Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1914-01-10
FOREIGN NEWS

FOREIGN NEWS u
! London, England, Jan. 10.-One OF
the reasons for the delay in opening
the negotiations between the liberal
and unionist leaders on the subject of
listers opposition to home rule, has
been the lack of personal relations
between the prime minister and Bonar
Law, the leader of the opposition. In
England, until recent years, the rela-
tions between the heads of the two
great parties were such that negotia-
tions OF the kind could very easily be
opened at some social function, thus
ldepriving them of that formality which
so often prevents such interchanges
| from being successful
| Mr. Asquith and Arthur Balfour,
the late unionist leader, were, al
though they differed on almost every
conceivable political question, person
ally on the most cordial and intimate
terms, and in their informal converse
lions were able to settle many mat
| tiers, which otherwise might have
caused no end of friction. Not so
Bonar Law and the prime minister.
Law was an untried man when he
was selected leader of the opposition,
because the .unionists, who wanted
Austen Chamberlain, as leader and the
old line conservatives, who wanted
Walter Long, could not come to an
agreement He is an entirely differ
ent type than the leaders England has
been used to. Trained in a severe
Scottish business atmosphere he has
none of the finesse and diplomacy that
comes naturally to the English par
Humanitarian, who from childhood has
been educated to take his place among
the legislators of his country. Mr..
Law has a more direct way with him |
than the average house Of commons /,
man, and probably without intending |
to offend, very often says things that /!
are not easily forgotten by those at /
whom they are aimed. For example, |
Mr.. Balfour would never have made /
the mistake as Mr.. Law did of accus
ing Mr. AsQuith in the house of COM
mons of personally having no prin-
ciples and making a calculated mis-
statement Mr.. Asquith at the time
resented this very bitterly and it still
rankles in the breasts of his followers.
On the platform, too, he has a direct
ness that while it arouses an audience I
does not appear well in print, espe-
cialIy coming from the leader of
party which prides itself on its gen.
tlemanly instincts. Therefore the ne
gotiations in regard to the Ulster ques-
ton must be started by the lieutenants
Of the TWO leaders and as far as the
unionists are concerned might be car
ried to a .nnaiity by the juniors in the I
party On the liberal side, however,
the final word must come from Mr.. As
luith himself
Illness and prison bars have de-
prived the Womens Social and Politi-
caI union of its ablest leaders and the
once noted for an eff i
hciency approaching almost to mill I
ary genius, has fallen upon evil times, E
The attempt to prevent the arrest OF
Mrs. Emmeline Pankhurst, when she
anded at Plymouth on her return from {
America, resulted in farce which re-
!cted as much on the police as on the
,affied militants, for the elaborate
,olice precautions were made ridicul- 8
JUS by the ineptitude of General"
Irs. Flora Drummonds well adver- {:
ised bodyguard. The militants de
lare in explanation of the fiasco that {:
FRS. Drummond 10 more fit for the :
ospital than the foray, and that the /:
bsetce OF Annie Kenny, her ablest 8
lieutenant. completed the disorgani- &
alton Z
Whatever the cause may be, even G
he friends OF the militants do net =
eny that the fighting forces are sadly g
epleted and. furthermore, while the {,
ackers of the movement still con- s,
nue. to pour money into the treasury, <
lie supply of recruits is becoming g
INNER daily. No leaders seem to 4
ave arisen to take the place of those 9
no are incapacitated. and the fun 8
easury will be SO much dross ii 9
orkers cannot be found TO spend it =
the peculiar manner the militant 9
fleets to irritate Britons into giving =
pr the vote. &
Miss Zella Emerson, the American &
,ffragette. who has been one of the 9
ost active spirits in the organiza- &,
ON OF the Peoples Army" in the east
I'd. set her followers a good example 8
fore her arrest recently. and as a re- g
lit OF fight which she put up. then {;
Epector Potter of the Metropolitan 9
,Iice has been wearing two black 8
IS. TX