Omaha daily bee., 1908-11-07
OTHER LANDS THAN ours.

Whatever secret design Kaiser Wilhelm
had in view when he tacitly consented to
the publication Of his profession of friend
ship for England. It Is evident he did not
expect to increase the flow Of national good
will. The time and the character Of the
outburst were alike inopportune. Coming at
a moment when England and It's allies
Russia, France and Italy-are cooperating
for a settlement OF the Balkan difficulty
upon lines calculated to antagonist Ger
man and Austrian designs. the rasping sem
timents of friend-spurned widened the
breach and produced an amazing discord
In the concert of the powers. German SEN
tinent is outraged by the revelations OF the
deliberate snub Of the Boer ENJOYS. and
British radicals jeer at the professions of
friendship, admittedly limited to German
official circles. What strikes British
pride in its tenderest spot is the assertion
Of the kaiser that he forwarded to his
royal grandmother military plans of Fam
paign on lines subsequently adopted by
Lord Roberts. The mere suggestion of
Little Bob's'' drawing Inspiration from
German sources reused British wrath to
such a pitch that ministerial denials were
necessary to quiet the storm. British in
dignation is mild compared with the in
dignation Of the German people. Chancel-
lor Won Buelow is the object OF attack for
the moment and his readiness to shoulder
responsibility for permitting the interview
to become public diverts criticism from
the emperor. Popular wrath must have a
victim, and as the emperor has a life job,
Won Buelow may be forced to retire from
office. Apart from the official and inter-
national character of the Interview, one
feature, admirable as 1t is rare, shines
above all others-the emperor did not de-
nounce the reporter nor deny the allega-
lions.
Judging from present Indications, the au-
tumn session of the Russian Parliament
will be more harmonious than any pre-
vious session since the institution of the
l~aw-making body. A number of reform
measures introduced at the last session
will be brought forward for early consid-
Grafton. Two measures dealing with phases
Of the agrarian problem. it is expected,
will be taken up Immediately. one oil
these land bills will, in case of it's final en-
actment, make possible the dissolution OF
the communal system of land tenure anu
provide for a redistribution OF communal
lands on a private ownership basis. An
other measure affecting the interests OF
the rural %peasantry is designed to bring
about reform of the courts in the country
districts. These, with the budget bills and
TAX problems, constitute the larger ques-
ions to be considered and disposed Of.
Up to October IS the number Of claims
submitted under the British old age pension
act was 46S, 1874. OF these 27S, S62 came from
England, 131, $40 from Ireland, 1907 from
Scotland and 1856 from Wales. These
figures are luminous of the relative condi-
ions OF the components of the United
Kingdom. They show that up to the date
mentioned to about 1 per cent OF the popu-
lation OF England and Wales the grant OF
S65 per annum was an object, which was
the proportion in Scotland also. The pro-
portion in ireland rises to 8 per cent Of the
population, a percentage due to the larger
proportion of old people on the island.
The forcible annexation Of Bosnia to
Austria has already awakened among the
annexed people great contempt for Austria's
benevolent intentions. A correspondent of
the Frankfurter Zeitung reports the natives
arming against their benefactor. So eager
is the Austrian department of benevolent
assimilation to give the Bosnians the best
possible government, that 1t has appointed
only we'll educated Austrians to manage
the country's affairs. At this the bar
Ddl loio AaNS NNOANN NV bAo"io oAN NhAN
tered something about home rule. AS II
there were a bag-trousered brigand among
the 1,75O,oO who could be trusted to sell
postage stamps! The abolition of silly ma
tional holidays, the increase in taxes, and
other great moral uplifts are also received
coldly. The Bosnians are helpless ingrates.
Prime Minister Asquith, having promised
that Welsh disestablishment would be made
a government measure at the present ses-
sion OF Parliament If time permitted, the
federated non-Anglican churches OF Wales
have issued a manifesto. which calls for
agitation that will give the majority relief
from a relation to state aided religion,
to which they repudiate as a matter of con-
science. This is an old issue, at least forty
years old. The Welsh Protestants claim
that having aided Jew and Roman Catho-
lie, and n~on-Anglican Protestant Irish to
secure freedom, it is now their turn to be
aided. If turn about is fair play. it is.
China's special commissioner to the
United States, Tang-Shao-Yi, bearing to
Uncle Sam the emperor's gratitude for the
voluntary return to China of the surplus
of the Boxer indemnity, has sailed for
San Francisco. The China Mail, in an
article entitled. China and America" de-
clares that the special commissioner is
charged with a far more important mission
than that indicated in his instructions as
to Boxer indemnity, and adds: Public
opinion in the middle kingdom is strongly
in favor of the establishment of the most
friendly relations with the United States.
The native press teens with articles and
paragraphs for the most part advocating
an alliance. 1t would be departing from
American custom and precedent to enter
upon such a pact; the United States be-
ieves in being friendly with all nations,
but still clings firmly to Washington's ad-
vice not to enter upon any entangling al
lance
Reforms ave a rocky road 80 travel In
China, as we'll as elsewhere. No sooner
does the opium habit get its deathblow
than the menace of the cigarette looms up
as a national danger. Introduced into
China only a few years ago, the value Of
Il - 80.