Evening star., 1901-01-19
LONDON IN ICY GRIP
Worst Winter Experienced in Years
is Prevailing There.
INHABITANTS GRUMBLE ACCORDINGLY
Change in the Editorial Policy Of
the Daily Mail.
Low BIG CITY

Special Correspondence Of The Evening Star
LONDON, January D, 1901
1t is many years since London has been
| caught In the icy clutches of such wlntry
weather as exists at present. It began to
| snow three days ago and has continued at
intervals until all the papers call the gen.
| tie snowfall blizzard. and print wonder
! full stories about the severity of a winter
| which up to now has been as mild as
| spring. Sudden changes from fog to frost
are not uncommon experience in this quar-
| ter of the world. though they are invari-
| ably attended with more grumbling than is
| ever heard elsewhere. For once In a way,
| however, popular complaints are justified.
| The muggy atmosphere has given place to
| a searching wind, and the meteorological
| outlook is of q character to raise appre-
| tensions Of still worse trials. Two or three
| inches of snow have produced the usually
! deplorable effect upon the traffic OF great
! city Tons of salt were scattered about the
| usual thorOughfares this morning, and as
| the melting process was finished long be-
lore the scaVengers made their appearance,
| the conditions of many roadways became
! wretched in the extreme. If there ever was
| a filthier prospect than famous Piccadily
| presented at midday 1t must have been a
| very sorry spectacle indeed. Sush and
mud lay inches deep in all directions, with
| the result that every passing vehicle sent
| a shower of dirty splashes over unfortu-
nate wayfarers of all classes.
Add these new terrorS to the fearful con-
| dition of the streets before mentioned as
| being universally torn up for the laying of
| the new telephone system, and perhaps you
! In Washington can imagine the difficulties
under which life in London is pursued at
| the opening of the twentieth century 1t
will be difficult for Washingtonians to real
fZe our conditions, however, their wide
and beautiful streets could not resemble
our present wretched thoroughfares even
If the capital were being entirely rebuilt
Here and there in the roadway in the
city the only available passage for vehicles
Is ten twelve feet wide, and though the
police do all they can to get the streams
of traffic through these bottle necks there
is terrible delay. while many public con-
yeyances are forced to make wide detours
from their routes.
The city corporation have tolerated the
nuisance for over two months, and they
may congratulate themselves that.n other
public body in England would have done
the same If the town council of any
fourth-rate borough in the counties had
shown much unconcern about the con-
venience of the public the ratepayers would
have clearly indicated that their term of
office would soon expire. But the average
L.ondoner has so little interest in public
affairs that he never makes his voice heard
any question of general concern
Daily Mail to Change Hands.
There is immense and unconcealed ella
ton among the little Englanders" and
liberal forwards over the capture of the
Daily News. and the impending changes
in the staff and policy of that paper.
The proprietorship will change sufficient
ly to swamp those who are responsible for
its present policy, and ON February L the
paper will be by the new directorate,
when Mr.. Rudolph Lehman, whom Ameri-
cans Will chiefly remember as the coach for
the Harvard rowing eight, Will become
the editor Hitherto barrister, his name
has been connected only with college
paper and Punch He is bitterly opposed
to the war, and the columns of the Daily
News will probably become violently anti
war and anti-Chamberlain. l understand
that Mr. John Morley will assist in a con-
SultatiVe capacity, and several of the late
staff of the Chronicle, that made change
for reasons opposite to those which compel
the present one, Will join the paper, in
Guiding Messrs. Massingham and Spender
The Daily News has gone through many
VicisStudes. 1t has never been happy days
with it since, fourteen or fifteen yers ago,
the then proprietorS compelled Mr.. FRANK
Hill to withdraw from the editorship by a
decision to support Gladstone's home rule
policy. Mr.. Hill was followed for brief
period by H. w. Lucy, who, however,
found himself much more at home in the
gallery of the house of commons, and in
the character of Toby, NJ. p Succeeding
Mr.. Lucy, Sir John Robinson became editor
we'll manager. Ills reign TASTED
or nine years, and under it the paper advo-
Gated the principles which those who op-
pose them denounce them as the narrowest
little Englandism' A change in the pro-
prietorship brought Mr. %. T. Cook to he
helm from the chair of the Westminster
Gazette. He at once infused into the Daily
News healthy Imperialism, and generally
impaired to it much bolder spirit and
character.
L hear that Sir John Robinson, who is an
old man, Is also about to retire, being sue
ceeded by Mr.. David Edwards, shrewd
young Welshman. Sir Johns disappear
ance from Fleet street will mark an epoch
in journalism. He began by discovering
Mr.. Archibald Forbes, one of the earliest
war correspondents, and it was he who also
discovered Mr. A. &. Hales, one of the few
brilliant journalistic successes of the Boer
war.
London Behind Provincial Towns.
Londoners have had to hang their heads
of late in the presence of country cousins
who come up for the Christms holidays,
could tell them how painfully, at the close
of the nineteenth century, London is behind
provincial towns. L have, for instance, just
been talking to man from Sheffield on this
subject. He is disgusted with us.
What are you people doing in London?
says he, contemptuously. why, in Shef-
field we have splendid system of electric
tramways all over the town and suburbs;
we have cheap telephones in nearly every
house; and we have electric light to any ex-
tent, both for public illumination and for
private use
What was to be said? There is a rumor OF
short line of electric tramway in some
remote suburb, but roughly speaking, bar
the '"tuppenny tube and two short elec-
tric underground lines, the horse continues
to supply the motive power for all means of
public conveyance in the streets of this
great capital
AS to telephones. 1t is notorious that the
te1eDhOne has existed In London at a
higher charge than anywhere else in the
world. No doubt the post office authorities
are arranging-a dozen years behind the