL BE MARVELLOUS
IF He Passes Through the Or
deal Unscathed.
War Office Disturbed by Tactics
of De Wet.

London, Dec. S.-The assembling Of
parliament has supplied much needed
zest to life in England. The mere hand
ful of members known as the opposition
started the attack on the government
with such a united front that the SeS-
sion, short as it will be, promises to rival
those famous debates which marked the
days when Mr.. Gladstone tried to force
nome rule through the house. The spec
tacle of the entire Liberal party cOncen-
trating every personal and political en-
ergy against one man keeps the nation
keyed up to a high pitch awaiting the
next move in the dramatic encounter. If
Mr.. Chamberlain comes through un-
scathed it will be nothing short of mar
Velous.
No less interesting to the foreign OBJ
server are signs Of the dawn of unani-
nifty among the Liberals. Sir Henry
mpbell-Bannernan' arraignment of
the government, which is admitted to
have been the best effort of his life, was
almost Identical with that of Lord Rose
berry Each of these speakers adopted
the same tone and dwelt on the same
topics Mr. BalfOur and the Duke of
DeVonshire taunted the opposition lead
erS with their inability to speak for their
party as a whole; but, these utterances
passed unnoticed and from the benches
behind Sir Henry Campbell Bannerman
the constant hearty applause betokened
the birth of better concord among his
followers. Only once during Campbell
Bannerman's speech was a note of in
ternal discord heard. It was when he
announced that the Liberals unreserved-
~ accepted the necessity for the annex
alton of the Boer republics. Then one
solitary Liberal loudly shouted mo, no"
Turning around Campbell -Bannerman
dismissed the objector as being of no i'm
portance, with one of the most scathing
retorts ever dealt out by a leader to a
follower.
The war office officials are greatly
disturbed by the successful guerilla tao
tics Of General De Wet, but they cherish
the idea that he must soon cease to be
dangerous, owing to his inability to Sc
cure new horses Efforts are being made
70 keep De Wet away from the Cape
Colony frontier, for the war office be-
Ieves he is getting the bulk of his sup
plies from Cape Colony and to prevent
him from securing food, men and horses
orders have been. issued that the Beer
farmers be only allowed to buy small
quantities OF provisions sufficient for
their own immediate needs.
Some very frank opinions concerning
Mr.. Richard Harding Davis have been
appearing in the English papers this
week They were called out by a let
ter IN the London Times signed by a
representative body of ladies in various
natiOnalities, resident at Pretoria
throughout the war, in which they en-
phatically repudiate Mr.. Davis charges
referring to imprisoned British officers
behavior towards women. The Daily
News comments on the subject as fol-
lows:
Several months have elapsed since
Mr.. Davis amazingly untruthful allega-
tions were published, but the requisite
contradiction, though long delayed. has
come to hand at last. Mr.. Davis pre-
Sumably wrote for the English seq
ton of the Americans, though we should
hardly have expected to find (the name
of prominent American magazine is
here mentionedl used as a vehicle for
this vulgar and cowardly abuse"
Trouble threatens London's new tube
road. Many residents under whose
houses the electric trains run have COM
bined to sue for damages, alleged to be
caused by the vibration They have sub
scribed ten thousand pounds to fight it
in the courts. They maintain that
though the tube is at an average Of
fifty feet below the surface, the win
dows of the houses are ratified, the oc-
cupants awakened and ornaments
shaken every time a train passes. If
any degree of success meets their eff
forts it will seriously retard the attempt
to give London decent rapid transit
An extraordinary reversal of the usual
conditions appears in the English meat
market, and it is likely that English
beef will soon be palmed off as Ameri-
can. Hitherto the opposite has always
been the case. But by clever manipi-
lation the American statesmen have OBJ
tanned control of the market until
American beef costs as much as Eng
lish beef. Hence the likelihood of sub
stitutions- Commenting on this situa-
TlOn an En2lSn paper SAYS.
THE American statesmen now make
prices almost what they like In the
English trade there was no organiza-
tion to oppose them. The farmers have
been in the hands of the butchers, whose
cupiditY led them into the arms of the
Americans. The only active opposition
the Americans had to meet lay in the
prejudice of the consumer It has taken
twenty years to beat that prejudice"
In London theatrical work is some
what at a standstill pending the pan
tomimes, the rehearsals of which are
already in full swing. The stir these
elaborate performances create in Lon
don may always be relied upon to Gre
ate a sufficient tide of prosperity to
carry ordinary theatrical pieces with
them. Thus few changes are likely to
liar pieces till after New Years. Drury
Lane departs from its usual custom this |
year by casting an American girl. Miss
in the principal part made /
famous in recent years by Nellie Stuart. |
The question of theatrical audiences
rights to '.boo'' has been revived by the
recent excessive manifestations of dis !
approval of George Alexander in Mrs
Craigie's 'SThe Wisdom of the Wise.'' |
The Old Players club discussed the sub
ject this week and the papers devote
para graphs to it. The result seems in
favor of a rule that so far as man. |
ayers are concerned they should follow
Mrs. Craigie's own advice when she |
says: Il can face 'boos.' but will not /
boo back"
While George Adwardes will probably |
carry the appeal against Wednesdays |
decision in the suit for the control of
DaIy's theater here to the house of |
lords. there is no interruption of the ex-
listing control of the theater or the run |
Of San Toy Mr.. Days executors, of |
course had. no desire to disturb the sue |
cesfuI play and it was long ago ar
ranged that whatever was the decision |
Of the courts Mr.. Edwardes was to con- |
time at DalY's for some years to come |