The Washington herald., 1911-01-09

LONDON, JAM. S-Outraged in his pride
and self respect, the average Englishman
finds himself powerless to even give eX-
preston to his evaporation. Such is
the intolerable position from which the
good people of this country are trying
in vain to escape.
They are not quite sure yet as to where
lies the responsibility for making Eng
land ridiculous in the eyes of the world
last Tuesday, but they know where most
of it belongs
Who was it, they ask, who gave orders
which resulted in the quiet withdrawal
of the police from a house where two
desperados were asleep, when the posi-
ton might have been rushed by an over
whelming well-armed force? That is the
point which sensible Englishmen want
cleared up. They refuse to believe that
the police were willing to tackle des-
.peradoes unarmed a fortnight before
funked at an encounter on equal terms
in Sidney street.
Hold Churchill Culpable.
Home Secretary Churchill. who person.
ally directed the battle, is held RESPONSE
BILE by many for what followed. But the
whole effect is the sort Of thing that the
soonest buried and forgotten the better,
as Germany thought of the Koepenick
AFFAIR. This, of course, is far worse for
the national reputation than a mere joke
but the man who held up England to
ridicule as the plaything of a pair of
foreign desperados, will pay the penalty
sooner or later, both in the political and
social world.
, Meantime, there is reason to believe
that the London police have asked per-
mission to carry out the remainder of its
task of running down this dangerous
gang without interference and that the
home secretary has agreed to confine him.
self to his more legitimate duties.
Public opinion is deeply stirred over
the whole case that there is little doubt
that the government will find itself COM
PEELED to adopt a really effective exclu-
sion act Whether it will go so far that
England will cease to be the last refuge
of political anarchy remains to be seem
Victims Called Anarchists.
The press has unanimously been class
ing the present gang as anarchists. This
is undoubtedly a misnomer and members
of that ilk unanimously repudiate them.
They are simply a desperate type of the
ordinary Polish thieves and general GRIM
inals with whom the police Of New York
and every capital have had much to do
odus from Russia began.
According to the statistics of 1909 there
were only 10000 aliens living in London.
OF this number 10000 were Russians and
Poles, and only 5,561 Americans These
figures. especially in regard to the Amer
leans, must be unreliable and entirely
inadequate. Among alien criminals Amer
leans have had pre-eminence. They
topped the list in 1905, while in 1909 they
had 1J6 against a Germans and S27 Rus
slams.
Two things seem to have particularly
struck every looker-on at Tuesdays Bat
tie of Stepney, as It is now called. The
first was the daring recklessness of the
press photographers who calmly worked
while bullets were whizzing past them,
and the second was that the Scots
Guards lying al each end of the street
ready to shoot the burglars if they tried
to bolt. might have shot each other and a
large number of the crowd and policemen
behind them. The Guardsmen posted in
the windows opposite the besieged house
at first found their rifles useless. Their
high-velocfty bullets perforated windows
and blinds with small holes. Shotguns
were sent for to shoot away the glass,
woodwork, and blinds.
Insurance Question Raised,
The question has been raised as to the
authority liable to compensate the owner
and occupants of the destroyed house.
The first insurance company, carrying
the risk on the building. has announced
that it will desist any claim if only on
the ground that the fire engines present
We're not used until the house was gut
ted.
Had it been proved that there were
three burglars inside. instead of two, the
proceedings would have been brought
within the dimensions of a riot, the def
milton of which in English law is, "A
tumuituous disturbance Of the peace by
three persons or more,'' and compensa-
ton would be payable out of the police
rate.