The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1883-05-01 00:00:00

butt en* Expreoo.

DORCHFSTER, MAY lit, 1883.

Mr. Glided ,ns'e magnificent speech on the Atllrma- !
tioa Bill is believed to have 'Aomori several votes,
es elect which is seldom pnxlisoed even by his rhetoric. ,
If the matter were to In decided upon 10410, it is
diffiealt to erosive how any real answer could be
fired to the arguments; 3f the Attorney -General and
the Premier. Bat, of course, In this. as In in set
political disputes, senoimmet ha" a larger share then
logic, and, whilst the Government measore abstract-
edly considered might per with small objection. It is
heavily handicapped by the incubus of Mr. Braellangh's
personality and the objection which ia entertained to
affording him • signal triumph. The Bill will puss,
that at tenet seems to be the prevalent impreedon.
Woo& it can oot even yet be said to he beyond doubt.
AU dreads upon the number of liberals who will
*herr from voting. Only one or two will absolutely
vote against the Government. It is represented as •
part of the Ministerial policy to leave the bulk of the
talklag to the Opposition. The Whir are alletud to
have enjoined silence upon the rank-rd.fill of the
party, so that the debate may be expodited. But on
ordinary contagion' such • mandals would be somewhat
resented; in the prowl ors It is almost needle's.
Few private members are anxious to ch =pion Mr.
Beedlargh even in appearance, and wool I prefe•
giving • silent vote to direct *lrons -y of • cause
which is admittedly unpopular with • portion of every
constituency.

The dissirreemeut of the jury utrin the 1030114 trial
of Kelly ha; naturally been the subject of serf ,tia
observation in all circler. It woul I, no doubt, rive
~at offence to the Irish Party. an I it would *appear
highly invidious, if the Government were at th's
Pisani', to exercise its power to direct Irish criminal
trials to be heard before • oommission of Judger
without priors. But many think this cower may yet
have to be Eve 'nod to. livery juror who concurs in
a verdict of guilty Is exposed to peril. Ho may be
protected for • while, but only for • while, whereas
the judges have to be protected in any caw, and their
verdicts weld not expose them to any worm evils than
they are alrealy expoesd to.

The acceptance by the Government of Sir Wilfrid
Lawson's resolution In favour of Lxal Option, sad
Bair pledge to give effect to the resolution, IN
another proof of the extraordinary adraeas of the
Temperate and Temperance Party. Bine Ribbosism
bas VOID up in the social scale, and with the Duchess
of Westminster and Lady Wolooley coming f,x card
be wear the blue and sport the medal, we shall Sod •
amber of waverer. some in, who only waited till
society had set its brand mark on the movement.
Indeed, we should say that the chief danger which the
Temperas°, Moverneet Is exposed to at present Is
from too great esociee, not from too fieroe opposition.
Temperance reformer. have to beware when all men
speak well of them. It is the mark of the false
prophet. The metal reformer has &leap to keep
ahead of public opinion, and wh public opinion
overtekes him end applaud. his sayings. he le in
danger of falling asleep under the fumes of flattery.
The victory of Sir Wilfrid Lawson on Friday night
will be bails I wile delight by the tensp.rance
advocates of the country. The question si w is how
far the HOW/ Secretary's speech on local option o
Friday night pledged the Government to Sir Wilfrid
Lawson's views on that question. The Tonei remarks
that Sir Wilfrid has asked fort >cal option, and be is
to have it, but is sub a Alava and under such con
-
dittoes that the fulfilment of the promise of the
Government will leave him almost as far as ever from
the real object he has been struggling for. The
Mall oa.4fe., on the other hand, biller°, that legisla-
tion, when it does c 'me, wdl pretty certainly v
beyond the point at which the Ministerial leaders now
stand. The principle of local option has now been
three times adopted by the present House of C memons.
In 1880, Sir Wilfrid Lawson's in 'don was c.rrie 1 by
229 to 203 a majority of 26. In 1881, the majority
rose to 42, the numbers beings 193 to 131; sod on
Friday night the mai erity increased to 87, the
numbers being VS to 141.

the creation of an Airion'tural Dtpartment tile

Government hey* cleverly evadel a difitcu,ty.
Whether they Dave solved it is not certain. The
Preeident of the C mann has already saftlient
misoellane ,ne duties to perform, and am,ng.t them
some belong to the cite' which w old naturally ap:eter-
-

tain t Us; Dtpartmint of Agriculture. Toe Ch
cello, of the Duchy is now yoked with him as j Ant.
Preeklent of the new Departmont, because he has
little or nothing to do in hi. own. It lee character-
istically English proceeding to maintain existing
otiose anti titles and invest them with now functions.
One woniers why the almost purely ornamental poet
of the Chancellorship was not relegated to the rank
which it has often occupied of a non• Cabinet appoint-
mast, aryl why Mr. Dodson was not frankly entitled
Minister of Agriculture, relieving the Privy Council
altogether of its oversight of the cattle trade and
similar matters. The present arrangement se in,
timidly tentative, and will be looked on as a mere
makeshift. A b,lder plan need not surely hsve
Involved greater expense.