Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-09
Attitude Of These Empires Occupy
Attention of British.
war REGARDED As INEVITABLE
English Conservatism Illustrated in
Several Ways Recently.
MRS. GLADSTONE'S ILLNESS

| lions between Russia and Japan are daily
| attracting more notice. STRAINED is a
| hardly emphatic enough term to describe
| the present relations between Japan and
Russia. Those who merely the surface
OF international affairs discern. 1t is true.
little, If any, cause for alarm. But the
better informed know that the Japanese
government has been for some time hurry
| ing forward war preparations on a gigantic
scale, and the st. Petersburg government
knows it. too.
Not for nothing either is Prince Kotohito
making a tour of Europe, including visit
to every great center of political influence.
His orders are. 1 understand, to sound the
powers beforehand as to what their respec-
tive attitudes would be If hostilities broke
out in the far east The japanese are quite
confident of their ability to hold their own
and something more on both sea and land,
If they have no other enemy than Russia
to deal with.
But they are suspicious of such "benevo-
lent neutrality" on the part of France as
might cause them grave embarrassment.
1t Is a mistake to suppose that the gallant
islanders count upon receiving active help
from England. They would lie right glad
to get it, no doubt. but as there seems no
present likelihood of such cooperation they
trust to their own arms to protect their
own rights.
Happily. however. Russia's preparations
for war are still In very backward con-
d;tion. and I am prepared to believe the
report which reaches me from st. Peters,
burg that the tsar strongly disspproVeS M.
Pavloff's continual aggresslveneSS.
The agreements announced as having
been signed by NJ. Pavlon and the Corean
government on March 80 would. II allowed
to be put into force. absolutely annihilale
the ambitions which Japan has been fos-
tering for more than quarter of CEN
fury.
90
It must be remembered that the war of
1S94-5 between China and Japan was mainly
undertaken by the latter for the purpose Of
checking Russian growth in Corea. To
annex Corea or to prevent her coming I'M
der the dominion of Russia is a cardinal
principle of Japanese policy. 1t is vital to
Japanese Imperialism from all points or
view-commercial. social and pollticai-that
Corea should remain open to colonization
by the rapidly increasing population CT
Japan, and that the avenue to Pekin and to
Chinese reform should not be completely
closed to japanese statesmen.
In view of these circumstances it Is hardly
possible to imagine that Japan Will permit
the destruction of her hopes without strik-
ing blow 1t is on the contrary. noto-
rious that Japan has been preparing for
the struggle with the most fcVeriSh haste
Her navy her transport and her military
organizations have been pronounced to be
| in the most perfect working order. She has
sent TO Corea. disguised as coolies, numbers
of trained and efficient soldiers. and II is
believed that she can place upon the main
| land at the shortest notice an army more
| than double the size of that which is now
operating in South Africa
The Deceased Wife's Sister Bill.
The deceased wfe's sister bill came up
| in a new form yesterday and triumphantly
passed the house of lords. The new form
| in which the hoary old chestnut appeared
I to g., 81, ND ur1
| fathered by Lord Strathcona. the high COM
missioner for Canada. 1t seems absurd
| that this serious nation can go on year
after year celebrating a question that the
rest of the world settled long ago, but SO
| 1t Is and so 1t will be until Englshmen
change.
The precedent of the house Of lords is Pc
culiar and differs from that of commons.
which is nearer to our own Congress In TINS
respect. The lords indulge in sort OF go
as-you-please method. There is no catch
| ing the lord chancellors eye. He never
| calls on lord by name. If two lords rise
| at once they can stand staring at one an
other till outstares the other, or they
can both go on talking at once. for all the
power the lord chancellor has to inter-
fere. When more than one peer, however,
rises the house usually decides who 1t snail
be by shouting down the name.
Mr.. Speaker Gully is down like Mas
myth hammer on man who wanders from
| the point in debate: Nobody has right to
can start by discussing the volunteer move
ment wander off to the potato crop in Ire
| land and wind up with d harangue ON rit-
ualism and nobody will say him nay. only
| the prime minister has power to move that
| Lord Tom Noddy be heard no ftirther,
and 1t may be carried.
The speaker never takes part In debate.
| He holds the balance with strict impartial
| ity The lord chancellor can be the fiercest
partisan. He leaves the woolsack, takes
| three steps to the left. delivers party
speech, finishes steps back to the wool
| sack and is once more the president of the
chamber.
| In the commons when a division is taken
| 1t is Ayes to the right: noes to the left .
In the lords it is Contents to the left OF
E, the throne: non-contents to the right of
| the bar
In the commons the tellers count noses.
| This would be too undignified for the lords
The lords tellerS have neat RTandS, rather
| longer than conductors batons, and with
these they gently tap on the shoulders of
| the voting peers.
| Lord StrathcOna's Bill.
| Lord Strathcona moved the second read
| ing of the colonial marriages deceased
wife's sister, bill. These marriages are
| lawful In the colonies. and the object of the
| measure was to make them valid In the
| united kingdom. SO that children would in
herit their fathers property in this coun-
| try and not be debarred because OF illegtti-
| macy under the British law.
| A rich Australian might marry his de-
| ceased wife's sister. He might settle down
| In London and buy a house in Curzon
| street. His son would be able to inherit his
fathers leaseho'd property. but not his real
| estate. Suppose the father had added a
| ball room at the back of his Curzon street
| house. The son might quite properly inherit
| the house, but be kept out Of the ball room
| because he was illegitimate.
The rich Australian might actually be
| made a peer. There was no doubt as to his
legal marriage in Australia. The son. on
| succeeding would have to be acknowledged
| as the heir of his father, and then there
| would arise the awkward question as to
| who his mother was
| The Prince of Wales, the Duke Of York
| and the Duke of Connaught voted, as they
| always do, in favor of the bill. which pass
| ed by a big majority. 1t will probably not
| come before commons this session, how
| ever.
PrOverbial English Conservatism.
| The people of this island certainly are
conservative. The experiments carried out
with the Anticipated warship BELL Isle" are
hardly sufficient to convince the admiralty
that wood in warships will take fire when
the ship is getting the worst of the action.
| Mr.. Goschen has airi1y denied in commons
| that the woodwork of the BELL Isle took
| 6ro ubop tho pnna of the Majestic pound