Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-17
He MUST EXPLAIN
Joseph Ohamberlain's Business Con-
neotions Subject Of Criticism.
INTEREST IN 4 CEYION COMPANY
Other British Cabinet Officers Are
Objects Of Attack.
LIB ERALS ARE ACTIVE

LONDON, November 17.-MInimum news
and maximum rain were the distinguishing
features Of the week. Such gloomy, wet
days as experienced here recently are I'M
usual even for London. Mr.. Joseph Cham
berlain, that central figure in British pol
ttics. can congratulate himself, for more
reasons than one, upon his absence from his
murky, native land. He is disporting him
self on the sunny Mediterranean. Thus,
the colonial secretary is temporarily safe
from the effects Of the vigorous personal
attacks which continue to be made upon
him by the liberals, from Sir Henry Camp
beli-Bannerman down.
The latest and most important Of these Is
statement made by the Morning Leader,
showing Mr.. Chamberlain holds 1900
(shares) in the Colombo Commercial Com
pany, which is receiving large contracts for
housing BOer prisoners in Ceylon. What
makes the case still more damaging Is the
fac that Mr.. Chamberlain sanctioned as
colonial secretary, a regulation laid down
by the governor of Ceylon. strictly prohibit
Ing any officer Of the local government from
interesting himself or his family In private
business In other words, Mr.. Chamberlain
forbids his subordinates. under pain Of Sc
we're penalties. to do. what he himself Is
doing on large scale. 1t now seems i'm
possible for Mr.. Chamberlain to avoid ex-
plantations. for which he will undoubtedly
De asked when parliament reassembles.
Cabinet Officers in Business.
Another feature in the same connection,
of which the liberals are making no little
capital, Is the extraordinary number of
directorsh!ps in private companies held by
government officers. OF the twenty cabi-
net minister's thirteen are directors, while
between all the thirtysix ministers twenty
hf,,r l,n1J m
mences with Lord Salisbury, who assists
In the management of an insurance COM
pany and includes Lord Selborne, who is
both first lord of the admiralty and d.
rector OF the Peninsula and Oriental Steam
ship Company; Mr.. Gerald Balfour who
unites dictatorship in an aluminium COM
pany with the presidency of the board Of
trade, and many other incongruous associa-
tons. several of the companies being finan-
cially discredited. With such fagrant.y
weak spots in the armor Of the new cabi-
net 1T Is no wonder the liberals are i'm
plor!ng Lord Rosebery to lead the party
Sir Henry Campbeil-Bannerman's appeal to
the ex-premier. fOrecasted in the dispatches
of the Associated Press several weeks ago.
only voiced the feeling of the majority of
the party, but it was accompanied by such
bitter denunciations of the so-called I'M
perialists that it scarcely be expected
to produce much result
Motor Car as "a War Engine.
American enterprise in Great Britain now
promises to revolutionize the methods Of the
war office. The problem of the transporta-
ton Of stores. guns and men over country
having no railroads has long exercised the
army experts. Traction engines, bullocks
elephants. horses and mules have been tried
with only moderate success. With the view
of diSplacing these a series of experiments
Is occurring in England, before a war Of
flee commission. in which an American mo-
tor car. suitable for war service, having on
board the driver. an American. and the
inventor, attained a speed of thirty miles
an hour on grass, going over obstacles and
fluctuations without the slightest difficulty
or injury. Further trials are still neces-
sary, but the British officers We're favor
ably impressed with the performance Of the
motor car and are likely to recommend its
adoption by the war office.
The fact that so conservative a paper as
Punch devotes cartoon this week to the
representation Of an American Jockey
perched on a horses neck, while the trainer
says: Now, this horse Is as At as chem
icals can make him: you have got a gal
vanic saddle. an electric whip and hypoder-
mic spurs, and if you shin a bit further up
his neck you ought just to lick anything
with hair on" fairly indicates the length
to which British rancor toward American
jockeys has gone. AS a leading American
trainer said this week:
1T Is true Americans liniments and
lotions to take soreness out of horses What
a few of the English need is a lotion to
take the soreness out of few OF their bad
losers
Case of Lester Reif.
The failure of the stewards OF the Jockey
Club to announce any decision after two
days investigation of LordDurham's charges
against Lester Reiff leads to the belief that
If any action Is taken it will appear when
Reifr applies for a license for 1901. The
tone of Lord Durhams letter to the stew
ards of the Jockey Club and the personal
Inconvenience and financial loss Reiff has
been put to by the failure of the Jockey
Club officials to notify him In time of the
place of their meeting have served to create
a reaction of sentiment, not only toward
Reiff. but toward American Jockeys in gen.
eral. Americans who have watched the
progress of the recent crusade against their
jockeys and trainers point out the signifi-
cant fact that since their importation be-
gan every important English race, from the
five furlong dash to the Derby, has been run
from four to thirty seconds faster than ever
before.
There Is strong intimation in many
quarters that Lord Durham Is particularly
anxious to curtail Mr.. Richard Croker's
English racing career, and that the fight
against the latter's horse, The Scotchman
II. was largely due to his being the owner
Of that racer.
Tn NJ M