Show LONDON ON OUR GRISIS Silence of the Maine Court of Inquiry In-quiry Pronounced Ominous POLITICS IN THE BIG CITY TAMMANY CAMPAIGN FOR SEATS IN COUNCIL Hottest Political Fight In Londons History John Burns labor leader and the Scented Delilahs largest Army Increase Ever Proposed In Time of Peace London Feb 2GSpecial London cablE letter Copyright 1SOS by the Associated PressSensational dispatches dis-patches purporting to report alarmist utterances of President McKinley Secretary Sec-retary Long and other officials are beginning be-ginning to affect public opinion on this side of the Atlantic and create the impression im-pression that possibly there may be truth in tlif reports which allege that the loss of the Maine was not due to an accident as at first believed here Although Al-though war between the United States and Spain is still regarded as improb abie the disposition in the city is to 1 regard the apprehension respecting Cuba as altogether exaggerated The Statist points out that this is a grave mistake as apart from the sentiment the material losses inflicted upon Americans Amer-icans by th anarchy in Cuba must not be belittled The Statist believes however that President McKinley is strong enough to resist the pressure and congratulate congratu-late him upon the firm and statesmanlike states-manlike qualities which the immediate responbibilities of his position have developed de-veloped and upon the honorable and noble principles which he enunciated at Philadelphia when he quoted Washington Washing-ton At the same time continues the Statist we realize that the president presi-dent cannot afford to quarrel with his suppcrters if the latter press war SAYS IT IS OMINOUS The Saturday Review is of the opinion opin-ion that the affair is gravely threatening threat-ening and comments upon the silence of the court of inquiry into the loss of the Maine as being ominous as in the nervous anxiety of President McKinley Mc-Kinley and his ministers to avoid a rupture rup-ture with Spain they would obviously have hastened to publish anything which would help to stop the mouths of Senators Mason and Allen who with the assistance of certain newspapers news-papers are yelling for instant war in the best jingo style Proceeding the Saturday Review remarks i re-marks Secretary Sherman having I been silenced by the simple process of not allowing him to know anything j the executive has lately kept the secrets admirably but it is shre dly suspected that the pacific position I l President I McKinley is largely owing to the reports re-ports of his naval advisers to the ef 1 feet that America is not in condition to go to war with Spain with any certainty cer-tainty of any immediate and over vvhejmlng success The Spanish fleet is not to be dis I pised and South American republics t have not displayed any love for their northern sister But all this will not I prevent the jingoes forcing the presidents presi-dents hand if a scrap of evidence implicating I I im-plicating nubile the Cuban authorities becomes I The Spectator is certain that the United States government whether moved by information from Europe or being only desirous of peace is anxious anxi-ous to avoid war Still apart from the loss of the Maine the Spectator thinks that the harrowing consular reports from Cuba may so fire the Americans that they will insist upon their government ending end-ing such miseries within American waters The Spectator then proceeds to repeat the reported war preparations in the United States and concludes But grave persons everywhere in the Union are waiting for evidence and are not Inclined for war unless the honor and policy of the country really require it CONCILIATING ATTITUDE Advices received here from Madrid show that while the revolutionary organs or-gans such as El Pals are shrieking denunciations and threats the responsible respon-sible newspapers have adopted a conciliatory con-ciliatory attitude For instance El Liberal Lib-eral in a leading article made a sympathetic sym-pathetic reference to Washingtons birthday and expressed approval of President McKinleys speech at Philadelphia Phila-delphia considering It to be a rebuff for those seeking to embroil the United States and Spain and expressing the hope that the presidents action will be in accord with his words In conclusion El Liberal says Time will tell but for the present we ought to cry a truce to suspicions and animosities ani-mosities in honor of the memory of the great man who in addition to lay fag the foundation for the liberty of his people contributed as few others have done to the redeeming and dignifying of human conscience The ministers declare that the pessimistic pessi-mistic views of the Spanish press are only the echo of the sensational statements state-ments made by certain American newspapers news-papers I I El Pals repeating the charge that the real seat of war Is not in Cuba but in the United States which by lies I and chicanery are seeking to justify their acts says The war in Cuba I will only wd when we spud an army against the United States LONDON POLITICS London ir in the throes of the hottest campaign in its history the contest for seats in the London county council completely throwing into the shade even the keenest fought general parliamentary parlia-mentary elections For three weeks I past the fight has been raging alive In Belgravia and Whitechapel Nightly there are scores of meetings attended by cabinet ministers and front benchers I bench-ers of both parties Peers and peeresses peer-esses commoners clergy publicans officers of-ficers diplomats judges doctors and I labor agitators ate all involved For the 118 seats to be filled on March 3 there are 240 candidates including a I few independents National issaesrhave I been included In the fight in a manner hitherto unknown in municipal politics until it has become a square battle between be-tween the Unionists and Liberals under the title of Moderates and Progres elves Both sides have been attempting attempt-ing to draw an analogy between the oppositions aims and those of Tammany t Tam-many haIl parading Tammany as an I I awful example of the corruption which J j may be expected in London when the ie other fellow gets In power Barrels of money are being spent on both sides Gangs of roughs have been hired to l break up meetings and hundreds of disreputables are being brought into London elsewhere to impersonate voters vot-ers who arc at present ot sea or otherwise other-wise incapacitated from voting In person per-son James Bryce member of parliament parlia-ment for the south division of Aber deen Liberal author of The American I Ameri-can Commonwealth etc and the president pres-ident of the board of trade in the Rose berry ministry has been in the thick of the fight telling everyone what he knows about Tammany Referring to the charge of Sir John Lubbock M P for London university Liberal Unionist that the extravagance I of the municipal government of New I York under Tammany is due to commercial com-mercial enterprise and financial spec uhitions he said A more strictly t practical body of men than the boss and his henchmen have not existed in the world whether for salaries or for jobs SCENTED DELILAHS The campaign Is not lacking in amusing amus-ing incidents John Burns the labor leader in a recent speech referred to the peeresses who have been canvassing canvass-ing in the Battersea district as scented Delilahs On Tuesday after a hard days canvass can-vass Lady Denbigh dropped into the London county council tea room to get a cup of tea Mr Burns was in an adjoining room and Lord Denbigh slapping him on the shoulder Invited him Into the tea room to the delight of all the councilors and said Allow me to introduce you to one of the scented Delilahs Lady Denbigh shook hands heartily with the discomfited discom-fited Mr Burns and thanked him for all the nice remarks he had been making mak-ing about her By the way Mr Burns scented De lilahs include the Duchess St Albans the Marchioness of Londonderry the Marchioness of Bristol the Countess of I Denbigh the Countess of Jersey Countess i Coun-tess Waldongrave Countess Cadogan the Countess of Onslow the Countess I of Selbourne and a host of high born society dames I The lists of candidates for seats In I the London county council is interest I ing and ought to make the new council a second guild chamber The candidates j candi-dates include nine peers four sons of peers ten barons three privy councilors I council-ors eight officers and members of the house of commons and clergymen in profusion 20 gentlemen and a I sprinkling of doctors and lawyers LARGE PEACE AHMY The war office scheme for the reform I of the British army which was explained ex-plained in the house of commons on Friday by W St J Broderick parliamentary 1 parlia-mentary secretary of the war office j seems to have greatly satisfied the various T va-rious factions An essential fact is that the scheme adds 23000 men to the army the largest increase ever I proposed in Great Britain in time of i peace It offers a certain number of reservists a special payment of one shilling daily to partake in minor wars j or emergencies enabling the war office to despatch 10000 men on expeditions without calling upon the main reserve I It increases the pay of all efficients over the age of 19 by three pence the amount hitherto deducted for rations and promises that increased effort will be made to secure the employment for reservists Militia and volunteer oil cars also become available for the imperial im-perial service Great importance is attached to the i I proposal to decentralize the war office I by conferring larger financial and initiative ini-tiative powers upon general officers thus obviating constant reference to 1 I the war office Another reform is the I resumption of big maneuvres which I were dropped 26years ago The whole additional cost will be 2000000 annually an-nually i Thf present t year promises witness the biggest boom in shipbuilding ever known and doubtless the shipbuilders of the United States are arranging to participate in the consequent demand for finished iron steel and machinery of all descriptions An idea of the enormous amount of work on hand can be formed from the fact that the Clyde alone now has orders of 581000 tons apart from the four big Cunard freight boats which are said to be in negotia tion |