Omaha daily bee., 1902-08-23
OTHER LANDS THAN ours.

AS to the actual comparative efficiency Of
the British leet In action there is room for
wide differences Of opinion. The fact that
with the officers who fought at Trafalgar,
almost 100 years ago. there died all prac-
tical experience in real sea fighting cannot
be cited to the disadvantage Of Britain's
navy as compared with the navies of
France, Germany OF Russia, since no great
European power has engaged in a serious
conflict at sea since the Napoleonic wars.
All the powers except the United States
and Japan, which are not likely to be Eng
lands foes are destitute of officers who have
experienced the shock. Of battle at sea.
Hence there is no reason to suppose that
British captains and admirals, man for man,
would acquit themselves less creditably
than their European opponents. In the
British navy, moreover, there exists q body
OF fighting traditions which must be reck-
oned high as an asset of marine warfare.
Unless British officers have wofully degen-
Grated, they are STEPPED in those principles
OF the initiative which Nelson so dazzlingIy
exempli1ed, and which, other things being
equal, would place a British feet at the
outset on the way to victory. The Ger
mans have no salt sea traditions; their
naval history is a blank. The French have
traditions, but, unhappily, the traditions
grown up since the time Of Tourville are
those Of nerveless ineflciency and defeat.
In the course of a few hours the House
of Commons the other day gave formal
sanction to expenditures amounting to
$3.50, DOC, 900. The legislative machine in
Great Britain has manifestly broken down
under the weight of business. Nominally
every item Of expenditure can be discussed
In committee OF the whole (or committee of
supply, as they say in England; in fact,
only one item in a hundred is subjected to
adequate criticism. BY way OF remedy 1t
has been suggested that some of the powers
Of the House be delegated to subordinate
bodies; but this would lead to what the
unionist majority in Parliament affects to
call "disunion." An alternative suggestion
lie the delegations to appropriate committees
OF the consideration Of various GLASSES of
supply bills. The adoption Of either method
would mean the Americanization Of the
methods Of the British Parliament, and our
transatlantic cousins may have to resort to
both the congressional committee system
and the devolution OF local legislation upon
English, Scotch and Irish local legislatures.
Parliament can no longer deal effectively
with both imperial and parochial affairs.
There is not anpromising outlook for the
plans to induce the settlement Of farmers
on the agricultural lands Of the vaal and
Orange River colonies. The great draw
back is the aridity OF the climate Of the
South African plateau. Irrigation Is a pre-
requisite OF success in farming on the I'M
pre-empted land; even cattle raising can be
conducted only on q scale limited by the
shortage OF surface water in the dry sea-
son. Irrigation is expensive and can be re-
sorted to by individual cultivators only I'M
der exceptionally favorable circumstances.
Isolated farmers cannot construct the costly
works required for the impounding and dis
tribution of food water. The amount of
governmental assistance that would be
needed by settlers in the new colonies
would be prodigious. and as long as there
are wheat lands in the Canadian northwest
to be had practically free Of cost the tide
OF emigration will be unlikely to set in for
the Cape. Lord Kitchener's prophecy Of a
new America in South Africa must remain
long unfulhlled, II Il shall ever be realized.
"a. zee
The surprising defeat Of a conservative
member of Parliament for the south divi-
sion of Belfast In a by-election is another
indication that the Balfour ministry cannot
count with confidence on q normal majority
Of 140 In the future. The North Leeds de-
feat was a warning; the desertion Of the
unionist standard in a unionist stronghold
like Belfast is a severe blow. The former
unionist member had twice received plu-
ralities Of $500 and had been three times
returned unopposed, while Thomas Sloan,
the present member-elect, secured q ma
jority Of S26 votes. The dispatches assert
that the election has no bearing on the
home rule question, but the defeat Of the
unionist candidate was due to dissatisfac-
tion with the governments. land policy.
When strong unionist districts like Ulster
revolt at the unsatisfactory handling OF the
land question. 1t must appear conclusive
that the only possible solution Of the Irish
question will consist, not in the revival OF
the crimes act or other forms OF repression,
but in a Just and reasonable treatment OF
the relations Of landlord and tenant. which
is the basis OF centuries of discomfort and
agitation.
In connection with Russia's attitude upon
the beet sugar bounty question IL is inter-
esting to observe that with the single ex-
ception Of Denmark, whose industry is too
small to count materially, Russia Is the
only European country that is this year In
creasing its acreage OF sugar beets, all the
others having materially decreased theirs.
Russia now has a much larger sugar beet
acreage than any other country in the
world. though, owing TO her poor soil, primi-
tive methods and general inferiority, her
production Of sugar is much smaller than
that of either Germany or France. and
probably smaller than that Of Austria.
While Germany gets nearly two tons OF
sugar from an acre. Russia gets only three
fourths Of q ton.