The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1887-06-11 00:00:00

COMMENTS ON CURRENT NE*

Mn. STANLEY LEIGHTON has done well to
put point-blank before the House of Com-
mons the grave state of public business, and
the country generally will be gratified
should his action lead to any amendment in
the sit tiation. Ireland blocks the way in
all things to an extent which is now nothing
sliort of scandalous, for however grievous the
aFfairs of that perennially distressful portion
of the 'United Kingdom may be, it is cer-
t unly sii,mefal that therefrom such a politi-
cii dead'ock should be permitted to arise
that every matter pert-lining to all the rest
of the land has to stand aside, be legislation
thereanent never so urgently needed. What-
ever be the verdict of the representatives. of
the people upon Mr. Leighton's proposition
that sadly too much time has already been
F pent, upon the consideration of theCrunes
Bill, there will scarcely be much want of
unanimity in the opinion of the public on
the subject. This perplexing Irish problem
ought now to be lifted out of the hopeless
region of party strife; and dealtlwith broadly,
seriously, and soberly by statesmen of every
shade of thought in one united and deter-
mined effort. It is a sorry sight to see such
an assemblage of able political professors,
all protesting their desire to heal Ireland's
ills, engaged in rancorous disputations as to
the remedies to be applied the while their
patient's condition grows daily more desper-
ate. To continue the metaphor, crowds of
other grievously afflicted sufferers gather
despairingly outside the St. Stephen's con.
sultinglroom, waiting with sinking hearts
their turn for attention. Those whose sight
is not too bedimmed by political partizanship
are coming to the conclusion that there is
something wrong with the faculty. We
trust it is not too much to hope that Mr.
Stanley Leighton's intervention may lead to
such an arousing that ere long we may have
the joy of seeing the stumbling-block re-
moved.

Tllll leader of the House of Commons
cannot foreshadow anything in the way of
legislative progress outside the Bill for the
Amendment of the Irish Criminal Law. So
slow has been the advancement of that
measure in the House that Mr. Smith does
not feel justified in anticipatinv the day
when members will have concluded their
deliberations concerning it. This is a frank
confession upon the part of Government
which will not reassure an anxious country,
especially when taken in connection with
the statement of the First Lord of the
Treasury on Tuesday that he may possibly
find it his duty to ask the House to take
further measures to promote the greater
despatch of public business. This, it is to
be feared, means more cloture, more party
strife, and a still less lovely presentment of
the proceedings in Parliament. He would
be a bold man who dared to predict the ulti-
mate outcome of the perplexing crux which
absorbs and bewilders our senators of to-day.
En passant, "Red Shirt," the Sioux chief,
who was among the visitors in the Stranger's
Gallery on Tuesday night, remarked signi-
ficantly that laws are passed quicker in his
country than here in England

THAT terror of the Indian Ocean, the cy-
clone, has again wrought appalling havoc.
Details which have just reached England of
the recent storm show that the ship Sir John
Lawrence, with its full freight of 730 souls,
has been lost, a calamity that has few
parallels in the annals of disaster. All Cal-
cutta is in mourning, for there is hardly a
Hindoo family of note there but has suffered
bereavement by this awful wreck. In these
days of meteorological science, when disturb-
ances of the elements and the direction their
effects will be felt in can be foretold with
some certainty, it is a pity that precautions
are not taken to guard against the exposure
of shiploads of humanity to the fury of such
tempests as from time to time visit the Bay
of Bengal and the ocean expanse in the
vicinity. There is talk now of establishing
a station on Diamond Island, to which in-
teUigence of an approaching cyclone may be
transmitted by electricity, and if thereby
vessels are warned from putting to sea when
peril is at hand, the 730 passengers of the
Sir John Lawrence now lying in their
watery graves will not have died altogether
in vain, though this, we fear, will be but
poor consolation to their sorrowing relatives.

THE matters in dispute between tithe-
payers and titheowners certainly require
practical attention at the hands of the State;
for not only are they continuing to create
ill-feeling in the southern counties of Eng-
land, but now Wales is being thereby most
grievously disturbed. The "tithe war" in
the principality is rot at all creditable to the
authorities, whoever may be to blame for the
riots. The whole question ought to be im-
partially enquired into, and adjusted 111 on a
basis of equity and right, so that henceforth
such scandalous proceedings as have of late
been reported should not be repeated The
Commission which is at work in Kent and
elsewhere does not at present seem to be
making mach real headway, and those
groaning beneath the burden of extraot din-
ary tithes do not look too hopefully to the
conclusion of its labours, for the investigators
have not had entrusted to them the task of
getting to the root of the matter; and any-
thing short of thoroughgoing action is nut
likely to lead to a solution of the variances
which:are setting those who till the sell at
enmity with those who have at present a
elaun upon its produce.

TIMM seems to be a good deal of heart-
burning as to who are to have seats in West-
minater Abbey on the oomsion of the State
Jubilee Thanksgiving Service, and who are
to be denied admittance. The authorities
have been so inundated with applications
that many supplicatory letters from repre-
sentative persons have had to be passed over
with a regretful refusal. What a pity that
the service, seeing that it is a national affair
of the highest importance, was not fixed to
take place in the cathedral church of St.
Paul instead of the Abbey. There, three or
four times the number of people for whom
accommodation can now be found could have
taken part in the ceremony ; besides which
the Royal procession would have passed be-
fore many thousands of her Majesty's sub-
jects who will not, under the arrangements
which have been made, get a glimpse of the
pageant.

Wx in England are not so suspicious and
RO fearful of foreign invasion as the inhabit-
ants of Russia appear to be. Stringent
steps are being taken there to keep immi-
grants from other Continental countries from
a dangerous knowledge of the Muscovite
war strength and defensive equipment.
Here in Britain, French, German, or Russian
have no difficulty in getting into our arsenals
and armouries, of obtaining the most inti-
mate acquaintance with our fortifies lions, of
intermingling with our soldiers and sailors,
and generally of minutely inspecting every
matter concerning our national preparedness
for hostile attack and ( nr strength for armed
intervention allioad. It is a grave question
whether we sr wise in being so open where
other states consider it politic to maintain
secrecy. NV Lat an army, for exampir, of
reserve forces has the Emperor of Gerecaay
Britah soil it this nicramnat if which