New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1903-02-21
Mr.. BALFOUR WORRIED.
THE LIBERALS PLEASED.
Oppoation IN tile Commons 4ggreS@Oe
Tile Nezcs of London.

ospecal 10 The Nevv-Yorlz Tribune by French Caoiel
Downright: 1909: BY The Tribune Association
London Feb 2I a. m-The Liberals are
well satisfied with their first week "ofh III
Parliament this session. They nearly upset ~
government the London ana Glope S'a
on Thursday night, and yesterday 'heS sae
Mr. RsIfo,Ir a bad quarter of hour over MI.
MacNeilrs amendment to the address, ueo'"ie
the position of public company dife''o
be Incompatible with the position OF Mii'istei -
the Grown. Mr.. MacNeilI showed that thirty
three of the fifty-six ministers who consututeo
the administration held among them no teWer
than sixty-eight directorships Mr.. Bafour pro-
tested against the suggestion that there was
ANYTHING disgracefu I'm being a company
director, and pathetcally complained tha' NO
body ever asked Kim TO become one he ssiu
he should have regarded such an INVITATION aS ="
very high compliment Sir William Harcourt
warmly supported the amendment ne ha'
never been connected with a public company i"
his life and was convinced that the only ehe@'
of the ministers associating themselves with
public companies to give the companies
measure of credit to which they were not en-
titled On the division the government mao Il
majority Of only thirty six, and it is toleraply
certain that the amendment would have been
carried if the matter had not been raised on the
address, when the Unionists could not vote ioi
anv amendment without assocating themselves
with vote of censure the Ministry
The first pitched battle in the campaign for
English railway reform fought yesterday III
the board room of the London and North west
ern Railway Company. This company hao oeeii
made the initial object of attack, because 1t Is
at once the leading railway and the biggest
commercial undertaking the kingdom Since
haxr hpp
lily made to induce the North Western board to
adopt more businesske methods, the prime
cause of the action of the shareholders being
very serious decline in dividends and capltai
value of the company, in spite of Increased
gross receipts and general prosperity. the nan
yearly meeting of the company was held yestei
day and as Lord Stalbridge, the chairman, had
made light of their agitation the reformers took
the verdict Of the general body of shareholders
The directors, however, won easily. as they com
manded proxies representing f1o.ooo.ooo of
stock. while the reform committee represented
only f6,0o000O
Inquiries made here lead the confirmation
of the report that negota tons have been opened
between a financial syndicate at The Hague and
Mr.. Carnegie for sale of the Hague estate
formerly belonging to the Grand Ducal family of
Sake Weimar, with the view of erecting upon it
palace of peace
Ex-Governor Francis of Missouri is expected
to arrive in London this morning He will be
entertained at dinner tomorrow evening at the
Carlton Hotel by J. c. Stewart of ST. Louis and
the company will include Ambassador Choate,
Prince RadziwiIl and Baron Gravenitz, of the
Russian Embassy; Sir Joseph Dimsdale, General
Sir Ian Hamilton. Admiral Sir John Fisher. Sir
Ernest Paget, chairman of the Midland Rail
way; Sir Clinton Dawkins and Colonel Hunsiker.
On Monday night Ex-Governor Francis will be
the guest of the American Society in London
A great sensation has been caused in Berlin
by the publication of the German Emperor's
letter to Admiral Holman Babel and
Bible" The North German Gazette" pub
fishes the complete text of the letter an i'm
portant state document. and every other journal
gives it striking prominence. and regards the
letter epoch making. 1t is remarkable that
both orthodox and liberal journals alike
pleased with il. The orthodox papers tri-
umphantly point out that the Kaiser remains a
firm believer in the divinity of Christ and in the
Bible as containing Gods revelation of Himself
to man. The liberal journals triumph in the
Kaiser's admission that the Bible contains so
much which evidently is not Gods word, and in
the frank avowaI that Moses, Abraham, Homer,
CharIeInagne. Luther, Shakespeare, Goethe,
Kant and Kaiser Wilhelm the Great all in
the same sense inspired.
Shamrock III will be launched at clyde on
March Il.
The Spectator refers in very complimentary
terms to the American Commissioners under the
Few Alaskan treaty. 1t considers Secretary
Root of the ablest men alive to-day in the
Angio-saxon world Of politics, and Senator
Lodge also man of great weight and influence,
and worthy representative OF the best tradi-
lions of the Senate With regard to Senator
Turner The Spectator says: He is less we'll
known, any rate this side of the Atlantic,