The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-13 00:00:00

LONDON, 711URSDAY, JAN. 13, 1870.

The Captive Balloon has not gone up a second
time. The one thing—almost the only thing—notice-
able in Mr. BRIGHT'S last speech is the clear
proof it gives that he has learned to be
a Cabinet Minister. Mr. DisnAELI himself
could not have managed the parvuin in ?into
better. The PRESIDENT of the BOARD of TRADE
displayed all the sense of official responsibility, all
the reticenc?., and all the studious moderation of
language which are considered indispensable in Min-
isterial public speeches. Nothing could be more con-
ventional than the new Birmingham style of occupying
the maximum of time with the minimum of offence.
Formerly Mr. BRIGHT was outspoken in his desire to
have the men who " are not very wise" shorn of
much of their power, or to materially alter the com-
position of their assembly. Now we find " an-
other place" treated with such deference that
one could almost fancy Mr. BRIGHT wishes himself
in it. "Itis a place of great antiquity, and of great
dignity, and of great influence in this country." A
little while ago the Peers were madmen for threaten-
ing to throw out the Irish Church Bill. Now we
learn that it was a mistake to call them "not
very wise ; " the air of their Chamber was only
charged with dangerous matter—an atmospheric
phenomenon not at all common there, and which
was duly remedied in good time. The
great questions of the day, too, are treated
with a light, non-compromising tone, which
must have greatly astonished the electors of
Birmingham. They have long been accustomed
to a strong dose of political bell, book, and candle
from their favourite member, and the last specimen,
that famous letter about the personages who dwell
in "another place," was by no means the
mildest of its kind. They were told on
Tuesday that the land question was very difficult,
that they must give the Ministerial measure their
indulgent consideration, that the solution of the
problem would be a great step towards
justice to Ireland, and that justice to Ireland
will accomplish great things. Mr. BRIGHT'S work
on Tuesday was irreproachable, and such as a speech
of the kind, under present circumstances, ought
to be. A Cabinet Minister cannot tell
Cabinet secrets. lle cannot be unreserved in the
expression of his own opinions, for they are supposed
to more or less represent the opinions of his col-
leagues.
That portion of the speech which referred to the
land question revealed nothing respecting the course
which will be taken by the Government ; it did not
even furnish the slightest clue. In this respect we
are no wiser, nor, indeed, could we expect to be.
Scarcely less reticent was the PRESIDENT of the
BOARD of TRADE in dealing with his own relations
to this topic. He retains his views, and therefore it
must be presumed that he still holds by the plan for
converting farmers into small proprietors by
Government agency, though there is nothing to
indicate that this remedy will form part, for it cannot
be the whole, of the Ministerial scheme. Whilst,
however, Mr. BRIGHT thinks as he formerly
thought of the best • cure for the disease, he
takes a far more serious view of the malady itself.
The problem, he tells us, is not like a hill which looks
steop afar off, but proves of easy ascent when the
foot is reached. The more the land question
is looked at the more difficult does it
appear. It is easy to preach fixity of tenure
in popular assemblies, amid popular sympathy; but
a year's acclimatisation in an official sphere has served
to show that there arc rights which ought to have,
and interests which will have, their full share of
attention. Before the end of next month we are to
learn how the knot will be untied. On the education
BniGnr's sentiments are, if any-
thing, anMr
indicationi that the Cabinet is not disposed
to regard the religious difficulty as a serious one. But
the PRESIDENT of the BOARD of TRADE clearly
enough considers education 0110 atiladl4ltl'elleOU3