The Washington times., 1901-11-10
LONDON NEWS AND GOSSIP.
Renewed Noticed Activity in British
Political Circles.


LONDON, Nov. 9-With the first meet
ing Of the Cabinet since August, British
politics begins once again to hum. The
Cabinet meeting was protracted over
| many hours. That is all the public really
knows, for though conjectures always
| abound. the smartest of smart journalists
always fails to penetrate the inviolable
secrecy of the council chamber.
1t may, however. be said with certainty
that the Franco-Turkish dispute was
carefully considered: also the eternal
problem of how to end the South African
war. Last nights news of the Sutan's
climb-down was read in Ministerial cir
cles here with supreme relief. Every
Englishman feels that Turkey was in the
wrong in this case; but Great Britain's
relations with Germany are such that the
embodiment of France with Germany's s
new-found friend at Constantinople might
lead to unpleasant complications, and
England has enough complications on her
hands outside of Europe.
Even as matters stand, politicians here
regard the incident with uneasiness, for it
is standing evidence that while the Con-
cert of Europe proved powerless before
Turkish obduracy. one single Power can,
with a small show of determination.
bring her to her knees. France can hard
ly be expected TO lose this opportunity
of regainidg something of her old power
at Constantinople at Germany's expense.
especially of reasserting her claim to be
the protectress of the Roman Catholic
Christians of the East. OF course, as is
pointed out today, Great Britain never
would dream of resisting America If her
ships entered the Bosphorus to avenge
Miss Stones wrongs. Why, then. should
Great Britain resist France? Yet the
British politician does not altogether like
the moral of this Mitylene incident.
As for the war. the Ministry still seems
to the man in the street to be founder
ing on. The country is quite befogged as
to the real condition of affairs, thanks
largely to the strict censorship of South
African news. Lord Kitchener asserted
five months ago that only 1900 Beers re-
mained in arms. Deducting the numbers
of captures officially reported since then,
and the estimates of Boer losses, only
5000 should De left, which is ridiculous
in view of the repeated Boer attacks in
bodies 1,G00 or 2,0oO strong, at points hun
dreds of miles apart. The probability is
that some 15,00O are left In the field op-
posed to Great Britains 20 0t0 a discrep-
ancy in measure which may be attributed
to the spread of the Boer cause among
the Cape Dutch.
Equally confused is the Engiishman's
opinion in the face of the problem how to
end the campaign. The Government will
tell him nothing but that he must be pa
tient. Patient at the price Of seven and
one-half million dollars per week is rot
easy to sustain. 1t is significant that in
responsible quarters today the proposal
is put forward that the task of the cap
ture Of Generals Botha, De Wet, and De-
larey is beyond the capacity OF the regu-
lar British soldiers, under cast iron mill
tary rule, and had better be entrusted to
mounted colonial contir gents, specially
equipped, as were Lord Strathcona's
Horse-agIle, expert scouts, unhampered
by the supervision of the British officer,
simply told to go in and finish the job,
under the leadership of such a man rs
Sam Steele. without questions asked or
conditions imposed. In the phrase of the
Daily Telegraph's" war correspondent,
the work requires the rushers, not the
fed-up Sir Leisurelies of the regular
army.
After a long stay in the wilderness,
Lord Rosebery this week yielded to per-
sistent pressure and sense of the gray
ity Of the present position of affairs, and
promised TO return to political life by In
itiating platform campaign against Min
isterial blunderings in the management
of the war, and in favor OF greater eff
cheney throughout the administrative ma
chine; but though Lord Rosebery returns,
Liberalism is as divided as ever. This is
proved by the fact that on the morning
after Lord Roseberys announcement. Sir
William Harcourt also broke his long 81
lence by a three-column letter TO the
Times" impugning the justice and in
evitableness of the war which Lord Rose
berry maintains: also demanding a spirit
OF conciliation and real attempt at peace
by negotiations through other men than
Mr.. Chamberlain and Lord Miner; where
a Lord Rosebery trusts Lord Miner,
and places vigorous prosecution of the
war in the first place.
The rank and file of Liberalism still
waver between these camps but signif-
cantly simultaneous with Lord Rosebery's
return comes the announcement that the
most astute of the party managers of the
old Liberalism throughout the Kingdom
has assumed the secretaryship Of Lord
Rosebery's particular organization. the
Liberal Imperial League. The league
clearly means to assert itself vigorously
in the constituencies.