The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1900-07-07
EngIand's Scandal.

London, July 1.-The spectacle of a
man of American birth, William l. Ash
mead Bartlett Burdett-C outts, standing in
the house of commons amid storm of
jeers and cries and exposing to the world
the horrors and abuses that followed in
the wake of British victories, proved as
dramatic as it was unprecedented For
over an hour Coutts, once known as the
''young husband of the millionaire baro-
ness" but now growing gray with his so
years, his face bronzed by the sun of SCUM
Africa and his hands clenched nervously
behind him, commanded the attention Of
the hostile majority of the house and drew
a succession of CHASTITY pictures that in
gruesomeness of detail eclpsed the horrors
OF the Crimean war. This terrible ar
raignment of Great Britain's care of her
wounded, sick and dying, made Friday
night, is by far the most notable occasion
of the session. The speech of the parlia-
mentary secretary of the foreign office,
George Wyndham, which was answered by
Mr.. Coutts, and that of the government
leaders and the lord of the treasury, a. j.
Balfour, that followed it, were both efforts
that neither man has equaled, this year at
any rate.
The government was awake to the Sc
robustness of the crisis, and with surprising
oratory Mr.. Wyndham took Its critics be-
hind the scenes of the great campaign. In
graphic language he described the enor-
nous difficulties of the communications ex-
posed the daring conception of Lord Rob
erts' plans and the risks he ran. In short,
the under secretary of war gave such
fascinating panorama, interfering facts to
prove that the war office took all precau-
tions, reiterating that war must always be
feared, that his hearers well nigh forgot
the sick and wounded in their admiration
of the success of the great general. But
this, the Times points today, all crumbled
away before the "damning details" pre-
scented by Burdett-Coutts, who spoke with
the advantage of having seen whereof he
spoke.
Mr.. Balfour for once lost his self-control
Flushed, and trembling with passion, he
denounced the attacks, which he declared
merely amounted to ungenerous criticism
of Lord Roberts. This the opposition de-
MED, and, in point of fact, the whole tenor
of Mr.. Burdett- Coutts' speech was an at
tack on the methods of Lord Kitchener in
stead of Lord Roberts, though this was not
openly stated. AS a result of the dramatic
debate public opinion seems fairly evenly
divided between two verdicts. First, that
the war office is gulloy of criminal neglect;
second, they reserve all judgments until
the parliamentary committee reports. Mr..
Coutts has suddenly become one of the
most prominent men of the hour, and the
government has still to face the agitation
winch has stirred me country almost to a
greater extent than did the declaration Of
war itself.
Great Britain seems to have pretty well
settled down to the belief that the minis
tiers at Peking will not come to much
harm. Vice Admiral Seymour's unsuccess-
full trip inland has brought upon him many
censures. 1t is maintained he should not
have left the fleet.
The probability Of big rise in wheat,
owing to the shortage OF the American
crop, is also worrying the British world,
for though supplies are still coming in
plentifully from Argentina the Indian crop
is quite insufficient to meet its normal
demands.