The Sun.
London, England, 1871-02-09 00:00:00

THE DAWN OF THE SESSION.

The Mica considers that the events of the last six
months have so completely driven into the background
the history of the session of 1870 that its debates and its
struggles, and, of course, in a still greater degree,
the circumstances under which it began, seem far
removed from our present experience. There is some
difficulty in recalling the hopes and fears of twelve
months since. How many remember that the Queen
had then promised herself the satisfaction of opening Par-
liament in person, but was prevented from fulfilling her
intention at the last moment by sudden indisposition? It
is as much forgotten as the fact that twelve months
before a similar disappointment occurred, when it was
proposed by way of compensation that the Address
from the Houses should be . received by the
Queen on her Throne at an audience granted for the pur•
pose. Better fortune befalls us this year. But the
presence of the Queen at Westminster to-day,
though peculiarly welcome under the circumstances
prevailing at home and abroad, must not be looked
upon as an abnormal event. Her Majesty will be
hfr place as she had planned to be last February, and
as she planned to be in February, 1869, and as we may
hope she will be in the future, unless prevented by personal
weakness or domestic sorrow. The events of a session
often falsify the best opinions that may be hazarded at
its beginning, and there are few indeed who will be bold
enough to say what 1871 may not bring forth. The
weakness of the Opposition is a source of strength to the
Government, and, perhaps, furnishes its best reliance; but
the fact that this can be even suggested proves the inse-
curity of the present position. Much must depend upon
the papers which will be immediately submitted to Parlia-
ment, and which, we are told, will shew that the Ministers
of the Crown have been more active and more zealous
than has been anticipated. But the speech of her Majesty
to-day can throw out little light on these things. It is
rather analogous to the opening of a contest on the chess-
board, where the first few moves are the same whether
the players be good or bad, and it does not appear
until the order of battle is definitely arranged upon
which side the balance of skill and the prospect of vic-
tory lie.
The Queen's Ministers meet Parliament to-day, remarks
the Daily News, amidst circumstances which it is scarcely
possible to contemplate without mingled feelings of hope
and fear. The session of 1869 was a brilliant triumph
for Mr. Gladstone and his colleagues. That of 1870 saw
them still successful. During the recess, how-
ever, we have seen many and great changes.
Substantially, we believe it will be found that
Ministers have done their duty to the utmost.
It is a fact not to be ignored that in two several respects
the Government enters upon the coming session at a de-
cided disadvantage. Some recent personal appointments
have made it more than doubtful whether Mr.
Gladstone comprehends the kind of value which
the great body of his supporters attached to the
presence of Mr. Bright in the Cabinet, and have sug-
gested to the sincerest friends of the Government the fear
that it is in danger of relying for success rather upon
trained officialism than upon the maintenance of living
contact with the people. This is one source of danger
to the Government. A second is that it has
not unfolded a full programme of measures so
decisively Liberal as to be certain to restore and confirm
the confidence that is ready to waver. It is not too late
to avert whatever danger is threatened from either of
these sources. The personal regard of the Liberal party
for Mr. Gladstone remains undiminished, and by
one word he could efface every troublesome re-
collection, and restore the heartiness and enthusiasm
which carried him from victory to victory in the memor-
able session of 1869. The nation will need the services of
the Liberal party during the next four months, for it is
too evident that advantage will be taken of recent
military events in France to entail upon the
country many of the evils from which economists
and Reformers have laboured through many years
to deliver us. But the Liberalparty should never wage a de-
fensive warfare, and two years ago no one would have
been so Quixotic as to attack it. There is no such
security for a safe and prosperous session as an unreserved
and open commitment to measures of reform sufficient to
unite the sympathies and employ the energies of the whole
Liberal party.