The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-07-10 00:00:00

THE GENERAL ELECTION.

• T.T. this week- thei-zttie of• the booths
.plee to -(•:::eleion of ftln,:st all
nte.l.ust, eveTT
ians and TTnionists Liberals, Parnellitps a7),1
Couiutlitstv-['orght the isttes '
betwer, them at the Lallot-b--,x, r,nd gre:?.
has been the consequent excitement. The
mist remarkable thing concerning the con-
tests so far has been the large number of
burgesses who have refrained from record-
ing their votes. At the outset the Prime
Ainister desaribed his appeal to the coun-
try as "the people's" battle, but immense
!limbers of the people have refused to heir
the call to action. TLis, of corn se, is in a
q'rPat measure due to the split in the Lib-
eral camp—many party men hesitating to
vote against their leader when personal
conviction prevents their endorsing his
policy on the question before the country.
Exactiv the same register is used as was
employed last November, though deaths
and removals have somewhat affected the
aggregate. We imagine that the closeness
with which the present contest falls upon
the heels of the last general election has
something to do with. the abstentions. An
occasional appearance at the polling booth
satisfies the ordinary Briton ; he does not
care to be always exercising his prerogative.
The recent feeling of the ''People's" politi-
cal pulse, to, which tested the strength and
condition of the votine• pre-
has served to bring abont an enormoes
number of unopposed returns. To this
there can be no exception tak,:.:n, fer no
good can come of expending money on
electoral struggles without prospect of af-
fecting the representation The turin:‘il
and cost of contest might have been spare'i
in a great many of those constituencies in
which pollinzs have taken place if the local
leaders had been able to regard the chances
,v ith judicious calculation beforehand.
Those who have been actually engaged in,
1r who have come into contact with others
a'igaged in --i'the conflict political, have
-ia.rl excitement enough, bat apathy
flllen upon not a few who before time
'-nistlei about at electiontide with enerz...-
f4'ully sixty per cent. of the Liberal st-ene-'.
'tits left die party ranks since last year,
a four per cert. reduction of the Conserva-
tive voting power is shown also Yet the
question referred to the people's tribunal
is a most momentous one, and vexes the
soul of the land. It seems certain, as thes,
lines are written, that the constituencii,.
will not now 'reverse the decision of the
House of Commons with regard to 1.11,
'Nfinisterial Irish policy. The voters do no-
manifest any more ability than members of
Parliament to support an attempt to settle
the Irish question on the basis favoured by
Government. The changes involved—epee,
from the narrow aspect of partizanship—
are too great and sweepinc, to be accept-No
at a bound, even by people not careful !o
think too deeply as to how statesmen lci,d
them. The result of the elections, judged
by the position now that the great bulk of
the pollings are past, an but be cwlfnsi,ni
of the political situation, and perhaps
dead lock in all Parliamentary proceedine-
for some time, complicated by renewed Trish
disaffection outside the doors of St. Stephen':,
The air will be fall of talk of Coalition, and
all manner of rumours as to negotiations r. -
ga,rding the conduct of public affairs, aiLl
the movements and utterances of t7-v- polit i
cal chiefs will float til..r.ugh the zwe, r
, weeks to come. And :leuhl;ess
alit party will do its best to
Trish autoaomy which is its declio•-•'.
either by independent action or by alliance
with those English politicians Nillo`..' eid
may be the most valuable for the t:rae bein;
judged from the Parne'Llite standpoini-.
Why cannot S:MII3 agreement be arrived
between Gladstoniane, Liberal Unionists.
Conservatives, and Parnellites, for joint
9.ction to the end of giving Ireland the
lar4est measure of freedom to control her
local affairs consonant with the concensie•
of opinion of the United Kingdom which
may be gathered from the utterances of the
laud? No one believes that there is any
enral desire to nnjmny :-leA with
Ireland is the stainnEi;: ,:tno in the path
of British legislation. 411 members of
Parliament, if honest and truer to patriot-
ism than party, should now make common
cause in an endeavour to clear away the
impediment. Itis areflection on the cal:bre
of our statesmanship that the difficulty lies
so long undissipated. If the Parnellit--.; de-
mand be beyond the bounds of equity then
the response must be shorn with the strict
shears of Right. No aggregation of men
making an unrighteous claim could stand
ai,rainst a firm combination of members of
P...rliament of every shade of thought on
other matters, bound together by the reso-
lution to render Ireland justice. This is
the only practicable way out of the Irish
difficulty. If we do not move in that direc-
tion we shall have confusion at Westminster
disturbances in Ireland, and an exasperating
continuance of the imminence of the ever-
present Hibernian crux. Agitation will
thrive apace, and the professional agitator
grow fat because of the briskness in Lie line
of business. We shall have Government
defeat following Governirent defeat, and
appeal after appeal to the country; and in
short, ceaseless political turmoil and excite:
znent. A;righteous compact could easily
ariange a righteous settlement, all
bat the unrighteous con!.', '43-7-ece.
•
teous coercion might then be applial to the
unrighteous with an effective and rinfa,it!..--
ing hand, and Ireland be happy and Britain
•at rest.