The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-11-24
CRITICAL ELECTIONS IN ENGLAND.


number of the , ornbW Mdg9Sine on "Critioal
Elections" in the past history OF England, Will
be read with interest," even by American
readers, who are Watching with eagerness ths
progress OF the present contest in England;-
In writing of the contradictory results OF
the general election ot lI05 aud OF the general
election oil l7lO, Lord Stanhope observes, WIN
something lees than his usual persplcacitY,
"IOw strange and sudden are the veerlngs OF
popular favor Some grounds have elsewnsre
been given that Will partly account for These
reyulsionB; but to explain them altogether on
anythUg like reason, or without liberal
ALLOW vance for the caprice OF popular assemblies,
would, / believe, be found as lmpractcaOle as
TO say why the wind should blow from tue North
to-day aud from the South to-morroE" lt
appears to us, on The con rary, that these re.
yulsions OF feeling are often more apparent than
real, and that beneath the superficial instability
OF pubic opinion which the historian rebutes, lhe
operations OF a uniform principle may generally
be traced. EVen where TINS Is not tns case,
such oscillations OF popular feeling a. Lord
StauhOpe is describing are lar from unlnlellgi-
BILE or irrational In the particular instance
which he mentions, they represented The per-
plsGity and indCes,on OF the entire nation,
SWINGING doubtfully between the Two theories
of government, ana nclIning to one or to tue
other a. the circumstances of the moment
swayed them. Such was prc.emlnently the con-
diuon ot the English people during the forty
years that passed away between the deposition
OF King james IL and the death OF King
George /. While the memory OF the
StJatts WGs still green, while gene
ration which bad personally known them
sui survived, the old mystic Loyalty, though
sometimes eUhp-ei, was never eraticated from
the hearts OF mCu; and maintained nearly
equal struggle with tue national common sense
view OF government aud tue nadoual dislike OF
TODarv, which formed tue malustdy of the ne
fettlement. But as this generation gradually
died oil, and q new one arose with whom ia o.
bin sm was either mere idea, or the stalking
horse OF political ambition, the oscillation began
20 cease, aud had disappeared altogether before
the resignation OF Sir Robert WalpOle. Yes
tges of the old sentiment sull fingered in this
country, aud more than mere Yestlges III Scot
land. but as practical influence determining
the result OF eiect!SpS ana deciding
the fate Of C2binets, " was obsolete and
pOWerless Nothing similar 10 that period OF
Transition has subsequently occurred in Eng
land; and we have, according J, no similar IN
stances TO record of pOpIlar ''revulslons." Bat
the Teyul-lous which do occur within that
period might be accounted Tor on the grounds
above gIveL, even were there no others 10y HhlCn
sOme OF them at least may be adequately
explained, In giving a bclet account
of the Critical elections which have
taken place in England from the reign OF
Queen Anne TO the present day--meaung by
"cIihcal elections" such as have decided eIJher
the fate OF the parties or the fortunes OF Cele-
brated Ministers--we shall begin with the gene
raj election of l7l0, which 10 some extent
decided both, and is perfect illustration of
those popular reactions which 50 perplsX the
historian we have quoted. In April, 1908 the
the majority returned 10 the House of Commons
had been Wing majority. The Wing Ministers
were the popular Ministers of the day The
Duke OF MaribOrOugb was the idol of the ma.
tion. The Protestant succession was what no
man dared publicly decry. Ia september, l7l0,
the Queen was in d position to dismiss her
Ministry, to insult the Duke, to cali men to her
councils who were adverse TO the Protestant
succession, and afterwards 10 dissolve Parlia.
ment and appeal to the country with an sbso-
lute assurance Of triumph NO doubt the popu-
lar m nd mad been highly lnfamed against Inc
Wigs by the Impeachment OF Sacheverels A
High Church "cry" had been pot up, which
was all to the advantage OF The Tories. But
neither cry nor "Caprce Is, III our eyes, sutii.
Cient TO explain the entire change of mind
which the constituencies then displayed
1t WAS tOleraby well known in the country
that the sympathles OF the Queen, IN spite OF her
intimacy with tue Marlboroughs, were all with
the exile at ST. Germans; and the kuowledge
was by 0 means TO her dGtriment. In dis
missing SundeTlaDd audl GodOphin, and re-
placing them by Oxford ana Boimgbroke, she
was supposed 10 be cNercisng her Rn inde-
pendent will, and to be ylndicaing the dignity
Oi the crown. Now, curious as lt may seem, it
appears to us beyond a doubt thai multitudes of
people who would have hOOed at arbitrary
power and Cheeret at parliamentary government,
il put to them IN those words, would frequently
regard with approval the assertion Of the royal
prerOgatiye. The truth we suspect to be- that
The deicacy OF the political hctiJn on which
monarchy Is based in this kingdom Is rather
thrown away upon tue multitude. They like TO
see king or queen DO something; partly be-
cause they think the wcarer of the crUwu ought
to do something; parIY because royal act
proceeding from the breast of Majesty in virtue
Ot some undeduabe power, aud not VtsIb'y con.
neCted with "laWN as they see 1t n the courts
and at assizes, is impressive and imposing and
appeals strongly 10 the ina 5lnaton. For
this reason alone We could believe that
Queen Annes change of Ministry was
popular, did not contemporary records abua-
Oanuy Justify the hypothesis. In the
second pace, it is probable, qf not certain.
that the better informed part Of the nation had
begun 70 grow dissatisfied with the continuance
OF the French war. All the objects for which if
was originally undertaken could have been
secured at the Congress OF Gertruydenberg In
1903; and IL was whispered about that 1t was
only prolonged now 10 CRAFTY the personal
ambition of lone too powerful Individual" ."
With the Truth or talSehood OF such suspicious
We are not concerned. 1t is certain they were
generally entertaiued and, coupled with all the
burdens OF war, they were quite sufficient TO
undermine MaIlborOugh's popularity. Thirdly,
there was the old Jealousy between the country
gentlemen and the nobility, and though the
former had too lively n recollection OF the civil
war 10 be eager 10 take arms for the Stuarls,
they had no objection 10 put a slight upon the
Wing ohgar6hy Wnen II could be doue without
danger OF encouraging the Jacobtes too nrucn.
With Stuart Queen upon the throne this object
was easily atanabe, and this last Consldera-
ton, oreoVer, has no small share in the diff
ference to be observed between the last Two elec.
tlons which took place III her reign and the cleo
tlons OF l7l6, But among these various motives
which determined the judgment OF the consitu.
ents we see little or no evidence of popular
caprice. There was, in the first place, one OF
those temporary reactions of opinion which was
characteristic of tho period; aud there were
secondly, many practical reasons which, rightly y
or wrongly, mad allenated the country from the
wings; but OF mere blind caprice, or iuexpli
cable revulsions OF opinion, nothing. Such /,
the history OF the famous elections OF l7lO
which replaced the Tories in office after twenty
years OF practical exclusion from il: which
finished the career of Marlborough and onpneo
the career oil Boiling broRe; which led 10 .