Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-03-02
Letters from England.
NJ. ANll.
Ministerial Changes.

LONDON, February 9, 1875.
To the Free Press
very natural question for an American
to ask at tins juncture, is Why did the
late Ministry resign - The answer involves
a principle not recognized at Washington,
but considered as binding at Westminster
namely, that the Ministers for the time being
must have the confidence Of the House of
Commons. The motion for an inquiry into
the conduct of the war, was construed as a
motion of confidence or no confidence IN the
Administration it was carried by majority
of more than two to one : the Ministers, as
matter of course, all resigned the very next
morning.
You may remember that when William
Pitt was Prime Minister, he persisted in re-
tanning his Office, though he was regularly
defeated in every division of the House. But
of course, all this while, legislation was at
perfect stand still, and no one with less per-
tinacity than Mr.. Pitt could have withstood
the clamors against his unprecedented con-
duct
In case of a defeat in Parliament, there is
only one other e4pedient open to the Minis
try that is to advise the Sovereign to dis
solve Parliament. This throws the ministry
more Immediately upon the people who will
express by their newly elected representatives
their appreciation or disapprobation of the
government. When the Ministry of Earl
Grey, in 1881, introduced the reform bill
they were defeated in the House of Commons
but by dissolving Parliament and appealing
directly to the people, they received such an
accession of supporters as enabled them to
carry their measures. 1t is not improbable
that the new Ministry may resort to this
measure for support in carrying certain yigo-
rous reforms into the war departments,
ID is not for me to decide which is more
republican or more consistent, the entire in
difference to popular expression in the Cabi-
net at Washington, or the extreme sensitive
ness of the British Cabinet to such expies-
sions tho cases indeed are in many respects
not PARALLEL but there certainly is some
point in the turn given to present occur
rences in BOTH by the Earl of Elgin, late
Governor of Canada, in a speech at II public
dinner. :" The popular will tells much more
directly and Immediately on the Executive
| Government under our system, than the po
pular voice does in the United States, You
could not have a more curious exemplifca
, ton Of the difference between these two sys
/ TENS. than you have at this moment. A shor
+ time ago We had government which, up tC
a recent period, had received certainly a larg'
share of Parliamentary support, and which
used to command the confidence of Parlia
ment but we find that when motion wa
S brought forward by which the confidence o
n the Parliament in the Government wa
u tested, and when that motion was carrie'
against them, the government retired, ant
a the government of the country will now b.
c committed to other hands But what woul'
. have been the state Of matters in America
n Why, there never was President who wa
}, elected with a greater appearance of popula
d support than the present President of th
' United States, and | venture to say tina
:. there never was an Administration whic
seemed to be more utterly discredted among