Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1847-08-07
NATIONAL. INTELLIGENGER.
CoRREspoNDENcE FROM ENGLAND.
LONDON, July l6. 1917.

week dissolution will Immediately follow, and
then will commence the hustle and tumult OF gen
eral election. There appears to be more doubt as
10 lis result in party or political sense, than was
entertained fortnight back.
Among other features of the new Parliament, the
great increase Of the railway interest will be pro-
lnnent one; many directors of influential lines,
and several of the more eminent engineers, will OBJ
tain seats. new power may arise III the Legls-
Iature from this circumstance, which will be more
favorable to monopoly than to free trade. The
railroads throughout the kingdom are fast getting
into the hands of few great companies, and a
director of of these large concerns has almost
as much patronage as a Cabinet Minister. This
new form of wealth and power is to be looked upon
with distrust in political point of view, because
Its evident tendency is Capitalization, and an ag-
gregaton of influence III few hands, which may
prove prejudicial to the general good. Many clear
headed people are of opinion that all the railways
IN the kingdom, SO far profit and regulation and
management go, should be national property, and
conducted on system something approaching to that
OF the Posi- OFFICE, with which, as mode of con-
veyance and communication, tits closely connected.
There Is no doubt but that plan might be very
easily matured, by which the entire system OF rail
ways should be placed under the control OF Gov
eminent as to secure all the due and proper inte-
III them, produce an amount of revenue TO Govern
ment which would lead 10 the remission OF many
oppressive taxes, prevent much wild speculation
and consequent distress, and avoid the danger OF
class legislation. The business might easily be SO
arranged as not TO cause any dangerous increase of
Government patronage.
The middle or n,oleyed class of the English peo-
pie are rapidly gaining performance III the coun-
ellis of the nation at least in the popular branch.
Ii the manufacturing the railway, and the dissent
ing interests, as they will most probably be repre-
scented in the next Parliament, could agree TO act
together upon leading points and principles, they
would most certainly, outnumber the landed aris-
locracy and the representatives of the nobility and
gentry in the House of Commons. The House of
Lords are identified with the landed interest and
the aristocracy in the Commons and there have
been stranger coalitions than that would be which
should cause the House of Lords and the landed
interest IN the Commons to arrange themselves, as
a. party, by the side and under the banner of Lord
q. BENTINcK or some other Tory leader of the
: Dung Eng land party, against PEEL, RUSSELL,
the free-traders, the Manufacturers, and the Rail-
road-men. This latter party, even if firmly united,
ibut is difficult to imagine what political cement
could SO unite it, would be overpowered bv the
coalition of It's opponents. The conquerors, to
strengthen their hands, might extend the Parlia-
lnentary suffrage, and grant other immunes and
privileges to the people; and thus would an in
crease of political rights be derived from source
from which but little of political liberty has hther-
10 flowed. This is mere speculation, and it is
only offered as one but such, at present, is the
complete breaking up of all old political combina-
tions. and so many new ingredients are minglng in
the buhbllng caldron of public opinion and con-
duct that II is possible something even more strange
Than what has been here imagined NAV be concoct-
ed in the fermentation.
The monetary reformers and the free-trade adj
vocates will each very much increase their num-
bers in the new Parliament. One of the first OBJ
jects which the former will attack will be Sir Robt
Peels Bank-regulation bill of 1914. Whether the
tree-traders win join in the advocacy of free rade
IN g0td remains to be seen.
The Dissenters are acting with great vgor, and,
could they unite, they would be very powerful
body IN the new Parliament but their course there
will be almost variant as their creeds. Too
many of this highly respectable body have " reE-
gi0US liberty" in their mouths and bigotry and
intolerance" in their hearts and they would re-
fuse 10 allow to Jews, Catholics, and Unitarians,
nay even 10 the members of the Established Church,
that which they demand for themselves-the invio-
liability of individual opinion and the right of pri-
waite judgment. From this unhoy principle, I'M
worthy the age, and derogatory 10 the spirit OF
Christianity and British legislation, has arisen their
opposition TO the Maynooth act and the Minutes
OF Council in relation TO Education-two measures
concocted IN the spirit of liberal concession and
each tending to the increase of information and the
lettering the condition Of great masses of the peo
pie. The dissenting Dissenters would not, like
the Purans of old, burn poor wretch under the
Imputatlon OF witchcrait, but they would anathe-
Matte him, and hold him under the ban Of their
dspleasure and the disabilities of political thral
dom and mental ignorance, unless he believed their
doctrines and worshipped God according to their
creed.
July H.
The Globe and other daily papers now confident
~ state that the QUEEN will in person prorogue the
present Parliament on Thursday, the 22d Instant
II tins be so you may expect plenty of electoneer-
ing news by the next steamer. The latest item of
tins description is the probability that Lord JoHx
RUSSELL may lose his election for London through
the opposition and intolerance OF the ultra dis.
senters.
The revenue for the three months which ended
on the 9th instant exceeds that received during the
corresponding three months of 1916 by cal ,457.
II the China money received last year, which
did not arise from any of the ordinary sources OF
revenue be deducted, the surplus of ls47, for these
three months, will be nearly half million over
1876, a. derived from the usual and permanent
sources. The revenue of France is reported also