Evening star., 1902-02-19
.REM0UNT SCANDAL
Brodrick's Ire Aroused by
Sir John Maple.
LORD SALISBURY'S AGE
PEEREsSEs PLEASED AT LATEST
CORONATION PROGRAM.
Bishop Of London Complains Of Lack
Of Funds-New Thing
in Hats.
pecinl Correspondence Of The Evening Star.

| Special Correspondence OF The Evening Star.
LONDON, February 4, 1902
There was a lively debate in the house
OF commons last night over what Is now
| known as the "Remount Scandal" Every
| body Is well aware that several officers and
| contractors have lined their pockets very
| well on commissions secured by buying and
passing horses for South Africa, which a
sleeping government finally decided were
necessary for the army IL Kitchener was to
| catch the elusive Beers.
| The hero Of the night was the gentleman
| humorously spoken Of as 1.-The member for
the Tottenham Court road" because OF his
| huge furniture establishment In that thor
| oughfare-Sir John Blundell Maple-who,
however. as matter of fact represents the
| sylvan but drowsy suburb of Dulwich.
| Sir John is fine. expansive man, ruddy
and CHEEKY with rather the grand air,
| slightly pompous In his talk and manner.
| always clad though he were just going
or had come from a wedding, wearing the
| largest of buttonholes. and when he pulls
forth his handkerchief making the atmos-
| phere for yards around revel in perfume.
| His hobby Is horses, and you see his colors
| at EPSON and Newmarket
Last year he began asking the war office
| incOnvenient questions about the quality
| and the price Of the Hungarian horses pur-
| chased by England to send to South Afri-
| ca as remounts. committee was appoint
ed to make Investigations. The committee
! reported. 1t came out that OF f11O.00O spent
| on Hungarian horses. f44.OO0 had gone to
| middlemen and it was declared that II the
same rate Of profit took place IN regard to
| purchasing other horses from elsewhere
than out Of the f1S.OoO.0OO disbursed for
horses. about fs.OOo.0o0 had gone to middle
men.
Sir John Self Made Martyr.
The committee. however, trounced and
| made a martyr Of Sir John. They rebuked
him for having made allegations against
British officers. There was faring fury
! last Friday night. A demand was made
that certain officers should be punished,
and Mr.. James Lowther. Mr.. Burdett-
| Coutts and Mr.. Gibson Bowles. three free
| lance stalwarts, Joining In the cry hailed
| Sir John Blundell Maple as public bene-
| factor. called the investigating committee
| a "white-washing committee" and the ir-
| reconclable Mr. Bowles even called 1t a
| dishonest committee.
At the first moment up jumped the war
| minister. Brodrick. on the defensive. One
| never knows what Mr.. Brodrick can do
| till somebody has been hitting at him.
| Hear him on an ordinary night and you
see an undistinguished. youngish- looking
| middie-aged man, with hair nicely. brushed
| and moustache nicely curled. talking dry
| facts in dry, harsh monOtones. Rouse him
! and then he shows his grit. There was
| nard slashing on Friday night. This gave
| spur. and what he now had to say-with a
| crowded, eager house around-was rasped
! out with vigor.
He and Lord Stanley defended the war
! Office and the officers who bought the
| horses. relating all the transactions con-
| cerning the purchases No new point
| came out and the defense was not con-
| vincing to the opposition. who chaffed and
| oo 1nd tho f..,.x lx.A
ter grew angry. 1t was said Kitchener
| called the Hungarian horses lawful brutes''
| and fiat catchers" whatever they may
be. Gibson Bowles. described the major
| fty of the horses sent out as "the worst
| four-footed things that the Almighty ever
| permitted to crawl the earth" Then he
went on to say unqualified officers had
| been appointed to buy horses-unuualified
| officers. selected for social considerations
| Captain Lee. who was recently military
attache at Washington, said that when
American horses were being bought he
| was never consulted He telegraphed to
the war office, offering aid, but he got no
| reply.
Altogether the government had a bad
| time Of it. and several personal rows en-
tered the proceedings. But in the end.
| when the definite question came that the
| extra f5.000.O0O asked for should be granted
to help on the war. the ranks closed up.
Then the ministry breathed freer So the
scandal is at present relegated to the fu-
/ ture. when everything will be oyerhauled
| regarding the war.
salisbury's Physical Status.
Lord Salisburys seventy second birthday,
| which was yesterday. set the politicians
! looking up the ages of the premier's COL
leagues in the cabinet. The day finds him
In good health. but looking older than his
| years. His hair and beard are no lonaer
| Of the silver-sable hue or few years ago
Ihey are as white as snow, and framing,
| as they do. face which retains the ruddy
| complexion Of youth. serve to endow the
master of gibes and f1ogts and jeers with a
| singulariy benevolent expression. WORTHY
| or the Rather Christmas Of the nursery
books. Kindly and venerable as he looks.
| however. Lord Salisbury can still bite His
! wit has lost ne:.s of it's famous causticity
The prime minister is not the father
OF the cabinet. that honor resting with the
lord chancellor. whom no one would take
to be over seventy-six. Lord James of
Hereford Is also Older than the premier
| though. like Lord Salisbury. he hides we'll
MS advancing years. The Duke of Devon
| SHIRE Is sixty-eight, and then comes Mr.
| Chamberlain. who will soon be sixty-six
| The colonial secretary, however, seems To
| have discovered the secret of everlasting
youth. He looks younger even than Mr.
| active, vigorous and with only the slightest
suggestion of gray in hi, hair. Mr.. Cham
beriain might almost be mistaken for his
sons elder brother Next to Mr. Cham
the chancellor OF the exchequer. Sir
Michael Hicks-Beach The latter, though
he IS only sixty-four. enjoys the distinction
| OF being the father Of the house." fol-
| lowing curiously enough. one of his own
name and family in claiming to have sat
longer In the house than any other mem
| ber Sir Michael has been an uninter-
| rupted member OF the house ever since 1851.
| though he has not always represented the
same constituency. Mr.. Ritchie. WHO
/ comes next among ministers to the chan
| cellor of the exchequer. cannot point 10
nearly such long parliamentary record.
He Is sixty-three, Lord Cadogan Is sixty
one and Lord Lansdowne is just fifty sever.
| Mr.. Hanbury. who is somehow always re-
garded as one OF the young men" Of the
| treasury bench. Is the same age.
Peeresses Apd Their Robes.
Peeresses are delighted with the latest
ordinance of the queen respecting economy
| in coronation robea Those who have had