The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-07-29
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
The bcrnIsgHopeIessIy Split Over
the Souti, African Policy.


LONDON. July 2S.-The first wedge of
imperialism has;this week. under the ham
mer of impending dissolution, destroyed
even the semblance of cohesion in the
Liberal party. In plain language, for the
first time in the recent checkered history
of the party have the Liberals in tie House
of Commons been seen openly divided into
three hostile groups, and that on so vital
a question as South African policy.
Sir Wilfrid Lawson. the ayowed hater OF
Imperialism in every shape and form,
opened the attack on Mr.. Chamberlain
action ''the policy of the freebooter.
fihbuster, burglar, and Boxer. To his
support in less truculent spirit came Sgd
ney Buxton. former Liberal Under Sec
rotary Of State for the Colonies, and Sir
Robert Reid, an ex-Liberal Attorney Gen
eral. This extreme Radical group num-
bered from forty-one to fifty-two in sub
seQuent divisions. At the other end OF
Liberal opinion stood the Roseberyites, or
Liberal Imperialists Sir Edward Grey, ex-
Liberal Under Secretary for Foreign AZ
fairs; Mr.. William A. Macarthur, one OF
the Radical whips; Mr.. r. B. Hildane,
a lawyer of high standing and politician
of future Cabinet rank; and Augustine
Birreu, the head of the Liberal Publica-
ton Department. This group also num-
bered forty or so. They generally follow
Lord Rosebery in believing that while Mr.
Chamberlain's methods in South Africa call
for severe criticism in detail. his policy is,
on the whole. inevitable. The Transvaal
and Orange River State. they hold, must
forfeit independence the war must be
pushed to a successful conclusion, and
further, that the great business OF the
Radicals is not to obstruct this South
African policy in its main outlines, but
to insist that its lessons shall be learned
in the reconstruction OF South Africa on
liberal colonial lines, and complete reor-
ganization in the army, diplomacy, and
other parts of the governing machine OF
empire.
Between these two groups stands the
titular Liberal leader in the House OF
Commons. Sir Henry Campbell Banner
man But the extent of his leadership may
be judged from the fact that whereas he
gave an order to the party to abstain from
voting on Lawsons anti-Chamberlain reso-
luton, only thirty-fiye members obeyed
and followed him out of the house. Among
these thirty-five. it would seem, were Mr..
Bryce Mr.. Asquith. and Sir Henry Fowler,
three ex-Cabinet Ministers. Add to this
spectacle of Liberalism in the Commons
the fact that last night in the House of
Lords Lord Kimberley, Liberal ex-Min-
| ster who Is seemingly with the Campbell
Bannerman group. rose to reproach Lord
Rosebery for his vehement onslaught on
/ the MinistTy's defence of It's policy, or want
of policy. and you may realize how entirely
/ the Liberal party is at skies and sevens.
| and this on the eve OF dissolution, which
| viii come within few weeks IL Mr.. Cham
Serlain has his way.
The suggestion made by one Liberal I'M
H. 49, - LII ar1+ md n
proved by the Times that Tories should
not oppose Liberal imperaiists in the COM
| ing elections, VIII probably prove quite
| futile. though IL has made much stir and
| greatly increased the bitterness within the
| Liberal party, 1t looks too much like
| scheme of Tory absorption to gain favor
with Liberal imperialists.
London u beginning to take Itself Sc
| riously as a sub-tropical city. At least,
| such was the case before last nights thun-
derstorm. All the more eagerly has the
great public holiday. beginning next Fri
| day. been awaited. Parliament is on the
point of rising after a peculiarly barren
closing session. The London season is prac-
| tically over. and society is flocking to the
! country and the cures Homburg. Marien-
| bad and the rest. Both members OF Par
| lament and society must-soon return. IL
the growing expectation Of dissolution
| in October is realized.
| In the book world publishers are already
busy with autumn programmes. These are
neither extensive nor startling. Among
the serious books there is talk of new
| volume. of poems by Swinburne, an epic by
| w E. Henley, play by Stephen Phillips.
| and novels are promised by a number Of
popular writer's. including Anthony Hope.
George Moore Henry James. Robert HIGH
ems. and Winston Spencer Churchill. John
| Oliver Hobbies is to follow up her novel.
| Robert Orange" with comedy called
! THE Wisdom Of the Wise" Richard
Whiteing. author OF mo. John Street"
| is understood to have a long story ready
for publication: but this is about all. and
booksellers have little hope that the au-
tumn viii! recoup them for their undoubt-
eddy heavy spring losses.
This week Mr.. Henley has republished,
in book form, collection OF ten war songs,
| which he entities For Englands Sake
They are very warlike probably even too
warlike for the England OF today. for few
Englishmen will agree with him in his
faith that the top of life is the passion
that burns, the blood in the act of strife. "
Tl.is is. of course. the gospel that brought
Henley into prominence. 1t was all very
we'll as a literary expression, but England
has seen too much OF war since the day of
"The Song of the Sword"
| The artistic event of the week, the
! election OF Joseph Farquharson as an as
sociate Of the Royal Academy. has pro-
! voked some stir. Ii is, SO artists say
I more a recognition OF social status and
| money than artistic power, as such artists
| as Stott. Mark Fisher, Aumonier, Lorlmer
or half a dozen others would secure easy
precedence, yet they are kept outside thu
Academy.
; Students in dermatOlogy are much in
terested in the skin OF tine monster ele-
plant Charlie, once the great attraction
: of the CRYSTAL Palace The skin weighs NJ
less than a ton, or exactly one-fourth o.
the total weight OF the animal during
/ lifetime AS soon as the natural moisture
has dried up the skin will be mounted b,
/ a taxidermist to represent Charlie crash
ing through a forest jungle. Just as h.
| did through the palace on the day when
after killing his attendant, he was 81 o
I with a sporting express rife Charlie
height was ten feet three inches. and al
, he had been before the public for nearl!
, forty years his value was estimated a
! $1o, 600
The Gaekwar OF Baroda is having tn,
animals and birds obtained for him by Br
Donaldson Smith in Somaliland mounted il
= London for exhibition in the Baroda MI
| scum in India which already contains
fine series of representatives of fauna o
India.
Tomorrow Englishmen will know wheth
er they are to suffer the grave inconven
fence and even peril of a great railwa
strike on the eve of the most popular holi
: day tt the year The dispute is between
I the Great Eastern Railway and its work
l. men. and concerns an old and vexed ques
o ton. namely. the recognition or monroe