The Washington times., 1901-11-02
FOREIGN T0PICS.

1t has been so thoroughly demonstrated
In most Occidental countries that the pub
| ilc infiiction of capital punishment is de-
oasing to the spectators instead of exer-
| cising deterrent influence as to make
any further proof of this unnecessary.
Nevertheless. the English authorities in
Cairo lately tried am experiment in the
belief. perhaps, that what is true in Eng
land and in France might not be true
in Egypt. a particularly shocking murder
had lately been committed in the Egypt
Ian capital, and it was thought that the
public execution of the murderer in
square near the scene of his crime might
serve to terrify other criminals. a gal
lows was erected on the evening before
the execution, and at once attracted a
crowd of people, who remained there all
night, giving the place the appearance OIL
a popular fair. 1t was merry croWu
amid which peddlers sold their wares, anu
every sort of horseplay was INDUCED IN.
When the criminal was hanged the spec
tacle was viewed simply as pubic en-
| tertainment and in a spirit OF unmistak.
able levity. One curious result was that
| a number of the native children who Were
present were so pleased with the ghastly
entertainment that they spread the rspoIt
| OF 1t among all their playmates, Where
upon games of hanging Immediately came
| into fashion, and were stopped only aitef
two children had lost their lives
Edmond Rostand has turned the French
| Academy upside down by announcing
that he will write his installation address
| in verse. The fercest kind of contro-
| versy has arisen over this daring inno-
| vation The traditions OF the Academy
| require that newly elected members shall
eulogize their immediate predecessor in
| dignified prose, and NJ. Rostand's proposal
| to upset this custom has precipitated
| lively disagreement among the immortals.
| Some of them endorse the departure as
| being sensible, Jules Lemaitre among
them, while others, such as Ludovic Ha-
| levy, are bitter in opposition. Rostands
enemies declare that he is a young and
frivolous poet and should not be al
| lowed to play fast and loose with the pro-
prieties The author of 'Cyrano says
he will stick TO his determination in spite
| Of all protests.
| 1t is said that the distress among the
people of Northampton, England, is so
sharp that the authorities are at their
wits end to cope with the situation. The
| workhouse is full to overfiowing and can
| not begin to accommodate all who wish
| to enter, and the poor rates have been
| increased ninepence in the pound. This is
particularly interesting to Americans. for
| northampton Is the centre of the shoe
| making industry in England, and the pow
erty is said to be due primarily, If not
| solely. to American competition in this
| line During the past few weeks there
nave been large dismissas from the shoe
| factories. and the employers are most pes
| simlStic regarding an early revival of
| prosperity. As the average Northampton
| operative makes about thirty shilling a
week, he has been able to save little, and
| when his regular work is gone he becomes
| a charge on the authorities The rivalry
Is In the better grades of shoes in which
the English article cannot compete with
| the American in style. finish or price, and
| the old legend about the lasting qualities
| OF English shoes seems to be pure myth.
To what end the British makers are
pushed Is found in the statement by one
| Northampton manufacturer that he is
| using American lasts and selling his prod
| uct as American" shoes.
There has recently been a judicial de-
cision which gives great satisfaction to
| the working classes of Germany The
| Supreme Court of the Empire, upon an
| appeal from a labor organization in the
| city Of I.ubeck, has decided that a law
| passed few years ago by the Prussian
| Diet prohibiting strikers from using pick
| cts is unconstitutional in that 1t restricts
| the liberty of the citizen. Strikers are
| not permitted. under this decision, to in
| terfere by force with, the movements or
| the wishes of others. but the court de-
| clares that they cannot be prevented
| from making observations or using moral
| suasion, providing they do not interfere
with the rights OF others or break the
| peace. This is regarded as a distinct
| triumph for the labor unions. which,
| since the passage of the law referred to,
| have been prohibited by the police fr Jm
| placing plckets at the approaches to fIc-
| tories and mines where there have been
| strikes.
| The Germans are not much in advance
| of the United States in their methods of
| settling labor struggles, and mahufac-
turers appear to have even more trouble
| with their employees than those in the
| United States During the year 1899. the
! latest for which statistics are obtainable.
| there were in the German Empire 1886
| strikes, Involving 712f employers. and
| l540l7 woriingmen OF these 99,33S per-
| sons struck work voluntarily. and 0122
| were forced or induced to stop work by
| strikers. The largest number of strikes
1 was in the metal trades, the second larG-
| est number in the mines, and the third
| in the textile manufactures: 1,l26 of the
| strikes were for higher wages, 3I9 for
| shorter hours of labor and in $50 other
reasons were involved OF the total num-
| Der Of strikes 333 were entirely success
| fol, 52S entirely failed. 4S9 were compro-
| missed or were partially successful, and
\ the remainder were still pending when
| the report was published.
| A permanent branch of the German ju-
dicial system, called gewerbe-gerichts, or
| Industrial courts. has jurisdiction over all
| disputes of an industrial character, just
as the commercial courts settle CONNER
cial matters and the criminal courts pros
ecute crime. These industrial courts are
| established for the express benefit of la
| Dor employees, mechanics. factory operat-
| ives, domestic servants, clerks, bookkeep-
| ers and wage-earners of every descrip-
| ton, and in al! cases involving less than
| 100 marks $50 their decisions are final
| In suits of greater Importance appeals
may be taken, but there no fees and
no costs. The members of the court are
appointed by the Minister of Justice, act
| ing on behalf of the Emperor. one court
| for so many population, located at the
most convenient point In large cities and
manufacturing centres the courts are
permanent, and hold regular sessions like
| the other courts. but where the pOpula-
| ton is scattered they are called together
as their services are needed.
| They have authority to sit as mediators
or arbtTators in strikes If either party
petition them to do so, or they can offer
their services, but except in certain cir
cumstances they have no power to compel
disputants to submit their claims, and
| like American boards of arbitration. must
depend upon public opinion to do so. II
both parties agree to submit matters in
dispute they must abide by the decision
| or appeal from IL within ten days 1 one
| of the higher courts. as in an ord,:Iary
| lawsuit The Industrial tribunal is "A court
| of record, and its decisions have the same
force as the other courts in all cases.
The British expedition. under Major
Austin, which has been making surveys
along the Anglo-Abyssinian frontier. had
terrible experience. After trayersing
vast regions of swamps, they penetrated
the practically unknown country of Boma
and in March last they entered the desert
where, for month. they underwent great
suffering and nriyafipu Often IL was