The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1908-12-13
ENGLAND FACES
PERIL OF REVOLT
India Situation Is Cause of
General Discomfort in
England.
THE PEOPLE OPPOSE WAR
BUT FEW WARS IN A HUNDRED
YEARS THAT ENGLAND HAS EN-
TERED INTO HAVE THE PEo-
PIE SHOWED ENTHUSIASM.
BY William True Hawthorne.

London, Dec. 12.-There will be two
weil-defined public opinions in Great
Britain, one the we'll informed opin-
ion OF the governing class and the 9TH
err the opinion of the man in the
street" Well-informed public opin-
ion has known for months that En-
gland was facing hourly peril of a ma
tive revolt in India. and that all Eu-
rope was facing the almost certainty
of war over the Balkan squabble. So
long as it was able the governing class
kept this knowledge from the gov
erned class. but volcano is some
what difficult thing 10 hide. The man
in the street" now knows he is liable
at any time to be called upon to take
up arms in cause in which he has
only the remotest interest and this
knowledge doesn't fail TO contribute TO
his general dissatisfaction with things
that are.
Not Fighting Nation.
Despite his numerous petty wars
with half-clad and poorly-armed saw
ages, your average Englishman is not
at heart a fighting man. | do not
mean to infer that he is coward or
that he runs away from fight when
the necessity confronts him. but he
doesn't like to fight and doesn't want
to. The despised Chinaman has just
as much stomach for the field of car
mage. Nor does the prospect of war
arouse in England that patriotic fer
vor that would at once inflame the
United States were hostilities at hand.
England is too nearly engaged in con-
slant warfare and too many of her
picayune wars are lacking In justifi-
cation to make war popular with the
British people.
The Balkan quarrel doesn't interest
the common people of Great Britain in
the slightest degree, and should the
government permit Great Britain 10
become involved in Near Eastern
war there would be widespread resent
ment. Yet war in the Balkans I'M
doubtedly would have more popular
support than war in India. The aver
age Englishman is utterly unable TO
see where the Hindu peninsula be-
comes a desirable possession of Great
Britain. 1t gratified the late Queen
Victoria when she was proclaimed En-
press Of India and Palmerson became
the favorite statesman. because he won
the title for her, but the British rate
eayer cannot see that he has been ben
Gifted. He knows that some of the
best blood of Britain has been poured
out in India, to say nothing of the
golden sovereigns that have gone into
the same capacious NAV.
Wars Not Popular.
England hasn't had war In a hum
dred years that has been popular with
the people The Crimean war was
better supported than any other. but
there was little understanding of or
sympathy even with that conflict The
war against the Beers in South Africa
was decidedly unpopular. and where
he public has been interested at all in
he numerous punative campaigns 1t
generally has been TO criticise.
There is general support of the poll
cy of two-power navy. though there
5 a huge annual deficit in the reve-
nues, rate payers are complaining OF
he burden and the problem Of the un-
But England doesn't want big navy
for the purposes of war IL wants
one to prevent war. Should Great
Britain become involved in an Europe
an war the men and the money to car
~ it on undoubtedly would be forth
coming. but Great Britain is no more
able financially TO undertake a war
than is Japan
Trusts in Oppression.
Meat trusts are no more popular
CIV Meat trusts are no more popular
in Great Britain than in America. The
order OF Secretary Wilson of the Tn
tied States department of agriculture
placing the states of New York and
quarantine because of the outbreak OF
foot and mouth disease was made the
pretext for an immediate advance in
The price of Eeef in the London and the
other British markets. This quaraa-
inish by single head the number OF
cattle shipped from the United States
TO Great Britain. as western cattle
may still come through the ports OF
Baltimore, Norfolk and Galveston. but
The beef trust in Great Britain as else
where knows its business.
This British beef trust by the way,
is particularly unpopular because it
generally Is supposed to be an Amer
lean creation. Britishers are glad
enough to get American beef. couldn't
10 without it in fact. but they don't
think it polite for the trust 10 hand out
to hand out to them the same medicine
that home consumers in the United
States are compelled to take.
Puipits Ignore Politics.
The attempt of Lord Hugh Cecil. the
Dean of Canterbury. and Lord Hall
fax to convert the puIpits of the
church of England into political plat