The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1902-07-27
H WIS RAPAG|OOS
Was the Graft For Swindling
Coronation Visitors.
BUS FARES WERE DOUBLED
Commercial Honor of British
People a PretenSe.
BUS FARES WERE DOUBLED

coronation festivities-which means, in
corresponding English, the schemes for
doing their visitors out of their money
surpassed in scope and magnihcence
any similar rapacites that have ever
been attempted.
And these plans reached their climax
on the Saturday that preceded the
Thursday on which King Edward was
TO have been crowned.
A prudenta desire not TO brighten away
the lowering birds had hitherto restrained
the thrifty cockney 10 a certain extent.
He had doubled and trebled the hotel
rates and in several other ways availed
himself Of the opportunities
But on that Saturday he shut down the
trap with bang and caught many fell
low Londoners IN it as well as strangers.
This, however, he could not help. He
was in the position of the Spanish duke
whose enemy was about TO storm a town.
When the general who was to command
in the assault and superintend the sub
sequent sack. asked how friends We're to
be distinguished from foes in Inc mas
sacre, the duke replied; "Oh, XIII them
all The Lord viii know his own"
So when, at 70 a. m. on Saturday even
the suburban bus fares were doubled
and the fares along the line of route
were quadrupled and quintupled. every
body-stranger or otherwise-had to sub
nit or walk.
A very large number of people elected
to walk and the consequence was that
as soon as the postponement of the coro-
nation was announced on Tuesday the
bus companies weakened under the doub-
Ie encouragement and, on nearly all Of
the lines the old rates were restored
with haste as great as that with which
the news ones had been imposed.
The advance was simple blackmai and
e,.tortion The number of would-be pa
irons Of buses had increased and was
increasing, as there was a very general
desire TO see the street decorations from
a bus top-the best place from which to
view the streets Of London on any occa-
sion.
We Americans hear a great deal of
the commercial honor of the British peo-
PIE, but often with comparisons unfav-
experience is that nowhere in this wide
and wicked world does "caveat emDtor"
apply with greater force than in dear
old Lunnon."
No matter how apparently high-class
the establishment, or how eminently re-
spectacle, to all appearances, the pro-
prietorship or the service, your only safe
course is to assume from the start that
if they can do you out of a farthing-
which is a half a cent in good money
you viii be did.
So, seeming to see a good chance, Lon
don decided to play the hog in grand
old style and would have been playing
It still but for the Kings illness and the
consequent postponement Of the corona
tion ceremonies and pageants.
Nor would the omnibus companies, or
any other extoruonists have been sub
jected to even word OF rebuke, except in
d private and individual way. The Lon
don newspapers are not in the rebuking
business Besides being the stupidest and
slowest metropolitan papers in the world,
they are also, all the circumstances con-
sidered, the most cowardIy and subserv-
tent.
They worship the god of old custom
and they tremble at the word of ''un-
authorized" or premature" as Belhaz-
"a trembled at the handwriting on the
wall
So. lacking a precedent for defending
the people against the greedy exacdons
of corporations. they send their columns
to press blank rather than publish about
the King a scrap Of news excepting such
IS may have been thrown to them by a
aunky down the backstairs of Bucking-
ham Palace.
The Kings illness was not such sur
prise to the public as the newspapers
pretend it was. A very large number Of
ton for the corouation-among other
items. S25oo.0o0 for street stands-did so
with serious misgivings.
The prudent took into consideration tn,
manner Of the Kings former life and the
consequent condition of his health. while
the superstidous doubted his luck So
al who could insure their various ven
lures against the risk of the coronation
or no procession did So
But the loss In various directions Is
many times the amount OF insurance. and
ranses from the $4,000 spent by the Bank
of Enslana for decorations to that of the
day laborer who had holiday forced
Upon him and no use TO put ii to.
In this postponemont of the procession
q very large proportion OF the British
peonic-f1- Vhe whole country Is more or
less affected as London is-Ieel chat they
have a grievance While the Nine. or his
private SECRETARY IS protesting deep re-
eret AZ the public puointnent- making
no reference Us The way. 90 the pubEos
pecuniary loss. i IS not apparent why the
disappointment and loss should have been
inflicted
81 lar as the proposed ceremony Of
June s. in which Westminster Abbey is
concerned. the abandonment az it w0ald
have disappointed only the ROYAL fanny
the court. and few others. As for The
seveu-nle procession hNed for Friday
that haa brought 70 town hundreds ~
thousands ~ people ana had caused the
expenditure ~ many millions Of pounls.
and muca 81 this money has beeu lost
~ the ahandonmcut II pageant q
which the King would have formed. real
IS. but small and momenisr9 part.
and IN which the queen would haze been
husiasticaliy accepted as e substitute
There Is q very sfro1g-alheit quiet
feeling thar the empires safety ana con-
Uuuity are nor absolutely bound up II
the thestricsl and somewhat chn5lsh ana
altasether obsolete paredings and uosiucs
rr-rs-rr mined Tor tho t.1., and char ,-r-s-