The Helena Independent

The notorious Marquis of Queensberry again figures in a sensation which has aroused a good deal of interest "across the pond." The "markis" is after Lord Rosebery with a sharp stick this time and declares his intention of assaulting this person of Mr. Gladstone's secretary for foreign affairs in a certain contingency. It seems that the grievance of the marquis is that his son, formerly Viscount Drumlanrig, has been made an earl without his being consulted in the matter at all. He said that he had written repeated letters on this subject to Lord Rosebery, but they had been ignored. He had also addressed complaints to Queen Victoria, the Prince of Wales and Mr. Gladstone and had been gracefully "turned down" by each of these worthies in a manner that only increased his wrath against Rosebery.

One would think that, as a rule, a nobleman would not object to honors being bestowed upon his eldest son. But there is a history in this case. There are 16 peerages in Scotland. Forty-eight of the members sit in the house of lords in virtue of being peers of the United Kingdom, Scotland having a total representation of 16 in the upper chamber at Westminster, and the 16 who do not sit by virtue of being English peers have to be elected by the Scotch peers in conclave assembled at Holyrood palace at the beginning of a new parliament. The Marquis of Queensberry was one of the representative Scotch peers until 1880, when he was deprived of his seat because he had publicly announced himself to be a free thinker and a believer in free love theories. In 1886 the marquis made a gallant fight for re-election, but the feeling against him on account of his supposed renunciation of Christianity was too strong, and he was beaten.

Viscount Drumlanrig was born in 1867. His title was a courtesy one. When Lord Rosebery was chosen by Mr. Gladstone his secretary of foreign affairs last year, young Drumlanrig was appointed by the earl as his private secretary, and later he created him a peer under the title of the Earl of Drumlanrig. As the young earl will sit in the house of lords, an honor which is denied to his father, the reason for the marquis' indignation is not hard to understand.

To the ill will of Lord Rosebery the marquis attributes the slight which has been put upon him. "I mean to show Lord Rosebery up, and I will," he said. "He escaped me at Homburg by shutting himself up in his rooms or never going out without a bodyguard and by having my quarters surrounded by policemen. But still I think I gave him a moral black eye, and the time will come when he will receive a still more effectual one. I will not rest until I have brought the matter to a head, and if an assault on the person of Lord Rosebery is necessary-why, I am prepared to commit that assault. You see, my intention is to 'show up' Lord Rosebery publicly, and possibly my only chance of doing so is to force him to bring me up before the law courts for assault."