The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1900-11-18
MUCH CORRUPTION
AMONG OFFICIALS
Lord Chamberlain Gets Money
for Housing BOer Prisoners.
MANY ABUSE THEIR OFFICES
British Army WIN Use American Motor Cars
English Get Excited Because Ameri'
can Jockeys Use LIiaiment
on Their Horses.

LONDON. Nov minimum news
End maximum rain were the distln-
gulshing features Of the week. Such
sloome, wet days as have been expert
enced here recently ARE unusual even
for London. Joseph Chamberlain. that
central figure In British politics. can
congratulate himself for more reasons
than one upon his absence from his
murky native land. He is disporting
himself on the sunny Mediterranean.
Thus the colonial secretary is tempo
rariiy safe from the effects Of the Wig
orous personal attacks which continue
10 be made by the Liberals from Sir
Henry Campbell -Bannerman down.
The latest and most important OF
these Is a statement made by the Morn
inr Leader showing that Mr.. Chamber
lain holds e7OO0 OF shares in the CO.
lombo Commercial Company. which is
receiving large contracts for housing
Boer prisoners in Ceylon. What makes
the case stln more dangerous is the faet
that Mr.. Chamberlain sanctioned as CO.
lonial secretary a regulation laid down
by the governor Of Ceylon strictly pro-
hlbiting any officer Of the local gov
ernment from interesting himself or
his family in private business. In other
words Mr.. Chamberlain fOrbids his SUI
boriinates under severe penalties to do
what ne is doing himself on a large
scale. Il now seems impossible for Mr.
Chamberlain to avoid explanations for
which he win undoubtedly be asked
when parliament reassembles.
MANY GRAFTERs.
Another feature in the same eonnee-
ton Of which the Liberals are making
no little capital IS the extraordinary
number OF dlrectorships in private COM
panies held by government officers. OF
the twenty cabinet ministers thirteen
are directors. while between all the
thirty-six ministers twenty-seven direc-
torships are held. The list commences
with Lord Salisbury. who assists in
the management OF an insurance COM
pany, and includes Lord Selborn. who
is both first lord OF the admiralty and
a director Of the Peninsular and Or,en-
tai Steamship Company; Gerald Balfour.
who unites a dictatorship in an alum
inum company with the presidency Of
the board Of trade and many other in
congruous assOciat tions. several Of the
companies being financially discredited.
With such fagrantly weak spots in
the arnor Of the new cabinet. it is no
wonder the Liberals are imploring Lord
Rosebery to lead the party. Sir Henry
Campbell -Bannerman's appeal to the
ex-premier only voiced the feeling Of
a majority Of the party. but it was ac-
cepted by such bitter denunclations of
the so-called imperialists that 1t can
scarcely be expected to produce much
result.
AMERICAN MOTORS IN WAR.
American enterprise in Great Britain
now promises to revolutionize the meth
ods Of the war office The problem Of
transportation of guns. stores and men
over country having nc railroads has
long exercised the army experts. Trac-
tion engines. bullOcks. horses and mules
have been tried with only moderate
success. With the view of displacing
these a series Of experiments is oc-
curing in England before a war office
commission in which an American
motor car suitable for war service,
having on board the driver. an Ameri-
can and the inventor attained a speed
OF thirty miles an hour on grass, going
over obstacles and undulations without
the slightest difficulty or injury. Fur
ther trials are still necessary. but the
British officers were favorably inn
pressed with the performance Of the
motor car and are likely to recon-
mend its adoption by the war office.
THE JOCKEY QUESTION.
The fact that so conservative a paper
as Punch devotes a cartoon this week
to the representation Of an American
jockey perched on a horses neck while
his trainer says: Now this horse is
as fit as chemicals can make him; you
have got a galvanic saddle. an e.ectriC
whip and hypodermic spurs and if you
shin a bit further up his neck you
ought to lick anything with hair on,
fairly indicates the length to which
British rancor toward American jock
eys has gone. AS leading American
trainer said this week:
1T is true Americans use liniment'
and lotions to take soreness out Q.
horses What the English need is To-
tiop 70 take the soreness out Of Z
few Of their bad losers"
The failure Of the stewards Of thr
Jockey Club to announce any decision
after two days investigation Of Lore
Durham's charges against Lester Relff
leads to the belief that if any action
is taken at all it will appear whei
Reiff applies for license for 1901. Tn,
tone of Lord Durham's letter to tn,
stewards of the Jockey Club and tn
,,a,,eonaI inoonvenienoa and 6nancia