Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-05-04


recent by-eIections; the. matter becomes
serious enough. 1t Is not so much in legis
latiOn that the government are found fault
with. 1t is true that the education act of
last session has been used with marked
effect to damage the government and lessen
their influence; and it is clear that a similar
campaign is to be carried on against the
new education bill for London. But in
other respects the ministry are acknowl-
edged even by their opponents to be doing
good legislative work. No first-class Irish
bill of the last half century has been re-
ceived with SO much cordial approval as the
land bill, which promises to do much to
pacify Ireland.
Trouble Arose With the War.
What the government has been suffering
from in the main is the inevitable reaction
after great war, with the population still
laboring under the heavy drain of an alb
normal expenditure. One of the resulting
troubles has been the formation of a cave
on the ministerial side of undoubtedly
smart and clever, but not prescriptions,
young men, assisted by few of their
elders who are all more or less suffering
from disappointed hopes, and who, by
making a dead set at Mr.. Brodrick and all
his army proposals, and at the swollen
tional expenditure in general, have pro-
duced an impression far out of proportion
to their Importance. The course of the by
elections and the constant skirmishing of
Tic HleIHDeIS VI tfuS cave nave naturally
given great exhilaration to the opposition,
which was never in more buoyant frame
of mind. 10
But much may happen in the immediate
future to change THE situation. A good
deal depends upon the budget. The
surplus in hand and the unexpectedly large
increase of financial recources shown in the
recently issued trade returns, may give Mr..
Rltch1e an opportunity of building up a
scheme that may reassure the public mind
and restore that confidence in the govern.
ment which has certainly been shaken.
Sir George Whites Promotion.
King Edward, who always knows how
and when to do the right thing, has just
given striking example of his tact by pro-
noting Sir George White to the rank Of
field marshal The, honor which has been
conferred upon Sir George is not entirely
owing to his high military achievements
and qualities.e~It sis,y-if am correctly in
formed, recognitien also Of the silence he
maintained In the controversy which ragged
round the attempt to relieve Ladysmith
More than one highly placed officer whose
strategy was impugned showed a DISPOSE
ton to shelter himself at the expense Of
Sir George White. The gallant defender of
Ladysmith imposed upon himself a silence
which seemed nothing less than heroic to
those who knew the facts. The secret his
campaign yet remains to be written and
VIII probably never see the light during the
lifetime OF the present genera ton The
" var commission might, perhaps, divulge 1t
II they chose, but no one expects them to
do So AS for Sir George White. he has al.
ready been rehabilitated In the opinion ne
his country. though not perhaps, to the ex
tent that he will enjoy when the fulI bic
tory of the war is written.
Motor Cars at Scotland Yard
Scotland Yard has brought things I'm to
date by providing a couple Of motor care
for the use of their chiefs. who bv tbts
means can proceed quickly to any snot
where their presence is advisable. AL
though they travel swiftly on the new
cars, there is no danger Of the chief Off
GERS being summoned for infringing tho
tWelve-mile rule. The metropolitan noIice
have from the first adopted the wise noiicv
that speed Is not an offense by itself. and
tnat 1t only becomes SO when it is a dam
ger to ordinary traffic. The government
departments are not however avaiJino
themselves Of motor traction as thew rniybt
khak1-painted motor chariot. which was
understood to represent the energies of the
war office, has disappeared, and we 600
war office messengers continually pushino
handtrucks as If cycling and motoring were
yet to happen. The post Office has shown
little more go. Motor vans 1t has pos
sessed for some time. and it has now sta
ed for parcel purposes little three-wheeIad
motor truck. with driver at the rear
There is however, one matter in which
0Cotiaho 1dru Is anything but up to date
While every office connected with the CITY
police has telephone communication tho
only public telephone known to Scotland
Yard. the headquarters of the METROPOLITAN
ponce. Is that IN the surveyors depart
ment, and there is not single Instrument
In any of the branch Offices When inter-
communication is wanted the slow A. r q
telegraph instrument has to be resorted to.
SO that before reasonably long MESA pe
is finished a criminal may have left Lon
don miles behind him. Even the secret
loving police of st. Petersburg do NOT fol-
low red tape this length.
Tribute to Late Chaplain Milburn.
The death of the blind chaplin of the
Senate has caused many tributes to he
paid to him in the English press. and I
quote the following from the Birmingham
Gazette as typical: TT is rather curious
to recall the fact7that "a poor blind preacher
was the closest link between the two great
branches of the Anglo-Saxon race Ard
yet this Is quite true Of Mr. Milburn. chan
lin Of the American Senate, whose death
we record today. In rare degree he
possessed the gift of persuading men of
his absolute earnestness and sincerity
His prayer for the queen at the diamond
jubilee thrilled the people Of the old world
and the new, but we recall yet more yiyitllv
the effect of his simple invocation when
ton Of Mr.. Cleveland's menacing Vene-
zuela message. Men were forgetting them
selves. but the blind chaplin touched all
that was best in both nations, and the
blatant fury of, rival threats was swept
aside by the solemn declaration that there
must be no war between kith and kin, the
champions of freedom and Christianity
throughout the world. Good old Mr.. Mil
burn accomplished more by his two three
minute prayers than many mighty orator
has done by hours Of fervid eloQuence. He
did not do 1t by tricks of speech, but by a
perfection of simplicity which seemed to
every one the truest way Of laying
human petition before the Lord of all
Mr. Milburn may be quoted as the best ar
his service was in striking contrast to the
formal repetition of printed tnvocauons re-
peated day by day and almost ignored in
our own legislative chambers"
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