Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-06-03

The drift Of population 20 the cities so
clearly marked In the United States census
Of 1910, is equally conspicuous in the n
sus just taken in Great Britain and Ire
land. Enough Of the returns have been
announced to show a decreased gain In
English cities The Greater London has
grown from 6,5Sl,372 in 1901 TO 7,252s63 IN
1871. the percentage of gain being only
iO2, or less than any previous decade IN
half a century In both England and
Wales the rate of increase is the lowest
since enumeration was establ shed in 1871.
Scotland still shows an increase, approx
mating 10000, so small as to excite COM
ment. In the three divisions Of the king
dom the cities are the gamers, the loss
failing on the country. The decrease in
lrelands population in the ten years IS
slightly under 10000 the lowest recorded
since the beginning of the exodus sixty
years ago This is one Of several heart
enlng features of the situation in Ireland
indicating the beginning Of better days
and the beneficial effect OF land and other
reform measures put into operation dur
ing the census decade. A fact of impress
sve significance is worth noting in this
connection, The legis alton which is grad
ually restoring land 10 the people of Ire
land and making life worth the living
there, has been denied Scotland, and is
producing the discomfort that makes for
emigration. The cultivated area of land is
Increasing in Ireland and decreasing in
Scotland forcing the young and energetic
Scots to seek in newer countries the OPP
portunities beyond their reach at home. A
radical change in land tenure in the dlrec.
ton Of peasant proprietary must be had il
the United Kingdom is to hold its own in
population in the coming years,
The brand of republicans in control Of
the government of Portugal scored a clean
sweep in the first elections under the new
regime. II there are any monarchists left
in the country they did not make any at
tempt to contest the candidates Of the gov
eminent, owing. possibly. to the futility
Of contest against a political steam roller
designed to crush opposition. The con-
sttuent assembly is almost unanimously
republican, having only a few near-repub-
icans to vary the atmosphere To this
body falls the task of formulating a con-
shtution and laws to give 1t effect. The
tentative draft Of the constitution by the
Braga government for submission to the
chamber carries several novel features. 1t
provides for only one chamber, and should
that body become deadlocked the question
in dispute is to be submitted to the vote
of the members of the preceding parl a
ment. The constitution also would abol-
ish the diplomatic service, eliminate the
minister Of foreign affairs leaving the
minister of justice to attend to the foreign
business of the country. Another innova-
ton is the irremovabilty for five years
Of the ministers of war, finance, marine,
education and public works, the theory be-
ing that these posts are not political and
should not be subject to parliamentary
check and supervision. The ministers
would be named by the president and they
would be taken from the dominant party.
How they could be kept in office against
the wishes of a hostile parliament, under
a system of ministerial responsibility
mainly French in its characteristics, must
be left for experience to determine.
The German Reichstag has passed bill
giving the conquered province of Alsace-
Lorraine three votes in the federal coun-
Gil, guaranteeing freedom of religious be-
lief and of language. and providing that
French shall be taught in the schools and
used in official documents wherever the
French-speaking population is in a major
ity. No new legislative power is granted
by this measure The province is the ter
ritorial prize Of the war thirty years ago.
On September go 1872. some 5000 OF the
inhabitants deliberately chose to give up
homes and connections and go TO France
rather than come under German rule. OF
those who remained big majority were
French in sympathy. Yet Germany has
not been very hard in its treatment of the
province. There is an imperial viceroy, of
course, but there is also a Landesausschuss
of fifty-eight elective members, and since
1877 this body has been able to initiate leg
lslation subject to imperial approval. The
province has fifteen votes in the Reichstag.
1t has much more political weight than
regularly organized territory OF the United
States It's area is about 5000 square miles,
| and its population about 100000.
insurgency is growing to disagreeable
proportions in the outlying provinces of the
Ottoman empire. The young Turks party
in control at Constantinople Is between two
very warm fires and enough comhustibles
are lying about to make a dangerous con-
Migration. In the north the Albanian in
surrection is assuming serious proportions.
In fighting characteristics the Albanians
resemble the South African Beers, and in
the mountain defiles where they usually
hunt, can do great execution on an invad-
ing army. General Shevket PashG appre-
ciates the difficulties of the situation and
is striving to accomplish by diplomacy and
compromise what military operations has
failed to do In the past ten months. An APP
peal to the bishop of Skutarl for interven-
ton has been turned down by the dignitary
for the reason that bad faith and ingrati-
tude in the past preciudes mediation. The
tribes in revolt can muster 10000 men. but
arms and ammunition are limited. Turk
ish soldiers are not enthusiastic over the
Job. In the southeast the insurgents Of
Arabia are doing great execution among
the Turkish soldiers, capturing one Of the