The Sun.
London, England, 1864-06-21 00:00:00

are perfectly helpless when they have to deal with
a House of Commons in a state of agitation. Mr.
Gladstone rose to en,;;;est that as Mr. Disraeli's
questions were of considera6;o
importance he should
put them on the paper for to-day. Mr. Disraeli
t`2
replied, amidst the cheers of the house, hat he was
jat,lified under the circumstances in asking- them
without no:ce. Then Mr. Bernal Osborne in:or'
clients, had been alarmed by the unmeaning
vened, That gem:Cman, in his zeal for his Gerraati
re-
mark of Earl Russell that the fleet was fully Pre-
pared for any servicee it might be called upan
.'
render. He wanted to know whether those worm
were only another idle threat, or whether the Ge;
vernment intended to commit the country to 8 war
with Germany. The Chancellor of the Exchequsat
was unable to offer any explanation. lie wok! em.
presume to answer such a question.
hinted that he knew nothing about the roat'
Mr. Seymour Fitzgerald obser7ed that Mr. Gia4
stone, as a member of the Cabinet, must know wb',
had taken place on Saturday; and Lord JObb
Manners said that if only one member of the 13°:,
Indeac,„er,
vernment was competent to reply to such Ves,'
tions he ought to have been present. The i ,
sury Bench had by that time become alarmed.
The Premier was sent for, and by one of thoc
singular coincidences in the fortuitousness of Whi,_
children and old women believe, entered the horst
just as Lord John Manners declared, amlue,
general cheers, that he ought to have been Viers.
The Premier, however, was egeal to the 00,_
sion ; it had been arranged that no informati 0
should be given, and he took care to give neitlhe
He explained, for Mr. lOsborne's edification'
almost
significance of Lord Russell's words in words alinu,s
identical with those employed by Earl R
fleet is quite equal to anything the Government will
ask it to do—and he declined, although with lireere
regret, to answer Mr. Disraeli's questions• There
regret, to answer Mr. I)israeli's questloflS need
was, it seems, an agreement made—kePt,we that
net say with great strictness by all Parties made
what passed in Conference should not be
nfi„
public, and it would therefore be a breach of cef
on
dence on his part to say what took Planein,„,l say
Saturday. But he was considerate enough ""sto.
that, as the suspension of hostilities expires 00 ,;00,
war will recommence on Mondav—a Russell tn.,.
day next, if it is not prolonged before that 'for.
mation which it seems he reconciled itpwieiettliebsicdoftitiutsile.
to the Conference to give, and for which
of Commons must have been devoutly th'e,,,en.
Such is the fashion in which the Governmen'
Aithofte
tures to treat the House of Commons.
the issues of peace or war are now hangiag2,ll„l be
committedd to a course which may
balance, and :in a few days the country ma and
disgrace the
Ministry
it, or involve it in a gigantic struggle' the
refuse to give its representatives
.ri
slightest information, or afford the faintest indioat'oe,
of their intentions. When the miechief is "ter-
when the policy of the country is irrevocably de ay
mined, the support of the House of Conlon° niiiod
be invited. Treatment like this might be hre.`"try
by the house if it could believe that the ITc,issed
had really determined upon a course of P°l,'cvoliEli
were unitedly seeking the vindication of -Etabea
it is matter of as public notoriety
honour and interests; but when it is knovrnt r°.
as thine is
ceedings of the Conference, that the Ca„pact
divided, and that one section is anxious for rug,
at any price, whilst another, with a refer
iPnf
gering sentiment of honour,all
would
even war to a disgraceful peace—this refosa' the
in formation is intolerable. The Ministry tree;„o-
House of Commons as if it had abdicated its '-hse
tions, and the House of Commons, by
its apathYt, els
be tried
countenanced the impertinent assumption• 13,ced too
temper of the house and the country ma, 0 to
much, and the scene of yesterday will be a lera°vid-
the Premier, if he has not lost the tact and 8"..,r-suld
nets which once distinguished him. If he career
not have an ignominious termination to ca'tic.
which, with all its great faults, has been l'32Bt,c°ith
cessful and most popular, he must deal frana.,-Y , but
Parliament, and not only deal with it franit•Y: And
adapt his policy to the spirit which animates i -er,
the country_ The war between Denmark and
the
many will break out again on Monday, unless
English prs
Government gives the German
Quid
plainly to understand that in that war they. W-ed
have to contend with England. Let Austria and
Prussia understand that, and they will be glad,lis,
take that part of Schleswig which Denmark 15 '-
posed to yield.