The Washington times., 1901-08-29
FOREIGN TOPICS.

come from Racconigi where the italian
sovereigns are passing the summer, abou
their daily life and doings From all ac
counts it would seem that they live will
very little etiquette the life of any countr,
magnate
The King himself drives the Queer
about the large estate. This is their frs
visit to this part of the country Through
this arises very many ludicrous incidents
as the peasants do not know their Maj
estes by sight. and are evidently unpre
pared for 50 little pomp and ceremony
| The other day the King stopped the car.
rage to ask half-naked man with a lon,
string of fish the way to a certain place
After answering, the man remarked II
suppose you know the King is now here
lhdeed? es; they say he is not much
10 look at-a poor, small fellow but a
good one for all that: he Will not see Us
abused! The King made some remark
ABOUT the nSh with d very red face, while
the Queen laughed. whereupon they were
offered TO him with great good WILL and
| courteously refused. A few days later
when out fishing. again with the Queen
establishment, fell on his knees. begging
them to forget what ne had said. MY
friend. replied Victor Emmanuel. ''if
you always consider me good fellow and
believe that ! have your interests at
| heart. / have nothing to forgivei' and
giving the man gold piece, left him his
lutNOteu NE.
| The projected visit of the Gar to
| France has been preceded by a curious
| exchange of opinions between well known
| Partisan and st. Petersburg papers In re-
| gard to the increase of German influence
| in Turkey. n short time ago a CORE
| spondent of lie Journal des Debats,'
writing from Basra, stated that the reali-
cation of the German project of a railway
| to Bagdad offered considerable material
advantage to France, while it would af-
| ford Turkey facilities for speedy transport
| of her troops to Mesopotamia, whence
| they could be despatched to the Russian
| or Persian frontiers as required. The No
Voc Vremya' Immediately warned its
French allies against giving this interpre-
tatlon to the proposed line and said that
| 1t would be suicidal for France TO support
| a project which would form a permanent
| barrier between the Slay and Latin races.
| for the line would enable the Germans to
dominate the whole region lying between
Hamburg and Koweyt, on the Persian
Gulf
1t is expected that the coming visit of
the Car will relegate the matter to a
place of small Importance; still, it is felt
certain that the subject will crop up
again. as the Russian anxiety to instruct
the French has not yet been appeased.
Russia's attitude is readily appreciated
when Ii is understood that for the last
five years German influence has greatly
strengthened the defensive force of the
! Turkish Empire against domestic distur-
Dances as we'll as foreign aggression. 1t
is, moreover. recognized in st. Petersburg
that the Bagdad Railway has strategic as
well as economic Importance.
Another contribution to the controversy
recently appeared in the shape of an ar
ticle in the ''Herold," German paper
published in st. Petersburg. which as
ssured the French people that the Novoe
hi y- fol- co
impression of the views held in Russian
official circles. where there was no desire
to prevent the realization of the project,
but merely to secure the economic par
ticipation of Russia in the construction
of the railway" And so the matter rests
for the time, ready to be taken up again
and argued from the Franco Russian
point of view, when the Car shall have
completed his French sojourn.
Last month the King of Denmark APP
pointed a Ministry of the Left-the first
Liberal Government Denmark ever had.
with the exception of few weeks in 1859.
The change amounts to revolution in a
quiet way. For thirty years a struggle
has been proceeding upon the issue of the
meaning of the constitution. The Liberals
have held that Ministers should be re-
sponsible to the popular chamber, the
King taking the opposing view that the
many years the King had Conservative
Ministries In the face of large Liberal
majorites in the lower House. But the
elections in April gave the Liberals such
an overwhelming majority that the aged
King-he is eighty-three years old-yielG-
ed. and parliamentary government, as
Anglo-SaxonS understand it. is now at
length in full play. Taxation is the first
thing the Radicals propose to tackle. The
present system of taxation comes down
from the time when farming and hshing
were the only pursuits and II rests on
the land The big towns and manufac-
turers are to be made to pay taxes and
the tenant farmer is to be made more N
dependent of the large landowner The
there is also church question. Tlthes,
rates and the arrogance of the clergy
are held to need reform. Military and
naval retrenchment is another ideal of the
Left.
The electric car accidents in Liverpool
last year were reported recently by the
managers of the system 10 the Tramways
Committee of that city. Some 80 cases of
persons run over in the city by vehicles
of all kinds were reported by the police.
or these 2s9 required immediate removal
to hospital, and 45 were fatal. Electric
and horse cars and omnibuses were re-
sponsible for knocking down l62 persons.
The experience of the last two years
shows that there was less risk of fatal
accidents under the electric traction than
horse traction. having regard for the
magnitude of the traffic. During 1870 one
person was killed in Liverpool under
horse traction to every nVe million pas
sengers carried, and under electric trac-
ton one in ten millions. In 1898, the last
year when horse traction was general In
that city the fatalities numbered one IN
six millions: in 1899. with mixed traction.
one in eight millions: and in 1880. one TO
1850, 600: and in the first half of the pres
ent year one In nine millions. Since the
Introduction of electric cars seven persons
in all have been killed.
Instituted by a Frenchman, for Ger
man society of truth-seekers, and bestow-
ed upon an American. This Is the history
of the triennial prize of 5000 marks re-
Gently awarded by the Berlin Academy of
Science TO the American historian, Mr..
James Ford Rhodes. of Boston. 1t car |
ries with il fresh and striking proof that |
the world of science and literature knows |
none of those political metes and bounds |
whose settlement and maintenance form |
the history of nations. and are account |
able for so much of the worlds bloodshed. |
To American historians this recognition |
of one who has made a permanent place |
for himself in his chosen field VIII be |
most grateful. Not originally trained to |
historical work, Mr.. Rhodes none the less /
went about the production of his His
tory of the United States from the Com
promise of 1885," in the method of one
who was thoroughly familiar with re-
search and laboratory methods. 1t Is,
perhaps to his freedom from university |
ties and university ruts: in addition to
a natural gift, that Mr.. Rhodes owes his
attractive style and entertaining method
of presentation. However this may be, |
the historical world will agree that the