Omaha daily bee., 1903-04-18
OTHER LANDS THAN Guns.

ally arranged to equally control the Smyrna
& Bagdad railway, for which Germany OBJ
tained important concessions from the sui
tan OF Turkey some years ago. A part Of
the railroad has already been built. from
Smyrna into the interior Of Asia Minor.
with German capital. The object OF the
enterprise is to get the trade Of Asia Minor
and Palestine and to open a short route
into the heart OF Persia and a direct one
to India, to Offset the commercial and ter
ritorial aggressions Of Russia through the
agency Of the Tfhis, Ispahan & Bandar
Abbas railway, which is gradually being
extended through the Caucasus to the Per-
sian frontier at Julia. BY constructing
this road Russia expected ultimately to
annex Persia and to get an outlet on the
Persial gulf. II the reported agreement
has been made, the Russian plans may be
considered to have been practically foiled.
Inspired organs Of the Russian govern
ment have, In fact. assumed that the build
ing Of the Bagdad railroad will be ruiuous
to Russian interests in Persia. The new
arrangement assures. however, the COM
mercial supremacy of England and Ger
many in Asia Minor, Mesopotamia and
Persia, and Indla's northwestern frontier
is presumably protected against Russian en-
croachment, as the Indian railway system
now terminating at Kandahar will be ex-
tended on the north to Herat and Meshed
and Teheran. and from Quetta across ceh-
trail Persia, via Ispahan, to Bagdad. Both
lines will Join the Bagdad main line at
Kermanshah. Russia's invasion Of Persia
and its advance to the Persian gulf will
thus be blocked.
One OF the signs Of the times in France
is the appearance in Paris Of a new Jour-
nal called faction. which, before all else,
Is to be anti-clerical. In its W words
ut proposes to denounce and destroy that
enemy OF all truth, of all justice, and Of
all hfe-namely. the church" 1t contains
a vigorous article by M. Clemenceau, which
shows that a considerable number of the
governments supporters are resolved to
insist upon a thorough execution Of the
program Of the parliamentary majority.
M. Clemenceau analyses systematically
previous futile efforts to solve the prob
lem Of the religious orders. He censures
practically all the ministers who have un-
dertaken that ungrateful task, with the
exception of M. Combes, whose honesty of
purpose and determination he eulogizes.
He warns the republican party against a
repetition Of the policy which noiselessly
reopened to the Jesuits and other orders
which had been expelled the doors which
had been closed behind them with a bang.
Referring to M. Combes' recent complaint
In the Senate as to the difficulty Of bring
ing pressure to bear upon the pope,
NJ. Clemenceau proposes the withdrawal OF
the French ambassador from the vatican,
as a means Of proving to Leo XIII Tia
the language of M. Combes in the Senate
threatening a denunciation Of the concordat
is to be taken seriously.
zee
The statue Of Mr.. Gladstone, which Par
lament ordered to be placed in West
Minister Abbey and which has been executed
by Mr.. Brock, R. A, has been erected in
the north transept under the direction Of
the sculptor. The work was done at night
In order that there might be no interior
ence with the regular services. 1t is the
custom In the case of monuments erected
by authority Of Parliament that there shall
be no public ceremony of unwilling, nor, II
may be added. in such cases can any fee
I be asked for exhibition. Consequently
/ the monument was exposed to public view
| from the first and attracted a great many
spectators. 1t is situated In a prominent
position on the east side of the north tran
sept in what is known as the statesmen'f
aisle" and near the pulpit. On either side
Of it are the statues. Of Sir Robert Peel and
Lord BAaconsheld, and. like those monu-
ments, 1t is Of white marble and Is erected
on a marble pedestal. The dead states.
man is represented standing, wearing the
, gown of a D.. G. L.. of oxford university ant
} with his face turned slightly to the lef
I toward the choir. The likeness is said t
, be extremely good and the whole monu.
ment worthy OF it's prominent position
The site was marked out many years agC
by Dean Stanley for this particular pur
pose. It is the last vacant place for
standing figure in the north transept. A
present there is no inscription upon tn,
a pedestal.
l Mr.. Balfour's explanation Of his acqui
= escence in Germany's railroad plans Il
I Asia Minor, including the terminal a
. Koweit on the Persian gulf, gives no salts
; faction at home. Englishmen are blinded
= by their hatred Of Germany to the obliga
; tions which their government is under Il
the kaiser, and on hat account they max,
no allowances for the recent diplomacy o
the British Foreign once. The truth 1
that during the Boer war the kaiser di
England IN enormous service by maintain
n ing a correct diplomatic Gttitude and in
e sisting upon the ~strictest neutrality in tn
e very teeth of an overwhelming popular sen
= timent in favor OF the Beers. 1t was
feat that could not have been accompllshe
9 probably by a thoroughly democratic gov
d eminent. but the kaiser was able to do 1
i through his personal control Of Germany
foreign policy. The British government
knows about that service and It Is unde
obligations to repay the kaiser in som
way. The English people and press, how
ever, entirely ignore the essential facts g
the situation.
Undismayed by the demonstration
= the railway employees and the sympatheti
strikes in other Industries. both branchC
Of the Dutch States General passed Premie
DR.. Kuyper's restrictive bill, and Quee
Wilhelmina has signed them. The new law
impose maximum penalties Of six month";
Imprisonment and 100 forms fine on pei
sons convicted Of wilfuliy coercing WORK
ingmen to strike; the wilful neglect or re
fusal Of government employees to perfori
a their allotted duties is punishable by 81
months In jail and 800 forms fine. and III
term of Imprisonment is increased to fou
years II the refusal to work emanate froi
le a collective body Of public servants; inst
lie gators Of strikes in the public service al
le to be regarded as conspirators against tn
Is state, and are to be similarly punished