The Sun.
London, England, 1864-05-20 00:00:00

SPIRIT OF THE PUBLIC JOURNALS.

Es.-14r. Stansfeld makes out a very good
case for himself. It has its Weak point, but it was
a good case to listen to and a safe one to state. Tee
ex Minister had the advantage of a sympathising
audience at Halifax, no doubt, and the occasion it-
self, which expressed the " esteem and confidence"
of his constituents, was enough to assure him of his
reception. Still, with a certain qualification, his
address would have been good for any audience, and
would have established his title to political respect
and public consideration. He alleged, with perfect
truth, that he had employed his short term of office,
in promoting without stint of time or labour the work
with which he was charged. He claimed even to
have achieved some success in this undertaking. He
tells us that he did so far simplify, organise, and
arrange the business and accounts of our Dockyard
establishments as to assimilate them in this respect
to the establishments of private firms. He devised
and initiated an economical policy which survives
his retirement, and of which the country will soon
reap the fruit. Having done all this, he resigned his
place in the Administration rather than allow the
Government to be damaged by a motion directed
against himself ; so that he saved his patrons from
injury and the Liberal party from loss of office,
while he carried with him in his retirement the satis-
factory reflection that he had done his duty in all
respects. Every word of this is true, but it is also
true that Mr. Stanfield's resignation was a part of
his duty, nor is it quite fair to describe it as a pro-
ceeding occasioned by the intrigues of political fac-
tion. It was a step which was called for by the acci•
dents of his own position. These accidents were unfor-
tunate, but they had occurred, and there was but one
way of meeting the consequences. The only excep-
tion to be taken to Mr. Stansfeld's defence of himself
is that it represents as a mere party man ceuvre the
menace which drove him from place. Perhaps it is
rather ungracious to take even this exception, for
every man may claim to make the best of his own
cause, but the truth is that if Mr. Stansfeld's cause at
this point had not been a weak one he might have
safely confronted the threat before which he re-
retired. He tells us himself that he " knew some-
thing of the state of parties and of the chances of
success." In other words, he knew that if it came
to a vote of the House on the Mazzini question,
that vote would be against him. But this means
only that the case was against him also. It was
only a strong case for the Opposition, because it
was a weak one for him. It was just one of those
cases which a political party is always on the
watch to seize—a case which is strengthened by
the opinion prevailing beyond the party ranks, and
which is sure to bring over outsiders and waverers
at the moment of a division. So many persons be-
sides Mr. Disraeli and his friends thought Mr.
Stansfeld compromised, not perhaps by facts, but
at any rate by his own manner of encountering
imputations, that a majority against Government
on the question was extremly probable, and nobody
can well blame the leaders of the Opposition for
recognising the opportunity. Of course the vote
would have been pressed for a " party object"—
namely, the injury or displacement of the Ministry.
That is the history of all such votes. The Oppo-
sition lies in wait for strong cases—cases in which
Government, from the peculiar weakness of its posi-
tion, cannot make so good a fight as usual. What
Mr. Stansfeld did not see, and perhaps could not be
expected to see, is, that it was only his own diffi-
culty which made his enemies' opportunity, and
that their strength was only another term for his
weakness. We have not the least desire to open this
question again, or to measure the amount of official
discredit conceived to be reflected on a Minister by
the friendship of M. Joseph Mazzini. We cannot
but admire Mr. Stansfeld's bold defence of his friend,
but that is another question altogether. Considering
what is actually thought of M. Mazzini, and what
was confessed of his relations with Mr. Stansfeld,
there was a certain practical propriety in Mr. Stans-
feld's resignation. It was because this propriety was
pretty commonly recognised that Mr. Stansfeld's op-
ponents acquired so advantageous a chance against
him, and discerned their way to a victory of which
he, by his voluntary retirement, judiciously de.
prived them. We approve, then, of Mr. Stansfeld's
conduct altogether, his resignation included. We
think the sacrifice was rendered necessary by cir-
cumstances—only, we should include in those cir-
cumstances some little indiscretion on his own part,
instead of limiting them exclusively to political
enmities and party stratagems. As it is, we i,`Sink
Mr. Stansfeld stands well before the country, bu.t.
instead of conceiving that he has any "usage" to
complain of, we regard his loss of office as a natural
sequel of his own conduct. That it may be soon
retrieved we sincerely trust, and as it certainly
atoned amply for any imprudence on which he
might have ventured, he may enjoy a fresh start
with good promise and prospects. Probably his
constitu mats think that he never should have been
driven to the sacrifice they commemorated, and
there are, doubtless, many persons who share that
opinion. But if the preponderance of opinion had
not upon the whole been the other way the sacrifice
could never have been compelled at all, and with
this remark we may let the subject drop. We are
glad to find that Mr. Stans eld recognises in his
successor a congenial and sympathetic mind, He
tells us that Mr. Childers and he have compared
notes on the great dockyard questions, and have
found themselves to be in complete accord. The
description given of the pending reform will com-
mend itself to everybody who is conversant with
such improvements. Arrangements, said Mr. Stans
fold, in these large establishments require " not
merely to be laid down upon paper and to be intro-
duced, but they require constant watehing and
constant guarding, and development of a certain
length of time." That is precisely the course of all
such affairs. Routine can only be superseded by
routine, only the new routine may express a far
better system than the old. When once a good
system has been learnt it can be easily practised,
but the practice must be taught under the eye of
the author. That done, the establishment can run
alone, or with very slight supervision, and here it
is that the loss of Mr. Stansfeld's services might
have been so prejudicial to the public interests ex-
cept for the sympathies of his successor. Mr. Stans-
feld had, he tells us, actually placed the accounts of
our great dockyard establishments on such a footing
as would " enable them to bear comparison with
those of any private firm." Nor was this all, for
he had introduced certain provisional arrangements
calculated to " enable her Majesty's Dockyards to
compete upon fair terms with the private ship-
building establishments of this country." It was
in the middle of this experiment that Mr. Strnse
fold's resignation occurred. The event might have
been ruinous to dockyard reform, but, fortunately.
Mr. Childers continues the work with a cordial
adoption of his predecessor's spirit. We hope,
therefore, that we may still reckon with confidence
on the anticipated results, and that a longer and less
troubled term of office may hereafter enable Mr.
Stansfeld to repeat and extend his good services to
the public.
PosT.—ln the manner in which the war in Den-
mark, bat more especially in the province of Jut-
land, was conducted, we believed that Prussia had
manifested a disregard for the usages prescribed by
civilisatian and a contempt for the opinion of neu-
tral States which it would_ have been impossible to
surpass. In this respect, however, it turns oat that
we have been mistaken. The pillage of a defenceless
population, who had done nothing to provoke war,
' whose poverty ought to have disarmed the
anti of their aggressors, was unquestionably an
cupidity
But atrocious as it was, and un-
atrocious crime. shown to be in the annals of
exampled as it was '4ll one which, as we no
•her of a still w
modern
uldwabrerasruec,eietedweads bsyeano.
1-2lundering darkerthe
dye. Prussia found an excuse for
unfortunate Jutlanders in the obsolete Tzaxim that
war should be made to support itself, but Whb!Pre-
text she will offer for pursuing the same couree's
after, with her own consent, hostilities had been
temporarily suspended, remains to be seen. The
accounts which daily reach us from Copenhagen
leave no room for doubt tint the stipulations upon
which the armistice was agreed upon have been,
and still are, systematically violated by the Prussian
military authorities. It was specially provided that
the allied armies should cease to impose any furtherte
contributions upon the Jutlanders, and that h
y
should pay the inhabitants for any supplies which
t
ttheyipu
lma
tiigohn might require,
I
into
'This was
twhaesCtonefenraetnucree ono h,
of
the
s9,h of May, as subsequently explained by Earl
Russell in his place in Parliament. It was agreed
that the armistice should come into operation upon
the 12th, and that from that day hostilities, or any-
thing savouring of acts of hostility, should cease
between the belligerents. During the two days
which intervened between the conclusion of the
armistice and the time when it came into operation
Europe was shocked to learn that the Prussians
continued to impose and levy many contributions
upon the inhabitants of Jutland. But still these
acts of rapacity might be justified by the letter of
the bond. and neutral States, though amazed at
the palpable violation of its spirit, could only protest
against the continuance of a practice so inconsistent
with the accepted usages of civilised warfare.
Before the adjournment of Parliament for the
Whitsuntide recess the Earl of Ellenborough took
an opportunity of bringing the matter under the
notice of the House of Lords, but as the Foreign
Secretary then stated that under the conditions of
the armistice the practice would thenceforth be dis-
continued, we were forced to comfort ourselves with
the reflection that the trials of the Jutlanders,
severe though they were, had come to an end. The
unsatisfactory answer given last evening in the
House of Commons by Mr. Layard to a question put
by Mr. Whiteside will dispel these hopes—if, in-

indeed, despite the revelations of the past few days,
there be any who still continue to entertain them,
The Under Secretary professed himself to he without
offieial information on the subject, but admitted that
he was not in a position to contradict the statements
in the publicjournals to the effect that,notwithstand-
ing the terms on which the armistice was concluded,
the Prussian authorities still continue to levy con-
tributions upon the inhabitants of Jutland. Throw-
ing out of account the strong presumption of accuracy
furnished by the receipt of numerous statements
from various sources to the same effect, it may
not unreasonably be assumed that if these state-
ments were false the English Government would.
ere this have been authorised by the Cabinet at.
Berlin to give them sn unqualified contradiction.
Her Majesty's Government are, however, eight days
after the armistice came into operation, totally un-
able to assure the country that its most important
provisions have not been violated by one of the.
belligerents. Now, what let us ask, have been the
acts alleged to have been committed by the Prus-
sians in Jutland, and on which our Foreign-office
is without officiai information? On the day wheel
it was stipulated that hostilities should cease the
Prussians tore down large quantities of telegraphic
wires, the property of the Crown of Denmark, and,
transmits d them to Germany. Now, this act can
only be described as one of downright robbery.
Some excuse might possibly be offered for taking
violent possession of cattle or provisions which
might be indispensable for the use of the troops,,
but it is impossible to discover any palliation for an.
act of such selfish Vandalism. On the day preced-
ing, and when the fact of an armistice having been
concluded had been publicly notified, the come
mender of the Prussian troops at Randers called
upon the municipality to pay a contribution of
100,000 doll., which, having been refused, the town
was literally given up to pillage. Sentinels were
set upon warehouses and shops, the owners were
turned out, inventories of the contents were taken,,
and the registration of the plunder proceeded with
far into the day on which the Plenipotentiaries of
the belligerents had agreed that hostilities should.
cease. On the night of the 12th requisitions were
made for a number of horses by the Prussian mili-
tary authorities at Aarhuns, and on the 13th large
quantities of goods, which had been seized on the
preceding day, were removed from that town. At-
' Fyen numbers of horses and cows were carried off
upon the 13th!; and on the evening of the same day
a contribution of 200,000 dole. and 400 blankets
was demanded from the municipality, under the
threat, in case of refusal, of emptying the shops
and warehouses of their contents. One of the
latest telegrams from Copenhagen informs us that
the Prussians have refused to pay even for the
necessaries of life, and continue to carry out their
pructice of making the war support itself by quar-
tering themselves upon the unfortunate Juttanders.
Such being the present condition of affairs, it is
notsurprising that the Danes should protest against
this gross violation of the stipulations of the armis-
tice, and even hint the possibility of re-establishing
the blockade by way of reprisal. Prussia has once
again oetregeously broken faith both with Denmark
and with the neutral Powers. Notwithstanding
the most solemn and the most. formal engagements,
she has proceeded in her work of pillage at the
expense of a population perfectly helpless, except
so far as they were placed by a written compact
under the protection of international law. Now,
who, or what, let us ask, is Prussia, that she should
thus set at defiance the most powerful States of
Europe ? It is not so very long since she was a
Duchy, and, although now a powerful kingdom,
she has not yet become the supreme arbiter of the
destinies of Europe. There must be some limit to
human endurance, and that limit has now beau
reached. Whatever may be the technical operation.
of an agreement such as that which was entered
into at the London Conference on the 9th of the
present month, all the parties to it are equally
bound to insist upon its observance. When Den
mark raised the blockade, and consented to leave
the German army in peaceable occupation of Jut•
lend, she virtually placed the inhabitants of that
province under the protection of the neutral Powers.
To this protection they are undoubtedly entitled.
It is to he supposed that some sanction attaches to
the resolutions at which the Plenipotentiaries may
arrive ; but if, in truth, the formal compacts into
which they may enter can be set aside at pleasure
by one of the contracting parties, we may be ex-
cused for doubting whether their deliberations
can by possibility lead to any practical or beneficial
result.

COUNTRY MARKETS.

BIRMINGHAM-THURSDAY.

There was a limited supply of English wheat to-day,
and prices rather in buyers' favour. Barley nominally un-
altered. Oats dull. Beans and peas were at late prises.
—English wheat was sold at 40s to 44s for white, and 369
to 42s per 36 stone for red, Barley, new malting, 30s to
38s per qr ; grinding, 18s to L24s Oats, old, 22s to 309
per 30 stone; Irish, 18s to 245. Beans, 34s to 40s per qr.
Peas, 32s to 38s per 3G stone.