The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1884-03-25 00:00:00

Burnt Conutti Ewen,

DOROHISTICH, MARCH 25th, 1161.

THE PREMIER.

Even • slight slimiest in the eye of Mr. Gladstone
erns • kind of panic in political circles: what the
elf eat of embus illness 'midi be Ills alarming almost
to ociatemplate. And securing, as indisposition does
Jost now, his arra" from the House of Commons,
it is a grave misfortune for the c euntry. The session
Is hurry* on, the important measures heralded at
the commencement Sr. barely introduced, and the
ettbstraos of obstruction, if not the form, already
blocks the way to anything but the simplest Parlia-
mentary work. Everyone intoner 1 in the progress
of legislation will hops now that the Premier is
obliged to rest awhile for the purpose of recruiting his
health, that the interval will be of short duration,
sod there are few, we apprehend, no matter what
their political creed, who will not wiah the boot for
Ike version Merman himself. Apart, however,
from present inconvenience, a aaaaa consideration
pressen itself In the thought that, having regard to
Mr. Gladstone's peat age, an arrangement should at
roe be err whereby the strain which he now has to
bear might be in some degree lightened. His strength,
aspirin/1y of late, has appeared to be Herculean; his
oratorical ability has Deemed to be undiminished. At
no
period of his Collirar has his eloquence shown more
genius than during the debates of the present Session,
and the one immediately preceding. Physical power
apparesitly warn not wanting, and yet thus is evident*
aow that it may hays been too severely tried. An
obvious curds presents itself ; his lieutenants should
take more work upon their shoulders. We are quite
aware them is on their part no lack of willing ore
Thor who are °errs of nadir have only margined
trough, se we think, • too sensitive desire not to
supersede a Girl whose foremost poetic° hes been *es
long esterUshed and so suocrefully maintalsed.
There are 111 least three men in the Cabinet, either
one of whose might act as Regent in the absence of
re titular chief. The Marquis of Harlington, of
WORM is the arra deputy, and he could perform
Mire dries without nesting dieturbanos or eery.
Whether Mr. Gladstone' absence from pritral life
be loft or short, some such arrangement as we suggest
it positively needful, if Use wheels of Parliament are
SO revolve with any degree of smoothens,. Mr.
fiftadehons will never War himself sway from political
meek ; while there is • grain of physical strength
to his ocearitution he will give to his omustry
his thee and his taint. But his friends and
advisees, ansoregot whom may be Worded MI his col-
leagues, meld take Are that he performed the mini-
mum 'Mbar than the sada= of labour. He
betrodemed the Franchise Bill; and • marvellous fast
it wr but was there no or else who could have
undertaken the task We venture to think that
either Lord Hartington, air Charles Dilks, or Mx.
Chemberrin would hays proved • worthy substitute.
even though the proposals might not have been dried
to Isagnage (pre so effective. We scarcely me the
rogrity of compelling the Premier to reply to the
multiplicity el questions which night Maar night are
put to him by individual* whew talente are confined
to their pertinacity. This part of the Prime Minister's
duty might with advantage be undertaken by others,
Oven though the Premier might not, like Mr Glad-
stone, have roared the rioted age of man. The hints
we have thrown out, if unpalatable to some, will no
doubt be approved of by those who desire that the
nation should have the benefit of the longest possible
services of an almost indispensable inanOnnan.