The Sun.
London, England, 1869-06-17 00:00:00

THE CRISIS.

The prospects of the bill improve every day. The
Orange organ, the Dublin. Mail, believes that the
Lords will give way on the second reading. The
'lonian Catholic organ, the Dublin Freeman, says a
great reaction has set in in favour of the bill, and it
is now stated that a considerable number of Conser-
vative peers will absent themselves from the
division. in order that the bill may pass by
a small majority, but the London corres-
pondent of that paper still thinks that the Orange
party will prevail. The Times takes for granted
that the House will divide, and that the division
will shew that "no provocation has been suffi-
cient to induce the majority of the Peers to place
themselves in sullen antagonism to the decision of
the people." The Standard intimates that if the
Government would but withdraw the declaration
(where or by whom made is not stated) that no
amendments would be admitted by the Lower House,
the Opposition would agree to a compromise ; and
inasmuch as Lord Granville expressly told Lord Bate-
man, by what was no doubt a preconcerted arrange-
ment, that the Government would give every con-
sideration to the amendments that the Peers might
desire, this intimation is a virtual offer of surrender.
Lord Grey's speech has cut away the hope which
once existed, that help would come from the inde-
pendent Liberals ; and it is, therefore, increasingly
likely either that no division will be taken, or that
if taken, the great majority of the Conservative
party will absent themselves. In fact, Ministers now
give out that they calculate on carrying the second
reading by a sufficient majority, and it is well known
that a large number of Conservative peers have told
Lord Derby that they will not run the risk which
would be incurred by following his lead.
The Church Neiv.3 says : " It is with great relief that
we believe the crisis to be past, and the collision
between the two Houses of Parliament no longer a
subject for apprehension. Whatever may be thought
of the Irish Establishment, there are few who would
gravely and dispassionately regard it as worth a
national quarrel between the two estates of the
realm, possibly resulting in a revolution." Our con-
temporary believes that the rejection of the bill
would only make the Lower House more firm
in insisting upon its enactment, and all
chance of amendment hopeless. It has no
sympathy with " the angry shrieks and exaggerated
howling " of those who would impeach Mr. Gladstone
for high treason, or maintain the Establishment
though there were but ten men of that faith in the
whole country. There is much to be said for Esta-
blishments, but with regard to this particular one
the Church News considers that the nation expressed
its firm decision at the elections. Therefore, while no
Conservative should vote for a bill of which he
dis ipproves, Conservative peers may at least honour-
ably refrain from voting at alit
The bishops are in an evil case. They have in-
curred the wrath of the Morning Advertiser. That
eminent supporter of the Church falls foul of the
whole Bench, with the supporters of the Irish Church
Bill because they support it, with the opponents be-
cause they oppose it. Bishop Thirlwall is let off,
because he is admitted to be conscientiously a Liberal,
and therefore naturally disposed to support a Liberal
measure. But why does the Bishop of Chester mean to
vote for the bill ? Because he was appointed by Mr.
Gladstone, and because he hopes that Mr. Gladstone
may do yet something more for him ; because of a
lively sense of favours to come, that is—a very amiable
theory, only not borne out by fact, if, as is rumoured,
Bishop Jacobson does not mean to support the
bill. Then we come to the Archbishop of
Canterbury ; what can induce him to take the
part he is taking ? Gratitude would have
induced him to go with the party that made him
archbishop, and as lie cannot obtain further
preferment, that motive might have been expected
to be all-powerful ; but it is not, and so the Adver-
tiser is compelled to cast about for some low motive,
and finds it in the desire to keep in favour with the
Queen. As for the Bishop of Oxford, of course he
is influenced by the most sordid reasons ; that is
self-evident to the Advertiser and its clients of the
gin-palace. Is lie not already named for the
see of Winchester ? What else could make
him vote for the bill this year when he
voted against the Suspensory Bill last year ? Of
course it is quite beyond the Advertiser's philosophy
that spiritual peers as well as lay peers, Archbishop
Tait and Bishops Jacobson and Wilberforce no less
than Lords Salisbury, Carnarvon, Devon, Stanhope,
and the rest of the Conservative Cave may be
influenced by the consideration that a measure for
which the nation has decided is in a very different
position from a measure upon which the nation has
not been consulted.