New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1868-12-14
THE NFJy ENGLISH MINISTRY

place given to Mr.. Lowe and the absence Oh
MFR. Bright. Assuming the accuracy of the re-
ports sent us by the Cable, these two facts
ara An illustration of the unforeseen coming 10
pass with a vengeance. Not that anybody Is
surprised to find Mr.. Lowe i'll the Cabinet.
His presence there was always anticipated as q
certainty. But that he should DO Chancellor OF
the Exchequer is indeed a wonder to his friends,
and perhaps even to himself. Every one e1-
pected that Mr.. Lowe would be placed at the
head of Department of Education to be spcci-
ally created out of the piecemeal odds and
ends of systems with which England as State
now attempts to do her duty in the way OF
education. Mr.. Lowe has long been dlstln-
guished as a bold and practical reformer OF En-
glish educational systems Many earnest
Radicals would forgive him his speculative Tory
ism and his anti-democratic alterations for the
sake of his courage and frmness as an educa-
tional reformer. TO make him Chancellor OF
the Exche1uer is to venture on an experiment
which was not called for by any emergency.
He may prove another Pitt or Gladstone, but
It can only be as Spinola and Give proved to
be great soldiers-withOut any previous training
or apparent capacity for the work. Moreover the
general voice of English Radicalsm Will un-
doubtedly resent the sudden elevation oil TINS
brilliant mercurial cynic to the most important
office of the administration. Mr.. Lowe has
never shown any capacity for craftsmanship.
He does not give himself time to think; his
love of antithesis, and surprise, and rhetorical
coups dc Jdradc almost always runs away win
him. He began political life as an extreme Rad
zeal he won his brightest reputation as Tory.
OF the Tories whom Mr. Disracli found
himself called on to rcpudiate as too
hostile to Reform, he has now doubtless
"swung round the circle" and come back to
his starting point In truth, Mr.. Lowe never
had any particular opinions except on ques-
lions of education; and boyish, joyous zest
for contradiction and argument will explain
most of his sudden changes. But the more
serious Radicals will probably fail to see the
fun of making him Chancellor of the EK-
chequer. and, should such an appointment be
really made will regard il as a slight and an
offense TO steady RadicaliSm. They and the
reporters will take the thing most to heart.
The reporters who have to evolve the figures
of budget from Mr. loves rapid and oc-
casionally almost inartculate utterances will
have hard time of it. The appointment, in
deed, seems in many ways only too like new
illustration OF Beaumarchaiss old Joke about
the people who wanted mathematician and
got a dancing master
IL Mr.. Bright has not taken office, it must OF
course be his own choice To remain out. Mr..
Gladstone never would have thought Of form
ing an administration now without inviting
Bright to join il and indeed no Liberal Min
istry could now hope TO get on which did not
command the support aud confidence OF the
great tribune. IL is quite possible that Mr..
Bright declined 10 encounter the fatgues oil
Office on personal grounds His health has long
been weak; the voice that once was 80
resonant and commanding has utterly broken
down in sudden and complete hoarseness
many times of late; his hair became white AZ
silver in the course of few days last Sum-
mer; he detests official life, its routine,
and It's paraphernaia On the other hand, it
is also possible that he may have
felt himself personally unable TO make
one OF Cabinet in which poll
tician so eccentric as Lowe, young
man with such antecedcnts, political and other
wise. as the Marquis of Harrington. aud
shallow, unsafe, no-princple sort Of diplomat
list like the Earl of Clarendon are TO DC lead
ing figures. lie may have been disappointed
with the construction OF the Cabinet; or he
may have thought that he could serve Glad
stone and the country best by remaining out
of Office and lending the Ministry impulsion and
support His Edinburgh speech showed
plainly enough that nc was resolved the
country should not misunderstood him or sup
pose that me was inclined to accept com
G...., l.s..
form and the Whigs-betwecn the people
and the old families. In any case it
may be taken for granted that the under
standing between Gladstone and Bright
is full and loyal. No one thinks more highly
of Gladstone than Bright does-indeed, Bright
has often had to pledge his word with impetu
Ous followers for the steadiastncss and integ-
rty of his chief Every effort will be made by
the Tories on the one hand and the extreme
Radicals on the other to work an arrangement
between Bright and Gladstone. The efforts will
fail. The two men understand each other, adj
mre each other, and are loyal and sincere.
On the whole, Mr.. Gladstones Ministry if
we are TO regard it as complete, will probably
disappoint the English Liberals. The Irish
party, too, will feel discouraged and amazed
at the place given to Mr.. Lowe, who has always
made himself the bitterest opponent of any in
fringcment of what he calls the sacred sane
tity" of the rights of Irish landlords. There
is very little that is new in the composition of
the Ministry, and some of it's arrangements
are pe,plexiDg. Mr. Stansfeld, who gave
so much promise in tho Admiralty and
the India Office, seems to be put into a
place which has really no administrative duties
whatever. Indeed there has evidently been a
great puzzle about the mode Of eflectually