The Sun.
London, England, 1868-05-13 00:00:00

LONDON, WEDNESDAY, MAY 13, 1868.

More progress has been made in Mr. GLAD-
STONE'S tiresome business, and yesterday the House
of Commons received the answer to the address on
the Irish Church which had been presented to her
MAJESTY. On the whole it was as satisfactory as
could have been expected under the circumstances
of the case. Lord ROYSTON, Controller of the
Household, brought up the answer, which was
framed in as gracious a style as could have been
desired. Her MAJESTY intimated her wish that her
interests in the temporalities of the Irish Church
might not stand in the way of the consideration of
Parliament in regard to any measure relating to them,
and relying on the judgment of Parliament she coal- I
mits her interests to their hands. This answer
called forth loud cheers from the Opposition, and
hence one most vexatious source of strife and con-
fusion has been happily removed. In all reason it
would have been greatly to be deprecated that any
debate of an angry character or any close-run
division should take place on the subject of the
Royal interests in the affair, and the Government
have acted with great discretion in the advice they
have tendered to her MAJESTY. It had been sug-
gested before that a good deal of altercation would
probably arise on this score, and hence the
peaceable settlement of it is the more to be wel-
comed. Not only those who were inclined to make
the most of things from motives of political jealousy,
but some who were anxious on the subject had pre-
mised the Address would form a knotty point. A
great deal of misunderstanding may often take
place upon very slight grounds, and the difficulty
that has arisen on this question of the Irish Church
has certainly been made the most of. Some excuse
may be made in the fact that the whole matter is
one of unusual occurrence, and therefore experience
was not able to guide the doubtful and aid the
timorous. Another thing may also be said : the
practical working of the Constitution is very little
understood by many who nevertheless continue to
talk very glibly about it. To these causes we must
attribute the surprise that was occasioned by the
simple announcement of Lord ROYSTON yesterday,
and it may be expected that after this experience
people will be wiser for the future. It is difficult
to suppose that a statesman of Mr. DISRAELI'S
knowledge and experience should commit such a
blunder as to cause hesitation and create doubt on
the topic. At any rate, no possible blame can attach
itself to the Government for the reply to the Ad-
dress, and they have even gone further than they
might have been expected by the most exacting. In
this they have shown great judgment, and exhi-
bited a caution and a conciliation which we wish
we could see emulated by the Opposition. Mr.
GLADSTONE, doubtless believing himself animated
by the wisest motives, and anxious to connect his
name with a great work of national reform, will not
swerve a hairsbreadth from the course he has
marked out for himself. When the Royal answer
had been read the right hon. gentleman intimated
no further action on his part. Having heard the
" gracious answer" to the address of the House, he
I gave notice that to-day he would move for leave to
bring in a bill to prevent " for a limited time any
more appointments to the Church in Ireland, and
to restrain for the same period, in certain respects,
the proceedings of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners."
In order that the bill may be in print as soon as possible
Mr. GLADSTONE - further intimated that he would
move to that effect at any time to-day that might
be convenient.

There is, certainly, nothing unexpected in this,
because the right hon. gentleman has been talking
of the proposition ever since he introduced the
fertile theme of discussion and controversy ; but
the chief thing to regret is the time that will be
lost thereby. There are important questions put
aside altogether, or at best attended to in a hurried
and improper manner, while day after day the
same arguments are used on one side and refuted
on the other. And all to what avail ? That the
new Parliament may find itself fettered
by the proceedings of its predecessor, and
committed to a line of policy it may not approve
of. Enough had been done in all conscience when
the opinion of the House was taken on the 3d of
April. But no ; Mr. GLADSTONE must have more
than this, and hence all this never-ending business
of introducing bills and establishing precedents. It
is much to be regretted that such should be the case;
but so it is, and the consequences must be taken,
whatever they are. It is not likely that the Go-
vernment will allow the bill to be introduced to-
day to pass without any opposition being made to
it, or at least some protest being made, and beyond
this there is its transmission through the
Upper House to be taken into account, so that
we can see at a glance the hindrances that are in
the way. At any rate we are very glad that the
matter of the Address should be so satisfactorily
settled, and the circumstance of their giving such
wise and salutary counsel will undoubtedly
strengthen the position of the Ministry, and show
the house and the country that their views are
strictly in accordance with the principles of the
Constitution, and that they are resolved at all
hazards to conform to what is demanded of them.
Such will be the verdict pronounced by the public
on the subject.

Although much has been accomplished of late
years in reforming the administration of our poor-
laws, so far as the metropolis is concerned, there is
still a great deal to be done towards ameliorating
the condition of provincial paupers. From time to
time cases have been brought to light which have
startled the public by the systematic indifference
and neglect they have displayed. The absolute lack
of cleanliness and decency in many of the wards
removed even the old-established conviction that,
whatever were the shortcomings of such institu-
tions, they were at least clean and orderly. The
want of classification which, until very recently,
has been the crying evil of all workhouses, is
experienced in full force in most of the country
workhouses, while there is an absence of that check
insensibly placed upon neglect and mismanagement
by the pressure of surrounding opinion. The
efficient administration of the poor laws is without
doubt avery difficult matter, and, however anxious
our modern legislators may be to fulfil their duties
in the most conscientious and public-spirited
manner, they are forced to confess the onerous
nature of the task. Last evening in the House of
Lords the question was raised by the Earl of CArt-
NAIWON, who brought forward a case of dispute be-
tween the Poor Law Board and the Guildford
Board of Guardians. The Guildford Board, it
seems, had appointed a police constable as their
relieving officer, an appointment to which there was
no objection in itself, only the constable acted on a
peculiar principle. He inquired into every case
before granting relief, and when he considered that
the applicant was a professional tramp or vagrant
ho refused any relief. Vagrants form undoubtedly
one of the most difficult and unsatisfactory classes
with which officials have to deal ; at the same