The Sun.
London, England, 1868-04-06 00:00:00

LONDON, MONDAY, APRIL 6, 1868.

The fortnight which will elapse before Parlia-
ment meets again will afford an opportunity for
reflection, and perhaps, even now, that the first
excitement is over, some may question the pro-
priety of the step they have taken in according their
support to Mr. GLADSTONE. The extreme charac-
ter of the right hon. gentleman's proposition ought
to have induced more caution on the part of the
House, and prevented his having so large a majo-
rity. The Government took a far wiser and more
constitutional course than their opponents, and so
we doubt not people will think eventually when
promises have to be put into performance. Another
point which has been a good deal overlooked is this,
that the time of the House will be taken up to a
great extent in discussing the different points of the
Resolutions, instead of proceeding with those mea-
sures which are most required in the interests of the
public, and which might have been disposed of this
year with advantage. The more we reflect upon
the course pursued by the Leader of the Opposi-
tion, the more unreasonable does it appear. He
cannot be ignorant of the fact that whatever is done
this year by the old Parliament cannot be binding
on the new one. It -is not the same as if they could
pass a particular measure or introduce a decided
change into affairs, because every one knows perfectly
well that nothing definite could be done. There
remains, then, another view to take of the matter :
the resolutions must pass the House of Lords before
they can be acted upon in any shape, and it does
not require much skill to show that they are not
likely to do that. Why, then, has the course of
affairs been disturbed and the time of the House
frittered away ? It is going a long way to affirm
that all has come about for party purposes, and yet
what other solution of the mystery can be given ?
Had it been merely the desire to witness the
disestablishment of the Irish Church that
actuated Mr. GLADSTONE and his followers,
it is certain that they need not have acted as they
have done. Under any circumstances it would
have been strange to have pressed on the discussion
with so much precipitancy after the debate had
already occupied some nights ; but when we remem-
ber that those who put themselves forward were
only recent converts to the opinions they advocated
with such zeal their extraordinary conduct is all the
more unwarrantable. The unfair manner in which the
right hon. gentleman acted throughout in making
it appear that the present time was all that re-
mained in which to settle the affairs of Ireland, and
the time he took in the discussion, altogether proved
that he was bent en pursuing his own purpose coute
qui conic.

It is one thing to gain a victory, and another to
put it to any account, and Mr. GLADSTONE may
yet find out to his cost that he has attempted more
than he can perform. The truth is, that he was in
so much hurry to show that he was the " man
that he toak no pains to discover the right and
fitting " man" for the work in question. Many of
those who were willing to give their sup-
port to Mr. GLADSTONE on Friday will
not be so ready to follow him in all his
subsequent ventures, and before the end of the
Session he may not find that his success is so great
as he imagined. There would have been no objec-
tion to take to this view on the part of the Opposition
leader had the circumstances of the case not been
so peculiar, but the manifest effort which he made
to displace the Government was not in accordance
with good taste or in keeping with the usages of
Parliamentary courtesy. Knowing that they could
not divide until next spring he sought to force
them to resign, and thus have been master of the
situation to explain his policy to the new Parliament ;
and this was hardly a fair thing to do, and certainly
not to be commended in any way. We'believe that
the general public do not approve of the course pur-
sued by Mr. GLADSTONE, and would infinitely have
perferred seeing a great and comprehensive change
of this kind undertaken with more care and caution,
and, above all, with no party feeling, or as little as
possible introduced into the discussion. It will re-
main for the House of Commons to do their best
in the task that lies before them, and to guard
against extremes, which can lead to no good.
Moderation is always found to be the
wisest and safest policy in affairs of this kind, and
those who agreed to the proposal to go into com-
mittee on Friday may perhaps come to the
conclusion that all that Mr. GLADSTONE wishes
to do is not expedient at present. The pre-
sent Parliament had quite enough before it without
entering upon work that was more than it could
possibly have accomplished, and doubtless this truth
will be fully recognised before the summer
is over. After the sweeping changes insisted
upon by Mr. GLADSTONE people are apt to over-
look the fact that the Government by no means
pledged themselves to uphold the Irish Church in
its present form, but asked the House to wait until
the Royal Commission had reported on the subject,
and leave the next House to decide what changes or
modifications were required. Had this very reason-
able desire been granted more might have been
accomplished this year than is now at all likely to
be effected, while the real object at issue would
have been quite as well attained, for no practical
result about the Irish Church can possibly be arrived
at this year when all things are taken into consi-
deration.

We have from the United States a brief account
of Saturday's proceedings in the Senate Court.
The Impeachment Trial is still of course the great
question of the day. On it all interests are centred,
to it all hopes are directed, and round it all plans
and speculations turn. We have become so accus-
tomed to the constant wrangling between PRESI-
DENT and Congress that the actual crisis which the
long struggle has reached has lost some of its im-
portance, but there can be no doubt that in Ame-
rica itself it is exciting the most vivid interest.
Much may depend upon the issue, and the
Radicals more especially are concentrating their
voices with the object of destroying their
resolute and unyielding adversary. It may seem
at first sight scarcely worth their while to be so
eager in the matter. The term of Mr. JOHNSON'S
tenure of office is fast approaching, and he has never
tried for re-election. The Radicals may reasonably