The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-01-15 00:00:00

COMMENTS ON CURRENT NEWS

THE re-construction of the Cabinet has
occupied attention in political circles of late I
almost exclusively. The somewhat startling
resignation of Lord Randolph Churchill was
followed by other sensations. First, there
was the offer of the Chancellorship of the
Exchequer to Lord Hartington. This was
refused. Then the gossips learned that Mr.
Goschen had, with the consent of the leader
of the Liberal Unionists, accepted the vacant
post. After this followed the disturbing in-
telligence that, for some unexplained reason,
Lord Iddesleigh's services were, in an official
sense, to be lost to his Premier. The Marquis
of Salisbury himself went to his old post at
the Foreign Office; and when two Whig
peers had rejected the offer of Cabinet rank,
the Education Minister, Sir Henry Holland,
was exalted to the control of the Colonial
office. Mr. Stanhope takes charge of the
War Department, and Mr. Smith', as First
Treasury Lord, leads the Commons. It now
remains to be seen whether the going out of
Lord Randolph Churchill and the Earl of
Idclesleigh will so weaken the Conservative
camp as to render it unable to withstand a
fierce onslaught of 61-ladstonian and IParnel-
lite forces. Both the eminent statesmen
who have left Lord Salisbury's side have yet
to make their full explanation, if they deem
that course desirable; but as matters stand,
it is understood that each is loyal to the main
points of their party programme, and will
not lend assistance in any way to the attacks
of opposing politicians. Conservatives of all
shades, despite the strength gained by Mr.
Goschen going into office, lock anxiously
upon the situation, and Liberals are inclined
to be exultant at the prospect of affairs from
party view point. Should the "round
table conference" between the Radical leaders
now not acting together end in an under-
standing, a political crisis will become im-
minent, and there will be no security against
a Ministerial defeat, and another spell of
election excitement. From the non-party
view-point this would be lamentable, for
legislation stands still while parties are fight-
ing out the question of supremacy. And
politicians of every shade of thinking are
agreed that there are plenty of questions
crying aloud for Parliamentary settlement.
It is a sad pity, all must confess, that so
much public attention and intellectual vigour
should be consumed upon the party altar.
Perhaps some day in the distant good time
coming, the conflicts of Conservative and
Liberal, of Tory and Radical, may cease, and
legislators, of every class and station, set
themselves to jointly facilitate the evolution
of measures for the general good. Oh! for
the time when the "carpet-bagger" and the
professional politician shall be known no
more for ever, and the honest patriot shall
occupy their places at St. Stephen's Then
the eternal strife of party will cease, and not
till then.

A VIGOROUS attempt is being made in Lon-
don by the Local Government Board to find
work for the unemployed in keeping the
streets in order. This is unskilled labour
in which any poor unfortunate man may
engage daring enforced abstention from the
employment most familiar to him, and as
few towns have their roads and footways so
well kept as to be incapable of improvement,
the idea might be brought with advantage
into operation all over the ccuntry. The
central authority will not, it seems, place any
improper impediments in the way of neces-
sary works which will give many poor, hard-
up artificers and day labourers amnch-needed
job. Of course there would not be any in-
ducement in such temporary public works
for men to relax their efforts to get back to
their accustomed employment; but a system
of this sort, well and wisely worked through-
out the country, is capable of stilling the cry
of distress, and at the same time mending
the public ways in a manner most desir-
able.

SIR EDWAZD CLARE said the other day at
Plymouth that the law of newspaper libel
needed a good deal of. amendment and codi-
fication, and so far everyone interested in the
subject will agree with him. It is not at all
time safe.for an editor to reproduce, accord-
inf., to existing statates, what is in bona fids
public meetings; and though the matter is
one which admits of two readings, all will
feel that some alteration, is needful. Sir
Edward holds, however, that a report ought
to be given at length, that is, verbatim, or
not at all. each an utterance from one who
is a practical Pressman as well as a lawyer
is somewhat surprising. The newspaper
editor's function is to give in his columns
intelligence of everything that has actually
transpired which will be interesting to his
readers, and proof that a thing has been said
or done should be admitted as always justi-
fying publication. The editor might be
trusted, if he were worthy of his profession,
to strike out anything hurtful to public
morality or improperl c attacking a person's
private character; indeed, an enactment
might be made, if deemed necessary, to hold
him to his duty in this respect.. The con-
sequences of a malicious slander ought, how-
ever, to fall upon its perpetrator, not recoil
on the head, of an innocent chronicler of
public utterance. The Solicitor-General will,
we trust, have the opportunity he hopes for
of introducing a bill into the House upon
thisin
a m
s %bat
sfaotri s
)iy
la.wsotaftle.)il:A 7._ certainly

0
THE poor Balg iandelegateg—though as,
rega.ds their personal reception they have
no Cause of complaint aglinst England, at
any rate—are. faring badly in an official
sense in their bold endeavour to elicit the
sympathy of foreign. They get snubbed
everywhere,. and it does not seem very likely
that, after all, any other course will be loft
that Of their peace
Russia,
and
openwith . 01•71. conditions
of rule as combined Europe eventually agrec-s
to allow the disturbed Balkan State. And
there appears no disposition on the part of
any European 'country to step out and tell
the Czar he shall not interfere. The weak
will havo:to go to the wall, after the old
.ashion, once k.;alit in history.

• PENSE-PUDDDIG is ft small mitter for a
newFpaper commentator to concern himself
sl Ain, but when the improper preparation of
that generally nutritious concoction of the
kitchen poisons a hundred people, it becomes
lair subject for consideration. The moral
if the story of the agricultural dinner- at
Carlisle, whew the peas for the pudding
which so largely interfered with the tenants
stomachs had been softened with, soda, is
that that mineral, if not quite pure, must
not be used as a solvent for food stuffs in-
tended for Luman consumption. There are
many more things on earth than our philo-.
sophy has cognisance of, and we deem the
simple leon taught by the humble °Umber-
'hind banqtli.t worth a word here. Happy
none of the'rucu.l hundred snc •umbed to the
diareibie ilLies vhici th 13(d). of doubt.
ful quality or oxeassive quantity 000asioned,