Omaha daily bee., 1909-04-10

The recent settlement Of the Balkan con-
troversy, whereby Austria's land grab Is
confirmed and servia dlsarmed. makes for
the yeace of central Europe about as af-
fective a. claim Jumpers promote the good
will Of a western community. Vigilance and
armed readiness alone maintain the adj
vantage. Russian was not prepared to
defend the integrity Of the states which
regarded the empire as the protector Of
the Slavs. Germany and Austria knew the
moment when annexation was possible
without the risk Of war. Before these
united powers, with mighty armies ready
to march and war chests well filled, Rus
STA wisely yielded. with a shattered mill
tary organization. an army exhausted and
dispirIted by a recent Disastrous war, re-
sistance to the demands Of the Dreibund
would have been folly. The humiliation Of
the Cars government at home is wide
spread and openly manifested In the
higher circles II takes the form OF social
ostracism. and Is evidenced with an In
tensity bordering on htsult to officials
directly and indirectly responsible. It is
more than a temporary ebullition Of pub
lie temper. 1t carries a deep and lasting
wound to national pride, which time slowly
heals.
The spirit Of Cancellation shown by the
French ministry in dealing with the strik-
ing state employees of the postal and tele-
graph departments is regarded by the lead
ers as a surrender of the government to
organized labor. This is the conviction
borne in upon observers of events In France
by the exultsut and defiant attitude Of the
radical laborites. A few days after the
ministry conceded the principal demands
Of the strikers. Paris was placarded
with O labor manifesto insulting the gov
eminent, and a like spirit runs through the
public speeches Of the agitators. Premier
Cienenceau Is roundly criticized for allow
ing "treasonable utterances' to pass UNI
needed. The outward show of indifference
In reality may be a mask for preparations
TO strike when and where the blow is most
effect We. Such q course would lie character
istic, Tn extremists nay be allowed to
run their course UP to the NIT. When that
point is reached, In the opinion Of the
government, the agitators may discover,
as did the vineyard strikers, that the
gloved hand Of the premier is a powerful
mailed fist"
winston s.. Churchill, author and parlia-
mentarian and an exemplar Of the strenu-
Gus life in England, recently made a trip
through much of the country OF central
Africa, where Theodore Roosevelt and
party will hunt, and his remarks on the
climate will interest friends of the ex-presi-
dent. Ten grains of duinine a day for
each person was the dose which helped to
pull the party through. Mr.. Churchill
speaks admiringly OF the glorious beauties
of the Uganda region and says: Every
white man travelling through that country
seems to feel a sense OF undefinable oppres-
sion. The air is soft and cool. yet the con-
trast between appearance and reality is
striking, for this enchanted land is cursed
with maiarial attributes. A cut will not
heal, q scratch testers. In the third year
of residence even a small wound becomes
a running sore. One day a man feels per-
fectly well, the next, for no apparent cause,
he IL PROSTATE with malaria of a peculiarly
persistent kind, turning often In the third
or fourth attack to blackwater fever. To
the wise hunter or explorer these condi-
lions suggest the need Of concluding the
business on hand at the earliest moment
and hiking over the shortest route to civili-
zation."
The German naval program, which has
become the nightmare of England. was
formulated by Admiral Won Tirpitz in 1900
and given the sanction OF law the same
year. 1t provided for two fleets of bat
tie ships, the cost OF which up to 1920 would
be about $2OO,OO0,OO0 OF 100000 a year.
This law has been amended until now 1t
provides that by 1917 the navy shall con-
sist OF thirty-eight battleships, Of which
twenty-eight shall be DreadnGughts'
twenty armored cruisers Of battleshir
equipment, thirty-eight protected cruisers,
100 torpedo boats and a great number OF
auxiliary craft, all manned by 5000 men
''The cost of the navy by that time" says
the New York Tribune. will be more thar
81, 900, 600. 0o0. Whether that will be a greater
force of Dr~eadnaughts than Great Britain
will have to be seen"
The tendency OF English politicians t.
magnify the Irish mote and ignore thu
beam in their eyes was illustrated In q
recent debate In the House of Commons
Earl Percy, in an attack on the govern
ment for its alleged failure TO enforce thu
laws In ireland, brought a sharp rotor
from John Redmond, the Irish leader. HI
cited official statistics showing that n thu
years 1868 there were $50 cases of muir
ders in England, while during the sans
period there were but thirty-seven muir
ders in ireland. In London alone Their
were, during this period, ninety-two muir
ders and almost a.oOo attempted murders
while the total number OF indictable case
in ireland were 1900. against N,654 in Eng
land. Mr.. Redmond further showed that
while there had been a considerable in
crease In serious crimes in England in IN,
last twenty years, there had been a stead!
diminutIon Of crime In Ireland during tn,
same period. In the light OF these statistici
attempts to defame ireland present a sorr!
spectacle.
In an official circular on the opium traf
fic, Sir Frederick Lugard. governor o
Hong Kong, recapitulates the efforts beini
made to restrict the business and the oh
stAclss encountered. Most effective Of tn
means employed is the limitation of tn
area OF opium cultivation. To make thi
reduction In cultivation effective the guam
tity to be drawn from the country Is TO b
reduced annually, and sale TO women an
children prohibited. The chief obstacle /
the reform is the difficulty Of suppressln
smuggling. The price Of opium in Hon
Kong is double that OF China. consequent
the Chinese smuRgler turns a trick a