The Birmingham age-herald., 1904-02-28
THE NEWS FROM LONDON
BY HENRY oEvEREAux.

BY HENRY Q
 London, February 19.-The outlook for
 the retention of power by the present
 government is becoming darker and
 darker. If there had been a dissolution a year ago. 1t would undoubtedly have won, although with a reduced majority But
 now the odds are pronounced by authori-
 ties competent to judge to be twenty to
 one against the success of the ministry, If a dissolution should Immediately take
 place. The late thirteen bye-eleetions,
 ending with Ayr, show a gain of over 1s- 900 votes to the opposition. These thirteen
 elections have been fought since tariff reform was sprung on the country, and
 the result of the turnover of votes is to
 return seven liberals and six unionlsts in
 place of three liberals and ten unionlsts.
 The cabinet has been reformed owing to
 the resgnatons of many of it's chief mem
 bers, and 1t is certainly not so strong as
 before It's reconstruction took place
 Premier Balfour is being severely scored because of the situation. The responsible ity is laid at his doors. He Is denounced in influential quarters as weak and vac Hating Opportunist, not knowing his own mind and apparently only anxious to hold his place so long us he can. The taunt is flung at him that he and his colleagues are little more than clerks, holding their position by the good will of MT. Chamber lain. and compelled to do his bidding l Vainly MT. Balfour has endeavored to se- l cure union by an authorized programme The greater number of his former parlia- mentary followers declare that they pre- fer MT. Chamberaln's authorized pro- gramme: while a considerable portion of them, with the Duke of Devonshire at their head, declare themselves hostile to both, because the one Is a mere stepping | stone to the other. MT. Balfour and his l colleagues seem to be entirely without supporters. The party machine has been captured by MT. Chamberlain, and, not l satisfied with this, he has called into ex- | istence machine of his own, in order to dragoon parliamentary candidates into a profession of blind faith in his fiscal ereed-a course of action which does not lind favor with the rank and file of the l unionist electors. To suppose that a un- l ionist victory Is possible under such con ditions Is to suppose the impossible This is in fact, admitted by MT. Chamberlain and by his subservient cabinet for they decline an immediate appeal to the coun- | l hope that they may manage to win 1t over ] to their views if time be given them. 
 | The agitation inaugurated by MT. Cham berlain has now gone on for months. It has not been wanting in energy He and 1 his 'hustlers" have stated and re-stated l their arguments ad nauseam. They have flooded the country with pamphlets and agents. great amount of money-de- rived from a source which they insist on keeping secret-has been spent by them. | It is consequently full time that the jury should give it's verdict.
 The Irish viceregal establishment has moved to Dublin Castle where Lord and Lady Dudley will take up their residence l for the castle season. which began on the 9th instant. A party of visitors will. as usual, be the guests of the lord lieutenant next week. Visits to the castle are more | Interesting than the common round of visits to which society devotes so much time. They include state ceremonies. the possibility of excellent hunting, hockey and golf playing, dances. dinners and last, not least, bridge. Dublin is remarkable as a capital headquarters for out-of-door amusements. Hunting with the Meath and Kildare foxhounds and the Ward IJn- ion staghounds is within easy reach. The numerous golf links close to the town are l excellent.
 Lord Dudley left Ireland last week, and | returns with Lady Dudley for the castle season. serious duty fell upon him by the death of the provost of Trinity col | lege, the lord lieutenant having an impor- | tant part in the appointment to that post | In the present state of university educa- tion In Ireland university appointments are of unusual interest to the public. The meeting held at the Mansion house in l Dublin last week in favor of university education for Catholics was large and in- l fuential It is curious to think that such a meeting on the part of the Catholics was necessary in a country which admits the equal rights of all subjects under the l crown.
 Labouchere, who has no sympathy with l frauds of any kind. is inclined to the be- lief that the late Whitaker Wright was made a scapegoat. He says: Whatever | his guilt, the various chairmen and direc- l tors of his companies must share it in | some degree It is almost inconcevable 1 that at the time when the false balance sheets were concocted none of them had I any inkling of the true state of affairs, or | any reason to suppose that the credit of l the companies was being bostered up by l false accounts in the hope that huge spec ulations then going on would recoup loss" l One of the earliest contributions to the | literature of bridge was brochure by writer whose identity was yelled under l the pseudonym of "BadswoIth' Tn the 1 five years that have since passed he has l ripened his experience by taking part in l 20 900 games. diligently recording and stu | dying the results, and he has put forth | the fruits of his knowledge in another book !" 'Badsworth' on Bridge" "Bads- worth discusses the laws and principles | of the game in a bright, lucid and inter- | esting style and his book will be help 1 ful to the seasoned player as well as the | beginner. His enthusiasm for bridge is | unbounded. In this respect he is. indeed. | a whole -hogger," for he scouts the idea | that bridge offers any encouragement td | gambling as base libel on an intellectual game.
 l An American travelling in India sends to 1 Truth the following sample of Babu | forensic eloquence. He declares that he heard a Bengali pleader make a speech in an ordinary assault case as follows My