The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1869-06-11
From, The Philadelphia ledger.
THE CRISIS IN ENGLAND.

The announcement that caucus OF
the Tory Peers had resolved upon the
rejection of the Irish Church Disestab
lishment In London, and porbably
throughout the whole OF Great Britain
All the prominent journals of the CAPT
tai have spoken with emphasis on the
subject, and with but one exception
theV condemn and denounce the step.
The single exception is the Tory organ
the Standard, which admits that the
proposed action IS one OF obvious peril,
but which must he taken, or "the cons
stitution and the liberties of England
will be sacrificed to the ascendency OF
that democratic principle which is the
most dangerous foe OF personal and 20.
litical freedom" The Star, the expo
nent ofthe views of the "Bright' school
of Liberals, uses threatening language
against the House of Lords, reminding
that body that its existence is "nO
! more logical, durable or eXcussable''
than theabuses ofthe Irish Church itself.
and that in the "fever heat" that will
follow the rejection OF the bill, the old
cries will again be heard "for the downs
Lords, it says, are afflicted with "the
blindness OF buzzards," and when the
issue comes upon them, they will wish
they had been wise in time. The Ne,CS,
another Liberal organ, says that the re.
lection Of the bill by the Lords will, at
|
months the fate of the Irish Church
Establishment, but that the opposition
of the Lords will in the meantime have
raised the question as to the use of the
House of Lords, which, 1t says, Islands
outside the SYSTEM" The Telegraph, a
popular independent paper of large
circulation, says that 'the country has
spoken irrevocably and finally" on the
subject of establishment, and if
forced to speak again 1t will be in tones
of 'in6ignaLion." The Morning Post
formerly Lord Palmerston's organ)
shows that rejection of the bill will
not prevent its ultimate passage,
refusing it second reading. The
Times, the most influential of them
all, says "The bill must pass. The ma
ton, by the voice OF the House OF Com
mons, has so pronounced, and cannot
recede." 1t predicts that if the policy
OF rejection is carried out, the House of
Lords will be obliged to accept the
same bill at later period, with sense
| OF humiliation. That journal also says
that the country is on the eve OF a crisis,
to which nothing since the throes
which preceded the passage of the first
result of the struggle is not Doubtful"
and 1t reminds the Lords that the re-
suits OF their action touch all, putting
In jeopardy not only themselves and
their privileges, but the peace of the
great city of London and the mainte-
nance of law and order throughout the
country. 1t cannot be doubtful which
will succeed in the contest, themselves
or the nation. In the end, 1t will not
be question whether the power the
Lords think they possess will be proved
to be nOn-existant, "but whether the
power they can exercise will not be SO
irreVocably broken as to vanish out of
existence" Many of the other papers
speak in revolutionary tones.
In all this the American public will
clearly see the outCrOpplug OF that
spirit of restivness with which the peo-
pie of England are thoroughly imbued,
as to the absurdity of: their chamber
OF hereditary legislators, and their herdi-
tary Executive. Ideas OF free republ
can government and common sense are
too far advanced In that country, and
the people have too much power to tole-
rate such absurdities much longer, and
1t only needs strong prOvocation, grow.
ing out Of some such event as this, to
bring on the crisis 10 which the Times
refers, when the power of both will be
overturned and 'vauish out of eXis-
tence." The Lords seem, indeed, to
have been struck with what General
Cass used to call judicial blindness"
It is less than two years ago that
similar threat against the Reform bill
of 1867, raised such n storm about them
as to compel Difference to the popular
will. 1t was then asked, as it is now,
"what is the use of the House OF
Lords ?" Their lack of high in
telligence, and their plentiful lack
of the essential elements OF states
manship were the themes OF near
ly all tho newspapers, and their pre-
tensions were numerically ridiculed.
Nothing but their Difference to public
opinion allayed the storm at the time.
Now, so soon after that significant ex-
perience they threaten again to stand
In the way of progress,-to obstruct
reform which was an express issue be-
fore the people of England in the cleo
lions of last year, and which was de.
cided against the present position of
the Tory Lords by vast majority.
There Is no way in which the people OF
Great Britain can formally express
their judgment as whole body ex-
cepting through the elections for mem
bers of the House of Commons. They
have expressed their judgment in this
case, and the Tory Lords will have to
respect it, or the time is not far distant
when their House and its absurd priv
ileges, and all the mummery OF herpdit-
airy legislators and government, will
"Vanish out OF existence"