New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-12-25
GREAT BRITAIN.

GREAT BRITAIN.
THE GOVERNMENT PROGRAMME-NO INTENTION
TO SUSPEND THE HABEAs CORPUS IN IRE
LAND-ENGLISH VIEWS OF THE PRESIDENTS
MESSAGE-THE QUESTION OF SENTIMENTAL
GRIEVANCES - THE EXTENT OF ENGLISH
SYMPATHY WITH THE NORTH-NO SYMPATHY
WITH ITS PRESENT ATTITUDE.
IRON OUR OWN CORRESPONDENT
LONDON, Dec. 1l.-Our home politics have been
dull enough this last week. The Ministers have
been in town. and there have been several cabinets
but little transpires except that Mr. Gladstone is in
excellent health and spirits and all his colleagues
full of confidence, like men who feel the ground
firm under their feet Rumors of - or 10 great Gov
eminent measures are floating abOut-not one too
many, considering the enormous area of work which
the late rest and be thankful times bcqueathed to
us-and there is doubt that besides the Irish land
BILL we shall have at any rate general education
BILL great measures of law reform and army reform,
a trades unions bill and an abolition of tests BILL
backed by the whole power of the Government. Ire
land will be held quietly and firmly notwithstanding
the proposed Orange gatherings in the North, and
there is no intention to summon Parliament
and take power to suspend the writ of habeas cor
pus at which the bigots on both sides much dis
appointed. The Fenians see that they can't 20
much farther without fighting, and that they don't
mean. They hoped for special measures, passed in
extraordinary session, which would have given them
a good excuse for not moving and made n fuss in
your papers They won't get them, and have now
to consider what card to play next and they must
make up their minds quickly, for the tenant right
people are falling away from them rapidly 1t is ut
most some six or seven weeks before they will know
what the Government propose 10 do. and their
leaders seem confident that the proposition will
prove satisfactory, and their object is security
of tenure and not civil in Ireland it will not
be easy to move them for Fenian purposes this side
of the meeting of Parliament.
The starting of a new daily morning paper on the
lst of January is stirring the journalistic world deep
w. The want of really good liberal daily has been
felt more than since the discontinuance of The
Star so there is plenty of room. But will the new
paper The Pail Mall Gazette ian offspring of the
evening paper of that name), supply the wantf
There is no doubt that it will be absolutely first rate
as far as paper type and ability but whether there
will be enough sympathy with advanced liberal ideas
to make it formidable to The Times on the one side
or The telegraph on the other, neither Of which
papers has the slightest faith in anything but
cess or sympathy with any part sOf man higher
than his stomach and breecbes pocket, remains TO be
seem In price it will stand between them, at two
pence. Whether great success or not. it will do
good in putting all the papers their mettlc, we
shall all be gamers.
Your Presidents message has Of course been the
chief item of foreign with us in the past week
His review Of the progress of reconstruction and Of
the rapid advance of the freedmen throughout the
South has only confirmed The views of all well-in
formed people here and the official announcement
Of your continuing and increasing prosperity gives
us as nation very sincere pleasure. When say this
three-fourths of your readers probably will not be
lieve me- nevertheless l state nothing but the fact
and that may not be accused of writing only what
think will please Won, let turn to that part of
the message which refers TO the unsettled claims be-
tween us. do not the least blame your President
for putting the case as he does for sorry to ad
nit that he is only the faithful mouthpece in so
doing of the nation he represents; but do say that
by this time there ought to be among you at least
minority which can make its voice heard,
ready to look at this matter on both sides.
What is this great wrong wholly una
toned for which is always assumed by every
writer and speaker among You, and which Il sensi-
tive people conscious of its power" is broOdng over
and treasurng up against some great day of reckon
ing | presume That we might have stopped the
Alabama and didn't we have admitted for all prac-
teal purposes for serious statesman or writer has
maintained the contrary since the excitement of the
war has cooled down. We formally agreed to pay
whatever damages may be awarded on this account,
or on any other that You like to bring into question
and it was no doing of that the agreement was
set aside. Your whole is conceded so far as pc
cuniary compensation goes, for you don't seriously
ask us to pay icthout reference to arbitration
What other atonement do you want Well, am told
both by American friends and and over again by
our press that the real grievance is sentimental that
your feelings are injured that you want apologies
Now really must maintain that if we are to confne
ourselves to sentiment we have our grievance too.
Let me put the it appears to us, and when l
say us" speak not only of the great masses of our
people but of large body of educated men, including
even a fair spTinkling of the aristocracy who
.fought your battle here from the first days of the
war.
When the news Of the Rebellion came quite adj
nit that what is commonly called the London world
ar society called. and the rich section Of our
middle class, lighted. They. and their repre-
scntayes in press, only too glad 10 set up
the cry that democracy had broken down again, and
to rejoice, not qnite openly but without the least
feeling of conjunction or shame that what they
called your overgrown power" should he bTohen,
and s0 q serons danger. they thought for England
I'm the future averied. That section 0f the nation
can always make its voice heard first and oudrst IL
has or had nine years ago. possession of that poI-
lion Of the press which has prestige abroad.
7 be- utmost nse was made Of this vantage
Inf inok fairly ,.npeteti. and