The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-06-13 00:00:00

Ett stottriribge Obserber,

SATURDAY, JUNE 13th 1885

TIP -POLITICAL DEADLOCK.

Tut unexpected defeat of the Gladstone
Government on the question of how their
financial obligations should be discharged,
plunges the -.country into one of those pol-
iti!ml crisis. Which arc so much deplored.
Lietil the issues between parties have been
so fa. settled.as to give us a Ministry with
a working majority at the head of affairs,
legislature is certain to remain at a virtual
standstill ; and with the deadlock of the pol-
itical Machinery "there will be an accompany
stagnation of trade. This is a matter of more
moment to the man whose judgement is not
warped by political prejudices than the mere
question of Liberal or Tory dominance in the
cotincils of the nation. Nowadays one can
well afford to be an Englishman first and a
politiean afterwards—if, indeed, it is really
necessa. ry to pin one's faith to party at all.
The actual difference between the practical
statesman who 'professes Liberalism and his
nominal opponent who takes his stand under
the banner of Conservatism has grown less
and less of late years. The policy of each
has to be shaped to meet the people's will
and the result is that the measures proposed
by either set of legislators are very much
alike. Government by the people is an ac-
complished fact, and he aim of the Ministers
in office is to make their acts acceptable to
the country at large, and so continue at the
head of aelministrative affairs. The enjoy-
ment of the pleasures of office can only thus
. be assured. England is so satisfied with its
grand' constitution that it wishes for no al-
teration which would do violence to the 1831-
ings of any considerable componet part of the
realm. The changes rendered necessary by
changing Time may be brought about
smoothly and without danger of anything
akin to a revolution. So much of wisdom
in the glorious past been exercised by the
makers of England's greatness that Parlia-
ment to-day is a mighty institution existing
to work out the behests of the sovereign
power of public opinion. Instead of the
old order of thinks, in which Government
governed the people and that not always in
strict equity, now Parliament is ruled by
the people. Right is the real ruler; and the
difference between any combinations of
ftatesmen who could gain and continue to
hold the lead in matters of natural legisla-
tion and,control consists simply in a diver-
gence of opinion as to which is the best
method, of reaching the common goal of
right and justice: to all mankind on which
the eye of England is happily fixed. And
even those differences with regard to steering
the ship of State along its fixed course grow
smaller andrless important every year. The
honest and capable Conservative and the sin-
cere and skilfurLiberal, when they become
Ministers of the Crown. are so much alike
that it mattets little which is "in" and
which is "out". A war of words goes on
between -the two in Parliament, on the
public -platform, and through the yet wider
medium of the press, it is true. But analyse it
and what do you find? It is a ceasiess
struggle for the sweets of office. The splen-
did efforts of political oratory, the brilliant
endeavours of " debate; the subtlety of the
mckt artful argument, the craft of misre-
presentation, and the onsaults of abuse which
grace or disgrace the arena of politics, are
but weapons forced to fight for the dazzling
delight of grasping the golden keys of State.
Hour after hour of Parliament's precious
time is frittered away in thus pandering to
the exigences of party, and the wbile the
work'of legislation waits. Instead of con-
centrating their talents upon a joint endeav-
our. to attain the end in view in the wisest
way, the ablest men of the day waste their
strength in truculent attacks upon each
other, or in defending themselves from the
Aerce assaults of rival politicians. Macau-
laY, in his glorious lays of ancient Rome,
sang of a time in the history of the Empire,
which once ruled the world when "none were
for a party," when "all for the state." How
the thoughtful Englishman who disdains the
babble of contending political partisans longs
. for the establishment of such a golden age
"-,Oi statecraft as the poet tells us in such
glowing language existed in the "brave days
of old!" Would that we could fling for ever
away the sin by which the angels fell, for
man can never, as another immortal bard
has truthfully asserted, hope to win by it,
For months we shall be in a national tur-
moil, with our magnificent machinery of gov
ernment grinding as it were the wind, and
all because a narrow majority declares that
the party in office has proposed to recruit its
treasury in an imprudent manner. Such
trifles as these are made the pretext at inter-
vals of every few years for the defeat of
Governments and the succession of Opposi-
tions to power, and the bulk of the time be-
tween is taken up by an interminable striv-
ing to hasten on the exchange of party so -
pi•emacy. It would be a happy day for
, E ngland, aErreed as she is that all her national
doings shall be based upon principals of in-
tegrity if she could devise some expedient for
diVesting herself of the impediments to a
continuous legish.tiva progress which from
time to. time bring About a political deadlock
like the present. An-unbiassed mind cannot
but be grievously affected at the sight of
• gifted statesmen of the high capacity of Mr.
Gladstone and the late Lord Beaconsfield,
• expending the best years of their lives in
holding together a political party instead of
'Consecrating their undivided attention and
* masterly intellectual endowments to the ser-

vice of the country which has so proudly
' claimed thorn as her own. When politicans
ivercless honest a great gulf separated the
party, whicir - ruled
.by might or favour,
or a temporary adhererice to an acceptably
rightful policy, but the gap has disappeared.
The statesmen of the present dm() remain so
by virtue of faithfully adapting their action
- to reflect the desire of the people who p!aced
them in power ; and hence we find Lib(ral
and conservative- agreeing upon so vexed a-
.qn es tion as Parliamentary representation.
Whichever party henceforth hods office it
:will be brit to execute the commands of the
" nation,
.and those commands are given forth
with no uncertain sound ; so that whether a
, Whig 'or a Tory be Prime Minister there can
•_ be little real difference in the doings and at-
titnde of the nation. Why then should we
_ have such oft-rocu; ring leg.islative deadlocks
• daring which all Eng'and rs occupied with
• witnessing the struggle of political pla,eemen
and seekers after office?

Coco! -...GRATC rut AND COMFORTING— fly
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znAkors of &pole') Chocioldte Essence.

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