The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-01-13
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
The DUKE of NerfoIErs Address to the
Pope Criticised.

England's public men,, has made himself
the'centre of an unenYiable notoriety. His
friends here explain that in expressing to
the Pope his hope that the new century
may see the restoration OF the temporal
power Of the Roman pontiff, the Duke was
Only passing the usual Roman compliment
10 the head of the Church. compliment
which has no political Significance, and
would not, indeed. be used as II is by
English Roman Catholics, if it had, but
the Duke of Norfolk is not an ordinary
Roman Catholic. He was until the other
day the Queens Minister, and the Roman
Catholic spokesman in the British Cabi-
net. He has also been a special envoy
from a British Ministry to the Vatican
When, therefore, such a representative
Englishman. representative, that is, OF
Italys traditional friend in Europe, de-
liberately threw himself into t:le eternal
feud between the Vatican and the Italian
Grown and people, loyal Italians stood
aghast and loyal English Roman Catholics
lamented. The English Catholics are I'M
der no misconceptiC' They know that
the temporal power never can be regained
by the Pope. They would not further the
movement, even if its prospects were less
hopeless. Indeed, significant outcome of
the dukes indiscretion is the disclosure
it has made of the unrealty of the alarm
list outcries sometimes raised in the rit
ualistic controversy, that English public
opinion is losing its grip of Professionalism.
No serious journal, from the Times"
"a ha
duke. Even the London Roman Catholic
journal, the Tablet is half-hearted in
its defence of him. and no one whose in
fiuence has any weight admits the posi-
biltty or desirability of the realization
of papal desires. mo popery in politics
is still the Englishman's password.
The Marquis of Dufferin is another
leading Englishman who has had a des
perately bad week of it. A man OF unique
diplomatic experience, a former Queens
viceroy of India and Canada, he has in
his old age allowed himself to be entrap-
ped into the net of that clever financial
manipulation of Westralian and British
Columbian mines, Whitaker Wright You
know how the Whitaker Wright fabric
collapsed in Christmas week This week
Lord Dufferin, as the gilded figurehead OF
the Globe Finance Corporation, bad to
face the shareholders. 1t proved to be
U
supplied the most glaring version. of
noblemen, none too wealthy, enticed into
the directorships of companies, whose in
tricacies they do not and cannot under
stand. Lord Duferin admitted his innO-
cence. He followed wherever he was led
by the clever managing director, who used
his titled bait whenever he wanted fresh
money from the trusting investor; and
so complacent is the average English in
tor hot he. rnl-a nit .,
sympathy for Lord Dufferin as the pre-
dominating feeling. q
Taken in conjunction with the recent
disclosures of the association of British
Ministers and their families with COM
panies receiving state contracts, this
Dufierin incident provokes unpleasant re-
Elections. Ii is not that Ministers are
corrupt, or that men of Lord Dufferins
stamp are anything but fine English gen.
ilemen but that they allow their names
and positions to be used by financiers and
companies in ways often inimical to the
public interest.
AS the war drags on the signs of public
WEAKNESS increase. 1t has been stated
that General Kitchener has requested
forty or fifty thousand more mounted
men as absolutely essential for the speedy
termination OF the campaign, but nobody
knows. and no official explains what, if
any. steps are being taken to meet this
demand. Two more cavalry regiments
have just left England. Australia and
New Zealand are sending small bodies
and Canada is also sending 1000 men for
BadenPowell's police, but, beyond this
nothing apparently is being done, despite
the newspaper outcry. The announce
ment that General Kitchener is with
drawing isolated Outposts of troops to
concentrate them upon the lines OF COM
munication is further evidence of his
pressing need Of more men.
Why this need is not being met by
raising mounted volunteer forces here and
in the colonies is another of the many
mysteries of which the War Office is the
centre. If, as some suggest, the real diff
/ flculty is the lack of suitable horses. why
the man in the street asks is not every
horse in South Africa comma ndeered, in
stead of being left for the Beers to
snap up? There are signs of growing pub
lie uneasiness and indignation to which
even 4 recluse like Lord Salisbury must
pay heed.
The war has brought about another up
heaval in London journalism. AT the out
set OF the war. it will be remembered that
the proprietors of the Radical Daily
| Chronicle summarily dispensed with the
services of their editor and some leading
I
to cease opposing the war and the policy
| of the Ministry. After Mr.. Kruger's ulti-
| matum the Chronicle" forthwith ranged
| Itself with most other English Liberal
| journals as an advocate of the energetic
| prosecution of the war to a conclusion,
| leaving the Manchester Guardian" and
| the London Evening Star" alone in Eng
| lish journalism in uncOmpromising oppo-
| sition to the whole business. This week
| the opponents of the war have had their
revenge. They have bought preponder
| ating interest in the other great London
| Liberal journal the Daily News" and
| closed the engagement of Roset erian
| editor. Mr.. Il. T. Cook. and henceforth the
| journal becomes an exponent OF the anti
| war views which the Chronicle former
| ly represented. Mr. Lehman the pro-
| Boer member Of the Punch" staff. be-
| comes managing editor; Mr. Massingham
| becomes Parliamentary chief and leader
| writer, ana other members OF the former
| Chronicle staff are enlisted and pro-
| Boerism. as II is called for want of bet
| ter name. will thus have an authoritative
| voice in London. i..
| in responsible Anglo Chinese circles a
| very gloomy view is taken of British pros
poets in China. One authority who knows
| Chine officially and unoficially better Than
any other man now in England expressed
| himself thus to me this morning: Rus
| STA will dominate all the territory north
| OF Shantung. and We won't fight her for H.
| It is too late TO preserve north China for
| the open door or any such like methods"
MAsCAGNTs NEW OPERA.
"Le Muschere, Expected to Make .
Decided Hit.