The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1872-07-27 00:00:00

Our fonbon sEorrtspontnt.
we deem it right to state that we tlis sot at all Mama
kientity ourselves vita ear Serrespoadeat's opleiont)

The lesiiiet Po}..:iic question now is—not, as the late
Doke of Wel_angto" n used to say, "how is the Queen's
Goeenor.ent to be carried on r but how is the
Hoeeonment to get through the business that must
,"..e done, and dismiss right hon. and hon. member'
to the business of pleasure. Mr. Gladstone last
Friday moved " that opus Tuesday nett and
every succeeding Tuesday during the remainder of
the session " certain rules should b„ adopted to
facilitate the dispatch of parliamentary business, and
of course his motion was agreed to. Briefly this
resolution may be. described as shutting out private
members from all opportunities of furthering any bills
they may have undertaken, and giving to Government
the whole of the time of Parliament. Private members
May naturally grumble at this, but the public cannot
but regard the resolution as reasonable. When the
session will positively terminate is at the moment of
writing matter of speculation, but probably Mr. Glad-
stone himself does not know. When moving the
solution referred to, he expressed a hope that the session
would be brought to a close within three weeks from that
date, and the probability is that this hope will be
realised; but a few days more or less will certainly not
make much difference to the general public. I shall
not indulge in that dreary performance a," review of the
session," which always seems to be undertaken with
foregone conclusions, but will just remark that the
dying session when it shall have died out will un-
doubtedly prove to be an eventful one. Let the
thoughtful reader study the probable effects of say a
half-dozen of the more important bills—including the
Ballot, Licensing, and Public Health Bills—and he
will inevitably come to this conclusion. Just another
remark. The tirstmentioned Act (for it is an Act
now) will probably prove of considerable importance
In its tendency towards effecting a dissolution of
Parliament Everybody seems more or leas =dons to
see how it will work. The present House of Commons
was elected in November and December 1868. Previous
to that time there was a general anxiety to see how
the household and lodger franchise woad act, and
I think the general [feeling has been one of surprise
that the new franchise made so little difference. It is
quite possible that in due time a similar opinion will
be expressed with regard to the working of the Ballot
The safest remark one can make on the subject—put.
ting it delicately in hackneyed French—is now
ravens.

It might have been thought that the Premier, of all
people in the world, would have had enough of politi-
cal labours by the time the session is over, and would
like to repose and refresh himself during the recess.
But it seems that early in October he is to visit Ire-
land, in company with Lord Spencer and Mr. Bright,
and that Mr. Gladstone will address meetings in
eeveral large towns of the Emerald Isle. Well, it is
very kind of him—kind to Ireland and kind to the
rest of the United Kingdom, for be will give journalists
something to write about and the public something to
talk about during a dull period of the recess.
It having been stated that Mr. Bright would not
again offer himself to the electors of Birmingham, I am
glad to see the statement authoritively contradicted.
People of all shades of political opinion respect the
rigid hon. gentleman, however some of them may
idler from his views. In fact we cannot afford to lose
Mr. Bright just yet, and I am sure that the public
generally will be glad to find him next session taking
his seat in the House of Commons and sharing in its
debates. If his health be hut spared, 61 is certainly
too early an age to retire from public life.
"A Woman Householder "writes to say that having
refuseil "to pay Queen's taxes, as a protest against
the injustice which women householders suffer in being
excluded from Parliamentary representation," and
that consequently her goods have been seized upon for
the amount due, £6 Ifs. 3d., and that they will be sold
by auction. But what could the lady. expect! The
polite and amiable gentlemen who do us the honour to

;oollect the Queen's taxes cannot enter into protests
against not being represented in Parliament. Shylock
mast have his pound of flesh, without any reference to
politics.

News of the outbreak and spread of foot and mouth I
disease among cattle in some of the "home counties,"
as they are strangely called, together with the in-
creasing price of meat, ought to give special import-
ance to the letter of Professor Gaingee, one of our
most experienced veterinary surgeons, on "cattle
plagues and the price of meat." He urges that in the
present critical state of affairs the fittest men should be
chosen and trusted to save the country in a time of dire
necessity; that we should have no quackery; and
that those who know most of cattle plagues should be
galled upon to deal with them untrammelled by red
tape, and unmolested by well-paid dabblers in cattle
disease prevention. This seems reasonable enough, and
it is to be hoped that Parliament will have time before
It separates ((Pr rid on the 10th of August), to devAe
attention to this most urgent matter.
" 'Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown," and one

sauce of uneasiness must be the fear of assassination
However loyal and devoted a people at large may be,
there is likely enough to be some one madman or
politica enthusiast who, in some unexpected and
unguarded moment, attempts a Sovereign's life.
Mao attempt to assassinate the young King and Queen
el Spain recalls to mind how many monarchs have
either been assassinated or had their lives attempted.
Wlibout chronicling these, we remember, with crati-
M her escape, how the life of our own good
Queen has been thrice attempted ; and how the Czar
of Alois, the Emperors of Germany and Austria,
and the ex-Emperor of the French, have been min.-
derwaely attacked, and always unsuccessfully. The
" ling "in Hamlet says,—
There's such divinity doth edge a kingl
That treason can but peep to what it would;

but history will not bear out this right royal remark.
If any one will take the trouble to see how many kings
and queens have been murdered—say from the time
when Julius Creear was aassesina,ed in the Senate
House—it will soon be seen that monarchs do not bear a
charmed life. As to this last attempt at regicide, it is
matter of universal congratulation that the young
royal couple have escaped from the deadly designs of
the bend of villains who sought their lives. Unhappy
pain! She is always being tortured with plots and
with counterplote. The young King Amadeus virtually
received his crown at the hands of Marshal Prim, and
on the very day that the king entered his own dominions,
Prim died of wounds that 118811.68108 had given him. It
Is to be hoped that thin last attempt at assassination will
but serve to bring out more strongly the loyalty and
affection of the Spaniards to their constitutional
Sovereign, for he well deserves it. What were the
causes of this last attempt at regicide do not at present
appear, but it is evident that they were rather politi-
sal than personal. Three of the party of assassins
have been arrested, and 27 persona suspected of com-
plicity are in custody, so that the murderous attack
would appear to have been part of a great conspiracy.
It seems probable that this abortive attempt at murder
will have the effect of rendering the young King and
Queen increasingly popular, and their reception
wherever they have gone since thin startling event has
been of the most enthusiastic character.
Strikes are spreading, and we cannot now take up a
paper without finding that this or that trade, or clam
of employ es have either struck or are demanding an
increase of pay or a decrease of work. The clerks in
the Railway Clearing House have memorialised their
employers, urging that the cost of living has largely
increased since their salaries were arranged, and this
fact certainly cannot be disputed. The selfsame argu-
ment is used by other bodies of the employed, but
they appear to forget that the increased cost of living
also presses severely on the middle classes in whose
ranks the employers of labour are to be found. The
middle classes are now indeed severely feeling the
pressure of heavy rates and taxes, and heavy prices
for food, fuel, clothing, Ac. Affairs are indeed be-
coming serious for all below the really wealthy. It is
quite ten. tnat the increaaei cost of living is a good
season why salaries and wages should be rained, but it is
equally true that the raising of wages enhances the
cost of living, and so does a diminution in tne hours of
labour. ineriased pay to the working classes of course
gives them Mecca, ' .iurchasing power, thus increasing
the competition for commodities, and thus raising their
lobe; while a diminution in the period of labour
essens produc Con (this is especially the case in regard
to the coal supply), and that also tends to raise the
price of commodities. So that altogether the position
of affairs is really somewhat alarming, especially as
the prices continue to go higher and higher. I was
the other evening in the company of several trades•
men ; we chatted about the topic of the day, and they
all agreed that during the approaching winter the
suit of housekeeping will be so serious that it must
eulmilutte in severe distress to the poor. They may
not know much about it, but at all events this opinion
I. by no means peculiar to themselves.
The announcement that on the day of the national
Temperance League at it, Crystal Palace no msoai.
eating liquors would be aoid at any of the bars in the
palace or grounds is nr.w convincing proof of what we
know from other sources—that the teetotal party is
becoming very strong it this country. Opinions will
widely differ as to the propriety of this course of action.
By some it may be urged that it was only consistent
with their principles that the League should stipulate
that intoxicat,g liquo a should not be sohl on thisday,
and that as thy knies they could secure this stipula-
tion by infesting on lt, it would have been very been.
sietent not to do so, and thus make the "temperance"

demonstration a potent fact. By otisis it iosy be
urged that se the members of the League would of
mune demand no intoxicating liquors, the prohibition
which they have sumeeded in obtaining coulii only be
for visitors who might not agree with them, and that
such action is arbitrary. But at any rate it must
be admitted that barring intoxicating drinks from
"the palace of the people's pleamues," even for one
day, is a proof that the Leave is more powerful than
ever it wee.