Show CHANGE OF FRONT french advocate an english alliance liberal party closing its ranks english increasing troops at cape of good hope yvette gull bert en route london 28 there haa been singular change 0 late in the tone ot the french newspapers cowarde great brit ID notably in the case of the siccle matin nd temps these papers in elead ot attacking perfidious albion s baa been their wont have swung around and now advocate the cultivation of a french alliance with great antian according to information from a high official quartee the change Is due to a cementing ol 01 the relations between great britain and russia it is also aid as an undoubted fact that during the recent visit of the czar at balmoral the residence in the highlands the anglo russian question concerning boundaries boin daries in central asia was absolutely fettled hatli the french and german aemi newspapers have published inspired communications of the success and they all concur in jag the czar for abandoning the dedire for conquest and far completing comple tinz the division of the asiatic continent under the single aim of the interests of whether either france or germany is entirely pleased with the solution of this long pending matter is questionable there is at last a good chance that the prolonged disarray of the liberal party produced by mr Gladstone 8 desertion of the lead at a critical crisis in the life of ahn party will be ended and that liberalism will once more leave definite program under recognized chiefs the general committee ot alie national liberal federation theeta ht liverpool on december 17 to discuss a memorandum on reforms in the constitution of the federation thie is a simple way of announcing that the entire organization of the party is too considerable and a radical change is to be made in its management question will be raised at toe meeting aleut the leadership all the local liberal associations throughout the country tacitly or by resolution have accepted sir vernon harcourt rt as leader tila ti la fact will and has already enormously strengthened bis control 0 the pary besides contributing to the unify liiK of the party forces it can no longer be called a headless party and it is now about to get a coherent program with a better system of electoral management the general committee 0 the federation instead of being appointed through influence is to be an elected body the executive of the federation instead of being appointed by the general committee is be elected by delegation from the liberal associations throughout the country the new principle embodied in this scheme of party management is essentially senti ally representative and democratic it has not yet had the complete assent of the party wire pullers who have long dominated the national liberal federation bat it has won the sympathy of every leading liberal and the mass of liberal votes opposition to it ie found only with the present executive committee whose members will be affected bv the reforms they have received ad aice equivalent to an ultimatum that they musi accept abo reforms or clear out anent the program all that can at present be divulged is that borne rule church disestablish ment and upper house reforms berain the leading planks ane party leaders are to be entrusted the control of the party movements the Healy itea have started a furd in opposition to the nationalist subscription initiated by mr dillon under the resolution of the national convention of september no areat existed for the nationalist fund from the outset and the clealy appeal for command of separate fund will effectually diminish what chance there was of beiting the necessary aid from the irish people mr JIe alye aim can only be regarded as maluz nant ue cannot hope to get any substantial response to his appeal but he can injure the national fund and he hai when the party meets at opening of parliament mr dillon will insist upon mr clealy and his support era either completely abandoning their factious opposition or withdrawing failing reasonable submission to uie majority the Healy ites will be formally expelled communications have been reopened between the english foreign office the french and german govern menta pointing towards another conference on the sugar bounty system without being able to state what government took the initiative it can U that official opinion on each eide fadore the abolition of the bounty premium the english colonial office is constantly receiving be coret reports of the prosperity of the sugar states in the indies this ie bated by recent mail advices that the of the planters put five yeats as the limit of the west indian sugar industry if the bounty system among european powers continues at present the profits are almost nil only the working expenses being cleared although the cost of production has been reduced from 18 pounds to 10 pounds per ton mr chamberlain who has been consulted on the projected conference is understood der stood to think little of any agreement being arrived at but ill not oppose the negotiation to obtain the abolition of the bounties official of the shipping federation ridicule the rumors that the strike of the dock laborers in germany will extend to london they are confident that the strike in hamburg and bremen will speedily end in a awo tom mann and the other english labor agitators who several months ago predicted ft general strike of dock laborers all over the world appeared to be still confident that their predictions will prove true but those who view the question from the employers standpoint believe that fuch a strike ie not within be realms of the largest of conformist nonconformist non churchmen ever held will take place on march 9 next in the city temple london although called a congress of evangelical free churches and really a pare conformist nonconformist non the archbishop 0 canterbury the of rochester and other eminent english churchmen have written letters of sympathy with the movement the elimination mi nation of all religious or political polemics from the agenda of the con cress accounts for the support of alon of the english prelates pr elates the program cannot exclude all controversial cna ter hut all subjects are it is under ethod to be treated on a broad christian basis the lord mayor will give the delegates lay and clerical who will come from all parts of the united king dom and abroad a reception at the mansion bouse silently if not secretly the english government has raised the forces at the cape of good hope from under 2000 to over men the ordinary force at the cape was a battalion of infantry and a detachment of artillery since the boer tron blee broke out drafts from india supposed to be going home have gradually been stopped at the cape and a number of them have been cent on to natal the transvaal government Is restless and concerned under this increase of british preparations which are ostensibly based on the necessity of meeting contingencies in rhodesia the relations between the boer government and england are practically of continuous mutual distrust and latent tle canadian premier mr ie expected in london accompanied by sir richard cartwright minister of finance next spring of assisted emigration a fast mail service and imperial aid towards enlarging the defense works on the pacific and atlantic coasts of the dominion will le the leading discussed between ano canadian ministers and mr cham bertaln berl aln it is whispered in prominent theatrical quarters that the high salaries now received by leading actors and actresses are menaced with ignoble diminution toe profession is getting over stocked and eminent popular artists are landing vae to at liberty for prolonged periods ainone the actresses who are at present politely announced as are mrs patrick campbell miss evelyn millard elizabath robins miss janet A church miss marian terry miss lily hanbury and mrs bernard beer miss millard has been reciting at ballad concerts and mrs campbell hae been goinga reading at st james hall in addition miss campbell misa robins and miss church have been playing at this weeks mati nees of ibsen s little emolt their appearance has been in the nature ot a gracious intervention not a permanent engagement the high salaries still demanded by these artiste has thing to do with their lack of employment the days are gone when a really capable actor or actress as considered paid with pounds a week and the days are going when they can insist on betting per week yvette guilbert the concert hall singer Is a passenger on the american line steamer new york which bailed from southampton |