The Express.
London, England, 1868-02-15 00:00:00

/MITA N'il A.

LO DON,

THE T.

i
~.
~~.

:I
II

rvr.ni...l. y7'5,1 QtTXOTE. M. R.
Lai.e. k i Vi in urd 1,•.”1:1 : ran tonlituists Mews. Destnc,
Nelf )13111. :0.•1 VI %Me. steplinr. awl Wu U.
24a:44u;,—T0 tJuclUde W.LII ttiL v6t1::11: FLU111:1:-

81C:11 WATI:It AT foINOON N'ttDOK.

Tern nAr 66. Plot Anemone, I*. 17m.
to-ilor.w)w—:.iorue...., 76. 4 Int Afternoon, Lid 11..

FEBRU-IRY 15.

o'-' POI.ITICAL PARTIES.

Tiff: proipocts parties is a subject about
which little can he written with profit until after
the gaieral That will decide whetiler
the almost. viiiiroken reign of Liberal politicians
ani rinciples whit:h dates from 1832 is to be
co:Ahmed, 01. whether a coneervative r. action—
to use a now ‘r.,otten plirase—is to set in. All
this is at pl-es•fit behind the veil. In the ;
ea.:ultimo the rival forces aro preparing
fur the eontli,... The policy of the Govern-
ment is eN :dently ono of non-committal.
They will confine tho work of legislation,
fir as they are allowed, to necessary
Losiucva and to neutral questions. They will
17,1 e eneat'A magnificent phrases a masterly inac-
tivity. On the other hand, the business of the
Opposition must be, not indeed to force
legislation during the present session, but
to draw or drag her MAJENTE'S Ministers from,
t'le covert in v.hich they will take shelter, to com-
pel them to Ce.ilaro themselves, and to translate
into definite propositions the vague and elastic
generalities and the oracular obscurities which Mr.
DISRAELI can emit at pleasure. The views of the
Liberal party on the great questions of the
time, espech:lly on education and on Ireland,
have been already expressed. They need only
the deliberate and formal adoption of the Liberal
leader to to the shape Of a distinct policy.
Mr. CLAD,TONE will probably seize the op-
portunity which early debates will afford
him of affixing the at imp of authority to the
doctrines which have received the adhesion
of the public men whose opinions more directly
rake! popular feeling and the tendencies of the
futon). The refuge of the Conservative party
is in vagueness and ambiguity ; the strength of
the Liberal party must lie in clearly defined issues
and in boldly avowed principles. Tories
cannot deal with the education question, the Irish
Church questb,u, and the Irish land question, nor
effect a re adjustment of parliamentary repre-
sentation to numbers and wealth, which will bring
about a permanent settlement, without en apeatacy
from all their principles which even the events of
last year do nut make probable.
The change which sooner or later must take
place in the titular headship of the Government
and the nominal leadership of the Conservative
party will increase the embarrassments of both.
Lord DERRY, yielding to the entreaties of his
friends, and to his own strong sense of duty
and self-importance, will probably retain office
and authority until his physicians absolutely
sequestrate him from public life. At pre-
sent, all the world regrets to see, he can
neither attend Cabinet Councils nor the House of
Lords. His enforced absence from the consultations
of his colleagues and the debates of his Peers are
more and more frequent and protracted. It is
probably true that Mr. DISRAELI is the real head
of the Government ; and to many persons there
may seem to be little inconvenience in his
assumption in name of the precedency which be-
longs to him in fact. Mr. DISRAILI himself, we
venture to think, knows better. His ambition might
be
gratified by being, though bat for
a few months, Prime Minister of Englanl ;
but a Government in which he filled
that post would have a very precarious and
brief existence. The prestige of Lord DZIII3VB
111160 is as essential to Mr. DISRAILLI

ilitiminim
1 ~ '..
. ___ .