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


SPIRIT OF TEE PUBLIC JOURNALS,

The Post decision that after such a defeat as that of
Friday last, at any other time the Government would
have no alternative than resignation. It would be idle and
unconstitutional to attempt to carry on the Government
of the country in the face of an overpowering hostile
majority; and, according to all parliamentary precedents,
the Prime Minister would be obliged to place his resigna-
tion in the hands of the sovereign, or to appeal from the
decision of the House of Commons to the country. The
present, however, is n very exceptional occasion, because
there is, properly speaking, no country to whjch to
appeal. The existing electoral body has been con-
demned, whilst its successor has not yet been railed
into existence. Dissolution is, consequently, MG of the
question. The decision of another House of Commons
elected in conformity with the provbeons of the Act of
1832 would prove nothing—at least it would carry us no
farther than we are at present, sad no one would seriously
suggest that it would be substantially different from that
which has just been pronounced. It therefore only remains
for the Ministry to decide whether they will remain in
office, and, if they are permitted to do so, obtain the
necessary 'applies and complete the Reform scheme by
passing the Irish and Scotch Acts, or resign. The latter,
it is neetess to say, would be the more dignified—indeed,
in the opinion of such men as Palmerston and Peel, the only
proper course. It is obvious to Mr. Disraeli that he may be
driven from office at any moment, and few men would
remain in power on such conditions. Besides, however he
might affect to disregard the opinion of the present Par-
liament, it must not be forgotten that if the second and
third of Mr. Gladstone's resolutions are carried, an irre-
trievable step towards disestablishment will actually be
taken. Mr. Disraeli might in such an event advise the
sovereign not to comply with the prayer of the address
embodied in the second resolution ; but if he did so, he
would in all probability find the Appropriation Bill
thrown out, and the Crown left without supplies. 'Unless,
therefore, the Ministry are prepared to see the founda-
tions of the Irish Church undermined whilst they remain
in office, they must, however unwillingly, give up their
places to their successful rivals.

With Mr. Bright the Daily Hews protests against the
existence of a Government which does not govern, and an
Opposition which does not oppose. This is bad enough.
In a constitutional sense it is difficult to conceive anything
worse. But in the lowest depth there is a lower still. The
political knights of industry, whole latest alias, to use
General Peel's expression, is that of the Constitutional
party, have discovered and threaten us with something
more unconstitutional still. We are likely to have an
Opposition which governs, and a Government which
opposes. Mr. Gladstone's resolutions are to be opposed,
one by one ; the Address to the Crown is to be opposed ;
the bill necessary to give effect to both is to be opposed in
all its stages, and in both Houses. In other words, the
Government is practically in opposition. If it insists on
maintaining this attitude, it is bound to bring its practice
into harmony with the theory of the constitution, and to
transfer itself, to the left hand of the Speaker. An Admi•
nistration at open war with the majority of the House of
Commons is a grave public scandal.

Neither the Herald nor the Standard appears to be
informed as to the course which Ministers will take. The
former, almost ignoring the vote of Friday, advocates
royal residence in Ireland as a panacea for its wrongs.
The latter declares the victory of the Liberals to be unsub-
stantial, and Mr. Gladstone's policy to be immoral.

The Star points out that the Government —if it is fair to
call by such a name the forlorn crew now clinging help-
lessly to the drifting hull of an Administration—find them-
selves about to enter upon a struggle with the certainty of
being defeated at every stage on which they venture to
provoke a division. They cannot carry out the policy of
their opponents, and they cannot prevail upon the House
to tolerate any other. The talk of a present appeal to the
country is the most illogical and idle of threats. If this
be a condemned and moribund Parliament, so likewise is
the voting body a condemned and moribund constituency.
There is really no choice for the Government but to resign
now, or disgracefully drag out a little longer only to have
to resign at last with increased ignominy.

The Times draws attention to a coincidence, in point of
time, between the contest between Oxford and Cambridge
and another which is dignified by the name of the " Grand
National Steeplechase," which came off at Bedford, over a
four-mile course. Fourteen horses started, eight ridden
by gentlemen ; the pace is said to have been first-rate
throughout, and the finish was as severe as could be
desired. The proceedings were " only marred by one
accident"— a valuable horse, named Musketeer, having
fallen heavily on landing, broke his own back, so that he
had to be destroyed on the spot, and seriously injured his
rider. Another horse, which is reported to have " had the
quality of all there," was at the last moment withdrawn
by his owner, the Duke of Hamilton, simply because
the odds laid against him were not heavy enough, of
course to the great loss of his other backers. Now, the
leading journal does not care to draw invidious comparisons
between horseracing and boatracing, to provoke Mr. Skey
into another controversy on the relative danger of break.
ing one's neck in a steeplechase and of damaging one's
constitution by excessive rowing, or to deny that a good
deal of money changed hands on Saturday as well as on
Friday. The material distinction is, that while rowing is
practised for its own sake, and gives healthy and innocent
recreation to hundreds of pure amateurs, steeplechasing is
fast degenerating into an affair of betting and speculation.
No University Boatrace was ever put off or spoilt by such
calculations of profit as those on which the Duke of
Hamilton thought proper to act, and it may safely be said
that far more youths have been improved than deteriorated
in moral character by the ambition of taking an oar in the
University boat.

The Herald, calling attention to the agricultural trades
unions proposed to be organised by Canon Girdlestone,
gives the vicar credit for proper motives. Could he foresee
the advent of an agricultural Broadhead, or even the future
rise of a pastoral Potter, no doubt he would burn the five
points of his charter just adopted at the Willis's Rooms
Conference, and break up his Labour Institute at Serjeants'
Inn. But it is not always given to reformers to see the
ultimate issue of their labours. The seed they often drop
in the ground often bears fruit they little expected. The
Re v.Canon Girdlestone promises himself that no harm shall
come of his new organisation ; and without doubt he
thoroughly believes it. Very possibly no harm may arise
for some time to come. The migration scheme which
Canon Girdlestone has worked so zealously thus far is fair
enough, and has doubtless done great good. But the
leaguing of class against class which is now proposed is a
mistake, and the best we can hope is for its failure, which
happily is pretty certain. We advise the rev. canon to
let alone this "organising." It may seem very grand, but
it is at once inapplicable and unnecessary.

The Telegraph remarks that this week the trial of the
Clerkenwell miscreants will begin, and as the Clerkenwell
explosion was the climax of the Fenian outrages, so our
contemporary trusts the proceedings at the Old Bailey
will bring that conspiracy to a close, in so far at least as
England is concerned. Sedition was not indigenous here ;
it was imported from across the Irish Channel, and is now
under an eclipse so total that the most reckless of its advo-
cates—if any such still remain at large—must acknowledge
the hopelessness of seeking to revive it. We dare not say
so much of Ireland, perhaps ; but even of her may we not
assert that the disposition which would resort to illegal
modes of redressing grievances has now lost much of its
power for evil ? Better days are in store for the sister
country, and the people of England are eager to shew
that, having vindicated authority and order with the
strong hand, they are ready to do justice and thus attach
the islands by bonds of mutual sympathy.

MORMON MEETING IN LONDON.—On Sunday
morning, at the Music Hall, Store-street, there was a con-
ference of Mormons, or Latter-day Saints, belonging to
the London district, and great interest was shewn in the
proceedings in consequence of a large emigration which is
about to take place from England for Utah. At the
hour appointed for the commencement of the proceed-
ings, twenty-three men, all dressed in black, and most
of them very young, came through a side door on to the
platform and sat down in a row. The president for
the day (Mr. Franklin Richards) requested every one
to stand while a hymn was sung—to one of the most
popular airs of the day—but the twenty-three gentle.
ruen on the platform sat in their chairs, without shewing
the slightest interest in the matter, while everybody else
obeyed the presidential . injunction to stand. The next
business was to ask for a blessing on Brigham Young, his
counsellors, bishops, and apostles, and this was done in a
very intelligent way. Next followed the delivery of
verbal reports from the elders who have charge
of districts in connection with the London Con-
ference, the eldest of these elders being apparently
!it inoro than twenty years of age. Mr. Franklin
Richards, the president of the Conference, then delivered
an address. He said that in the London district
there were 9 branches, 107 elders cf Conference, 53 priests,
24 teachers, 30 deacons. During the last six months 132
persons had been baptised, 16 cut off, 4 had died. The
total number in the London Conference, including officers,
was 1,172. .He thought it was doubtful whether all the
Latter-day Saints in England would be able to get away
to Utah this year, for they were admitting hundreds of
new members every month, and they could not make up
the necessary amount for expenses of passage. By a show
of hands Mr. Brigham Young and his counsellors, the
twelve apostles, the bishops, and other officers were
" sustained '7 jn their present positions.