The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-12-21
The Situation in England.

Inc SITUATION III England
From the ". Y Tribune.
"Come what may" said Mr.. Dsraeli to q
political acquaintance towards the close of
memorable debate in 1852 "history must
record that | was twice Chancellor Of the Ex-
chequer." This was said in anticipation of
the vote of the House OF Commons which a
few hours after dismissed Mr.. Disraeli from
office; and it was his proud consolation for
expected defeat. Doubtless he finds at pre-
sent the same sort of consolation in looking
back upon the greater hOnOrs he has lately
won. Come what may, history must record
that he was three times Chancellor of the
EXchequer and once Prime Minister. Only
those who study closely the organization of
English political life can understand the ma
ture OF the triumph over difficulties which is
represented by the elevation of man of no
family to the place of Prime Minister. Had
Mr.. Disraeli q soul far loftier and more disin-
terested than he has, he might well indulge
personal pride in the recollection of his tri-
umphs. 81 cease to live" says Goethe's Eg-
mont, "but have lved.'
There is something, however, we cannot
help thinking, which sustains Mr.. Disraeli in
his fall beside the consolation of memory. The
address in which he explains to his party the
reason of his resignation of office shows that
he has no idea of giving up the game he has
played so unscrupulously and so successfully.
lhSIO noIo ISdEOl5 why uS COull uOL nope,
for the present, to bid against Gladstone for
popular favor He could not Just yet attempt
to accomplish the same audacious change of
front with regard to the Irish Church which
he effected so completely in the case of the
Reform bill. He could not bring his party, at
this hour, up TO the pitch of sacrificing the
Irish Church. His hold over some of the
stricter members Of the party was terribly
shaken by the events of last year. One more
such victory and he must have been undone.
Already sort of sullen secession was forming
itself in his own Ministry in anticipation of his
venturing on some surrender of blue Tory
principle. A faction was silently gathering itself
round Claiborne Hardy, who had proclaimed
that, come what might, he would nail his Pro-
testant ascendancy cOlors to the mast. Then
there were the powerful seceders of last year
the Marquis of Salisbury, the Earl of Car
narvon, and Gen. Peel-prepared to resist
with uttermost force any attempt to compro-
mise with the spirit of religious equality. No,
the thing could not be done. It must have
been very tempting to Disraeli Oue bold
coup d'<tat, one daring announcement that the
abolition of the Irish Church had all along
been the dream and the hope of the COnserva.
tive party-and where would Gladstone and
Bright be then? But it could not be done.
Disraeli must in his heart have ragged against
the slow and stolid men of principle-the
Ilardys and such like-who could not appre-
ciate the splendid chance before them, and
would rather stick to what they called their
principles than execute the most brilliant
manWuVre with the utmost certainty of sue
cess. Unluckily, too, he had tried the No
Popery cry HIMSELF he had tried to kindle
the fire which would not light and he had
only burned his own fingers in the
futile effort. So, surveying the situa-
tion calmly, he saw nothing left for
him but to go out of Office, and educate his
party III the way of religious equality. The
coming year is full of chances. Gladstone has
now to prepare definite and complete scheme
for the disendOwment and disestablishment of
the Irish Church; and what op FORTUNES may
not the development of any such scheme afford
TO his hateful rival 1t would hardly be in
human possibility to carry such a measure in
the next session and meanwhile events, and
the force OF rivalry and jealousy, ambition and
disappointment, will be doing wonderful work
towards the education of the Tory party. If
it be true that Mr., Gladstone and Mr.. Bright
have resolved to make the Marquis of Sails
bury Governor-Genersl of lndia-an appoint
ment quite likely to be made by men so mag
unanimous and SO wise-a grave difficulty wOuld
be removed out of Mr.. Disraei's path. The
Marquis of Salisbury is by far the ablest,
the best, the most high-minded of the
Tories; he has long watched Mr.. Disraei with
Jealous eye, and Disraeli feared him. II
way OF the great adventurer would be much
more clear. Nobody supposes that Disraeli, in
his heart, cares three straws about the Irish
Church. Ii he has any individual feeling in
the matter, it must rather be secret sympa-
thy with the cause of religious equality.
Given a free choice, he would probably rather
be remembered in history as the statesman
who abolished the Irish Church than as the
Tory leader who sustained it. But he wanted
to be Prime Minister anyhow-that first, all
the rest secondhand he could no more work
himself up to the political virtue OF a Bright
or Gladstone than he could make himself
young again. So he went in for Protestant
sscendancy because itgave him the first and
apparently the best chance; and he must lately
have felt very much as Becky Sharp did
when, after having secretly oontrived to get
married TO Rawdon Crawley, the poor younger
son. she found ont that she might have mar
ritd Sir Pitt Crawley, the rich father.
DisTaeli's game, then, we fancy, is this:-
He will wait, watch, delay, harass, baihe--he