New-York tribune., 1901-05-22
BRITISH POLICY DEFINED
AN INTERNATIONAL GUARANTEE rop
CHINA REFUSED.
HALL GAME SUED ION MORAL, GRor-Nns..
RUMoRs ABOUT UNDERGROUND
RAILWAYS.
Copyright; 1901; BY The New-York Tribune)
lBY CABLE TO THE TRIB1-Hr1


fBY CABLE TO THE rR1BUNE1
London May Do, / a. m.-of7c;a, axr,a,,..,o.-
IN Parliament yesterday disclosed the foot tn
the Chinese policy of the British Covarrr,e,,+ g.
not essentially different from that of tbe Amor,
can Government.
The amount or the British claims have heen
reduced as far as possible and the FOREIGN Of
fee has declined to have anything to do with an
International guarantee. The reasons for the
latter course are cogent. A Joint guarantee
would imply joint obligation and if the resnon-
sibilities of the Chinese Government were re-
pudiated there would be necessity for ioint
action by the powers
England while the ally of Germany. is virtu-
ally IN llne with the American Government
The Drama has an examiner of plays who is
the guardian Of public morals There is no
censor Of literature. The publisher and the an
thor their own moralists and when they
cannot agree the courts are open TO them. An
unfortunate controversy has arisen over the
publication of Hall Gaines The Eternal City"
IN The Lady's Magazine" where it has ap-
peared serially since December. The Pearsons
have taken two decisive and uncompromisng
steps. They have issued a writ and began suit
against Mt. Caine for Fl. 600 or one-half OF the
money already paid for the serial rights They
have also omitted instalment of the story in
the June number of the magazine, which has
been printed, but not yet issued They will ex-
plain in a publishers note their reasons for
leaving the story unfinished.
This is another dispute over the publishers
right TO edit work which a novelist is under
contract write. The portions objected TO by
the Pearsons occur in the latter half OF Book V
and in Book VI the story being divided into
nine books. the proportion by books being there
fore. one and half Of the disputed and seven
and half of the undisputed story. The chap
ters containing the incidents objected TO cover
about twenty thousand words of the story of
two hundred thousand words. the proportion be-
ing one TO ten. The passages cited objec
tionable contain less than twenty thousand
words, a hundreGth part of the whole
The author granted TO the publishers full per-
mission omit this hundredth part, and
they replied that they could not do that with
out injuring the sequence of the story. and
called upon him to reWrite this hundredth part
for their approval. This Hall Caine declined to
do, and the publishers have brought action
and will suspend the publication of the story.
The Pearsons' claim is that the passages to
which they object are on moral grounds un-
suitable for publication in their "Lady's Maga-
zine" The authors answer is that these pas
pages are Of the essence Of the highest morality.
and that even to omit them would be TO lower
immeasurably the moral tone Of the whole
book He refuses moral grounds to alter his
work in any degree, and takes his stand on
that issue, his counsel, Augustine Birrel, hav-
ing given a strong opinion in his favor Mr.
Game is in Rome.