The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-12-05
The Retirement of DisraeH.

From the N. Y. Tribune.
Disrael retires with dignity. He feels that
the results of the elections present no honor
able alternative. He might have continued in
office and made a factious administration, and
allowed some of his colleagues to earn pen
siOns, and probably create one or two noble
men and bishops. He retres, and, instead of
seeking a snug retreat in the Lords, returns
to the Commons to fight. In the old House of
Commons he was justified in assuming that
upon any new question, especially one like
the disestablishment of the Irish Church, he
was as much in accord with the English peo-
pie as his opponent. The elections destroyed
this. He appealed to the people upon his
own issues and was fairly beaten. He made
gallant fight, and achieved a greater success
than many close observers of the canvass
anticipated. The voice of England is not in
accord with Mr.. Disrael, and he bows to it
gracefully.
The retirement of Mr.. Disraeli is an event of
the century. His party has been beaten
before, and under his own generalship. The
issues then were auxiliary, and his opponents
were in many cases men whose Liberalism was
assumed, who believed in the Whig doctrines
because Whiggery meant power, and whose
real interests were as much with the Tories as
those OF the Earl OF Derby. Disraeli defeated
by Palmerston and Lord Russell was con-
servative Tory jostled out of place by con-
servative Wing. 1t was one class of aristo-
Gratis succeeding another. But Disrael beaten
by Gladstone has grave significance. Glad
| stone is champion of the popular will of
England. He is successful in spite Of Tory
Reform bill. He triumphs over the generally
successful appeal of ''No Popery." 1t has
always been cry of more than usual
meaning to the English masses. The Eng
| lishman believes in his church with coarse
| fsnatcism that has withstood all tempta-
tion. He thinks that Catholics m means gu
| perstition, fraud, and tyranny-Bloody Mary
returning with faggot and quartering- block.
| The conservatives appealed to this prejudice
| very much as the Democrats, during the last
election, when they insisted that to vote for
Grant and Colfax was to give the negroes all
the land and to compel white men to give
| them their daughters in marriage. We pre-
sumo that il the Irish Church question had
not been controlling the canvass, and Disraeli
had not had an opportunity of Haunting the
poor old Pope before the eyes of terrified Eng
| lish Churchmep, the triumph of Gladstone
would have been overwhelming.
Prejudices and all have failed. England is
willing to trust her Church in the hands of a
man who certainly has no higher fame than
that of being among the purest and noblest
champions of Episcopacy. The Englishmar
sees that the salvation of the Episcopal Church
does not depend upon the perpetuation of a
corrupt and useless hierarchy in Ireland The
anomaly of compelling people to accept and
sustain church establishment in which but
one man in eight believes is hideous. This
however, is but one issue in many. When
Mr.. Lincoln triumphed in 1860, the main point
in the canvass was that the Southerneri
should not be allowed to carry their slaves
into the Territories. None but extreme Re
publicans contended for anything more, anG
the orator who spoke of emancipation was
looked upon as a dreamer and an enthusiast
as one who spoke long before his time. Bu
this concession was the surrender o
everything. The North was not conten
with placing barrier to the advance o
slavery. 1t compelled its destruction. W.
do not think that England will be conten
with victory over the Irish Church. TIT
grave mistake of defeating the candidates o
the laboring party is already producing ii
results. We have seen Russell hurrying t
, the front to propitiate with an insincere lette
| the men whom he should have frankly &C
, cepted as allies and clothed with power Th
L T.. 4 - A