The Express.
London, England, 1868-10-30 00:00:00

cTHE EXPRESS, FRIDAY''' IVENING, OCTOB

it will be found possible- to rescue from
this attempt at stultificestitin the priuciples of the
vast majority of the constituents of the City of
Li ndon. hi Finsbury, in Lambeth. in the Tower
mindeis, the Karim phenomena may be observed.
There are too many Liberal candidates, and here
and there a Tory is trying to creep in through the
tcatlereel ranks. If our electoral system were the
tonne as in France, whore not only a majority,
but a majority of more than half is required for
the rucoessful candidate to make the election a
good cm', there would be no danger
to tie Liberal cause in putting forward any
number of candidates at the first poll,
and then concentrating all these scattered votes
on a single candidate at the second. But with ns
the only result of this excess of caudidates on ono
side must be to give a candidate of an almost insig-
nificant minority his only possible chance of being
returned. In Finsbury, for instant*, the appear-
ance on the scene of Mr. Cox, whose votes when
he sat for the borough some years ago so often
required explanation, can have no other effect
than to make an opening for the Tory in a con-
stituency which we believe is well satisfied with
its preeent members. In the Tower Hamlets a
single Tory candidate, whose opportunities of
influence, as a brewer, are not to be lightly spoken
of, has the advantage of finding four Liberal
candidates of different shades arrayed against
him. In Lambeth, Mr. LTITLER, who Galls
lihurelf a Liberal on the strength of " saying
" ditto " to Mr. Thomas Helenas (although his
motives in dividing the Liberal interest almost at
the last moment can scarcely be the same as those
which dictated Mr. lironces's resignation) presents
himself as a rival to Alderman LAWnitNell and Mr.
WAR.) nun, who were already in possession of the
confidence of the electors. Southwark is a tiatls-
fee tory exception to this broth-spoiling multi-
plicity of candidates. There Mr. TAYARD and
Mr. LOCKF. appear to be unmolested and secure.
In the new borough of Hackney, again. there are
too ninny candidates ; but they are all Liberals,
end the electors will deride between them on their
merits. In Marylebone it must be confessed
that the two ranilidates in possession
have not succeeded in sustaining the en-
thusinem of the liberal electors, although
one of them describes himself " the tried" candi-
date, and no enemy has yet added " and found
" wanting." One thorough Liberal, a man of
travel, of culture, of experience, of distinguished
services, presents himself in the person of Dr.
SANDWITII, and, perhaps, if the Liberal
electors have not quite lost the habit of
voting, they will enjoy the novelty of
voting for one man of mark, whatever may be-
c. me of the other Liberal candidates, tried
or wanting, and of the two untried Tories.
In Weehninster, where unquestionably there
are differences and divisions among the
old Liberal electors, and where the Tories
are repreeented by a single candidate, but by
one of high character and substantial influence,
there is still good ground for believing that
the new constituency will be strong and united
enough to secure the triumph of the two
Liberal candidates. The Tory candidate, it
may be noted, has not yet addressed.
a public meeting—for a ticket meeting is a mere
complimentary ceremony—and Mr. MILL will re-
turn to England in good time to address the
electors in open council. We are disposed to
believe that it is the sense of public and not of
ticket meetings that will decide the pull.

A DISPUTE IN TAR ROMAN CATHOLIC

CHURCH.

THE free spirit peculiar to American commu-
nitica taxnaionally breaks in upon the disciplined
ranks of the Roman Catholic Church. One of the
most inter-sting problems in the future of the
United States is the nature of the relations of a
Church which is in entire submission to ecclesi-
astical authority towards a democratic state over
which the popular will has unbroken play. A
serious feud which has recently broken nut be-
tween the episcopal chief of Northern Illinois
and a small body of followers, on the one
side, and the leading priests and the great
majority of the Roman Catholic community of the
district on the other, has under these circum-
stances more than local interest. It appears
that complaint was made some time last summer at
Rome of the prolonged absence of Bishop DUGGAN
in Europe. The principal complainants were the
vicar-general and the chancellor of the diocese,
the pastor of the cathedral and the rector of the
theological seminary. The complaint was that
owing to the absence of the bishop the spiritual
and temporal affairs of the diocese were in a de-
plorable condition, The bishop having heard of
the complaint lost no time in returning to his seat
from the other side of the Atlantic, but, it is
alleged, instead of pursuing the course of remedy-
ing the evils, he proceeded to visit his clerical sub-
ordinates with his anger. Some weeks after his
return he issued an episcopal decree, not only de-
priving the Rev. JOSEPH P. Routs of his office
as pastor of the Chicago Cathedral, but in-
terdicting him from the exercise of any
priestly functions within the diocese. A like
punishment awaited the other offenders at
hie bands. However, before he could make them
fed his wrath, the Catholic community at large
interposed in their behalf. First the congregation
of the cathedral held a meeting and all but unani-
mously passed resolutions, strongly reflecting
upon the course of the bishop. A HUMS meeting
followed, at which similar resolutions were
adopted. Both meetings resolved to raise money
to meet the expense of a direct appeal to the
POPE, and several thousand dollars were actually
subscribed to enable the Rev. Dr. McMui.LEN, the
chancellor of the diocese, to carry a remonstrance
against the episcopal procedure, endorsed by the
great body of the clergy and laity, to the Pore.
The rev. gentleman is by this time. we believe, at
Rome.

The determined tone of the first meeting made
such an impression upon Bishop Duonnat, that, in
order to prevent the second, he offered to rescind
his action against the pastor of the cathedral; but
it was too lute. The clergy no less than laity are
determined to make use of this opportunity to
bring about a settlement of the long-mooted (loca-
tion of the proper limits of the authority of the
American bishops over the subordinate clergy.

The Lohdch &virtu Rays : -" We mean no disre-
siert to Maas Minnie Itauck, when we nay that the pro.
sent opera season will probably be chiefly remembered on
account of its having witnessed the naintroduction of
powdered hair. Perhaps the ladies who so resolved to
grace themselves were moved by some dim sense of pro-
priety in choosing the opera-Louse as the scram of their
first experiment: for the practice of powdering the hair is
paid to owe its origin to certain ballad singers who
whiten, d their instal in order to lend point to the wit of
their songs. However, powdered hair has ag.iin maull, its
appearance amongst us; and, on Monday evening at
least, curtain graceful young ponoons worn to be aeon in
the Covent•garlen boxes, looking not unlike a living por-
tzait of Madame the Marchioness do Pompadour."

OUR OUNTEMPORAItIhI3.
(TlllB DAY.)