NOTES.OF THE DAY.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1596, 13 November 1912, Page 6

NOTES.OF THE DAY.

.. '. w Greater events have, pushed'into the background the affairs of Poi"tugal, that unhappy land which submitted to the .yoke of an immoral and conscienceless_ Republicanism. The latest authentic account of the Republic's progress comes in the' shape of an article by the London times correspondent. The persecu* tion of the Catholic Church is only one part of,-the Government's bad activity. Commerce, according to the correspondent, is decaying, merchants complain of the slackness of business, shopkeepers are forced to dismiss many of tneir employees, and largo numbers, both of wealthy and poor people, have left and are leaving the country. "The_ rtyime' of the present Administration is one of terrorism and violence, Everyone' is cowed and few dare to complain. There is now'no free press, The Diario da Porto, the Diu, and others' which ■ ventured to oppose the prevalent domagogism were forced to suspend publication, and two prominent writers on the Nacao have been imprisoned 'on suspicion,'" The editor of th* Diario is a Republican, but this failure to support the Government's tyrannical methods-result-ed in his house and office being wrecked. The prisons arc crowded with persons arresbd "on suspicion," and hundreds of peasants are being sentenced at random to imprisonment or transportation. The friends of the Republican idea will hardly_be ablo to say that thosa arc passing, in-' conveniences necessary to the gstab- ~

liniment of Ui'i fjo.rfrofc happi.ncus (hhl freedom pnmiiued by th<3 loolish wilJiimiriKtH aiid.iinisorupuknw.knavus wliti itniiKWid I.Ji«uKMitvc» upon the Illiilpided ]'r»rI.U{JH«K« people, Own nf Hi" minor HiirpriKftH of the war If/ii! liHMi the fibisflnw of any sen-Mil-iojini news from Cyprus, Tniis island, which in under British control, iii mainly populated by Turks and tl Nicks, and when one considers the vifih'iic't'. of the <■!reeks-' hostility to (Ji'i Turk. Kfti'iniw iuieraiil disorders would not have k'cn remarkable' [ One incident of uncommon interest Is ri.'ptii'k'd, however. Thy chief police official in Fa-magiista watt waited upon hy ft body of Greeks firreking permission to-hold a proces(sioii on the following Tuesday. They explained that they desired to mourn hi this way "the cvc.r-distrcssTul taking of Constantinople by the infidel Turks.". Within an hour the same (jilicinj had to receive aTurkish deputation which desired permission to fii'o the cannons on the following Tuesday by way of celebrating "the ever-glorious taking of ■ Co.nst.antinoplo by the true of the prophet?' The official decided to grant the _ required • permission to both parties, as an American paper points out in chronicling, the incident, it says' much for.the prestige of the British. Government abroad that the rival celebrations took place without: the'.least disturbance. One cannot help ■ thinking, however, of some recent happenings in Belfast. The _ British .Government's steady'' majority, of over 100 on Jthe divisionsin Committee on thd Home Rule Bill has been suddenly and sensationally dislocated.,. An amendment moved at Clauss 14 by Sir Frederick Ban* iitnttr restricting to £2,500,000 a year the payments to Ireland out_ of the Imperial Exchequer was carried on a snap division by,.228,:t0;20-fr, Snap, divisions' are as a/riilc not treated Very seriously nowada'y/s/rjya' British Government, but there are. .rifcUmsfcarices here'wiiieh. make, it easy, to understand that by ■ moving the adjournment the Prime Minister jre-. garded the reverse .asagfrave matter. The carrying of the main financial resolution by 320 votes" to; I'Sl'waS . cabled, last. week, -together, with'.the ' news that 10 Liberal .members' had joined in' a memorandum pi protest against Clauses 15 and 16,' It would ,'appear, .therefore, that the carrying of Sin Frederick B'Ajvßuiiv's. amende ■'merit was due in part to, Liberal desertions to the other" side-..- As the financial clatises are'of 'the..highest' importance, and -as' .g're : a't care', hajs been taken, throughout by.;tha'(JbY? ernmeht to keep its'supporters" .on hand, the absence .ofearjy considerable number of the party -is highly significants opinion lias never taken , ;k'indly : 'to./the idea : that Ireland should,, in ■■■Addition to legislative independence, .'receive-.- a,heavy- subsidy, .from; the/English taxpayer. By making'altera'tions'in.the other financial machinery',.'■t.hp.G.oV- : eriiment may nullify- the effect of.- Sir. J?R'EpEiiiaK amendment, but: the-, defeat, .will severely shake;. the ; Government's' position, and will perha'rjs hasten th'e ■ ■granting of such concessions. tb.Eng-. I'ish ■ and Unionist opinion ■ : as : Swill' ■ make the Bill of small value, in Mr, iREDJiONn's eyes; Itiis iHenoufch that' the Bill i tiiwygfojji It has never been'voted Upon by the people, and it never, can-be, the Loads' veto being destroyed; and it has been introduced; i'n"',j'ust..'thosej circumstances which Mr.. .Gladstone said were perilous^'to, tho... Kingdom and.the Empire. "At'the very least the Government requires 1 great and steady' majority in £he; 'B[ouEe-' to mitigate these facts. And. here it is/ actually in a-minority/on -tlieV vital financial issue involved. ,