The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-12-09
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
Chamberlain the Centre of . stormy
Parliamentary Opening.

| y
Parliamentary Opening.
LONDON. Dec. S.-Thursday. the frs
effective day OF the Parliamentary session
was most stormy day in political Lon
don. All the pent-up fury Of the recen
election descended upon the Houses o
Lords and Commons. Mr.. Chamberlain
was, of course, the centre Of 1t all. bu
picking ones way through the columns o.
speeches and recrimination only one OF
two things really matter. One is that Mr.
Chamberlain himself remains unscathet
by the attacks upon his honor in connec
| ton with the Birmingham contracts will
the State. 1t is admittedly impossible in
English political life to rule Ministers
out OF investments in commercial con-
Germs. but this weeks discussions have
emphasized the necessity OF the rule made
in the last Liberal Government that nc
Ministers should be connected with the
directorships of commercial concerns. This
rule Mr.. Chamberlain has always OBJ
| served. His son. Austen Chamberlain
now Financial Secretary OF the Treasury
has not. but he has, this week. resigned
| his dictatorship in the Bank Of Africa. in
| which the Chamberlain family hold shares
valued at 1910. 900. and will surrender his
| other directorships under pressure OF this
discussion.
| other Ministers also are surrendering
their directorships. as. for instance, the
| dictatorship in the p and O. Steamship
Company Of Lord selborne, the new First
Lord of the Admiralty, and the active
| partnership in stock-brokins concern OF
Lord Hardwick. the new Under Secretary
for India English public life was. in
| fact, singularIy pure before these renun-
Citations. 1t should now be placed above
| suspicion. For this England has chiefly
| to thank foreign pro-Boer criticism and
Lord Rosebery.s most outspoken speech In
the Lords on Thursday. No other public
man Of Cabinet rank would have been
equally bold.
Another notable outcome OF the debates
is the clear determination of the Govern
u1ent to give Kitchener free hand in the
South African campaign They trust him.
man OF ice and iron though he is. Both
Lord Salisbury and Mr. Belfour uphold
the farm-burning as a military necessity.
and lay the responsibility upon the Boer
leaders. who have it in their power to
cause it to cease Mr. Chamberlain went
further last night and declared farm
burning to be restricted to places where
offensive warlike acts were committed.
DR.. Jameson, now in London, holds. on
the contrary. that the British Ministry
will be compelled 10 rebuild every farm
house destroyed, even il it costs Ave mil
lions sterling.
The Ministerial speeches also confirm
the report Of last week that the Gov
eminent is unperturbed by the alarmist
anticipations of rising of the Cape
Dutch Sir Alfred Miner. they believe,
has the situation we'll in hand. but far
more significant than the political out
bursts which called forth these announce
ments was Mr.. Chamberiain's quiet,
statesmanlike outline Of the new methods
al administration in South Africa, an
outline which follows so closely the lines
of forecasts made in May and June
that little need be added, beyond this.
that the Liberals are astounded to find
the scheme SO liberal, so plainly con-
ceived in the interests of South Africa
itself, and so initiatory to full self-gov-
eminent emanating from their arch enc
my. Mr.. Chamberlain. The scheme is |
based on the fundamental fact that the
Dutch and English have to live together
in South Africa, and its PRONUNCIATION in
the disaffected districts probably will do |
more than all General Kitchener's severi- |
ties to close the war. AS Mr.. Asquith |
said last night. speaking for official Lib
eralism the scheme seems to afford |
modus vivendi for the conquered terri |
tories which may be the precursor OF
that fuller larger and more complete |
measure of sef-government to which |
every party in the State is pledged
China gets hardly any place in the pub
lie mind. with South Africa thus forced to
the front. In the Commons last night Lord
Cranhorne. as Foreign Office spokesman.
refused to discuss China the ground |
that negotiations were proceeding. The
House expressly appiauded the American |
policy. Mr. Walton, who moved the reso-
luton, said that the policy embodied in
the American declaration was exactly what
Great Britain desired. He hoped to see |
concerted action on the part OF the British
and American Governments for the fur
theraDce OF that just and equitable policy.
Oficialdom was almost mute though much
can be read into Lord Cranborne's asser-
tian that only by adopting conciliatory
attitude can England hope to produce tho
result which all desired, namely, the re-
storation of tranquility without the loss
Of British interests. Indeed, the more the
American general attitude is concerned.
the more it appeals to the official and I'M
official mind here as preferable to the Ger
man out-and- out methods. China Is too
big job for England, preoccupied as she
is. to tackle on any other lines That is |
certainly Lord Sallsbury's view.
The beer panic. started in the Manches-
.er district by several deaths and between
.wo and three thousand cases Of arsenical-
Deer poisoning. has spread all over Eng
and. The medical evidence shows that a |
pint and a half of this beer contains a
'ull dose of arsenious acid. and the Lam
.ashire workingman consumes many pints
n the day. Fresh cases OF peripheral neu-
tits are reported from various quarters
ZACH day. The brewers have taken the
alarm. In the Manchester district alone
hey have poured s2J0.0Q0 worth of beer
lown the sewers. A strong movement is
lrising in Parliament for legislation COM
,elling brewers to supply pure beer-that
8, beer brewed entirely from hops and
demanded. Whether it would
uit the workingman's palate when sup |
,lied Is another question.
To add to the public un6asiness. Sir
.auder Brunton Loudon's eminent physi-
ian, reports that he has examined whis-
~. brandy gin. rum and various impure
oonial spirits. like Cape Smoke, and
heap Chinese. Japanese. Portuguese, and
panish drinks. and that they all contain s
dehydes. FurfurOl tests were made upon
nimals and man. A dose of OIL gramme |
f furfurol was taken two hours after |
luncheon by two men. Half an hour after
yard pain, like neuralgia was felt at the
ack of the neck. A sensation of throS
ing pulsatiOn in the vessels of the head
nd dull headache ensued. which in one
ase lasted for the rest of the day One
( the antidotes for aldehydes is ammonia.
rhlch forms with them an innocuous com
ound. The temperance party is, of
Curse making the most of the ation.
The Pope. who. despite the persistent
et keeps wonderfully well. is preparing :,
Or the function of closing the holy door. r
n Christmas Eve. with the same pomp ;
nd ceremony as when he opened it |,
ear ago. The special bricks are white. c
vice the ordinary size, and have the n
apai coat -of-arms in bas-relief on one c