The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1871-11-27

Effect of Sir Charles w. DiIke,s Speech.
George W. Smalley writes as follows from
London to the New York Tribune in regard
to the extraordinary speech of Sir Charles W.
ollke, denouncing royalty, to which we the
other day referred at length: ~.
When I sketched in my last letter an out
inc of Sir Charles Dilke's Newcastle speech,
[ scarcely anticipated the extent OF the eiiecI
that was to be produced by it. we are useu
20 the thunder of the Times, ana 10 WHAT Tue
SPECTATOR calls the ''vixenish naggmg" OF the
Pal Mall Gazette. The thunder rolls IN the
morning. sometimes, through clear SKY anu
no echo follows while as for our evening pa
nor If furnishes topics for talk in the clubs,
md annears to have no other distinct mis- |
ion except to champion hoary abuses, such |
,s Purchase in the army and now Sinecures !
,bout the throne. But this time the note of |
alarm, or rage, or whatever it was they SCUM |
ded, has evoked echoes enough. Sir Charles |
Dilke's speech has supplanted in popular in
terests that wonderful alliance between the
workingmen and the Peers. 1t leaves Mr..
Gladstone's speech far behind. 1t completes
with the Tichborne trial. 1t has been writ
ten about in every paper one sees. The
Times was not satisfied with demolishing it
once, but Stays the slain over again this morn
ing. The Standard is in Mysteries. The
Daily NeWs touches it cautiously. The Tele-
Taph takes refuge in glittering generalities.
The Saturday Reuieao condemns the speech
in an article which would be called bit
ter in any other paper. And the Spec
iGtor, which allows nobody to be radical
without its express permission and after
is own manner, attacks Sir Charles
Dixie with ferocity; imputes to him want
both of sense and decency, declares that he
| talks "sheer vulgar nors ense' and ''discourte-
JUS RUBBISH in order to mislead his audience
md says some other things that out of re-
pect for the Spectator prefer not to quote.
What no one of all these papers does, hOwev-
er, is to prove, or attempt to prove, that Sir.
Charles Dixie has misstated facts. Nor did
Mr.. Gladstone, who went out of his way at
he Guidhall banquet to administer a kind of
| ebul1e, which though uncalled for, was at
east temperate and dignified.
In the mere fact that a young and able and
| liberal member of Parliament has made
| public criticism on the royal household, there
| is nothing to explain all this cutlery. No sin
| gle politician in single speech can shake the
hrone, or convert popular novelty into popu-
| ar distrust. 1t is the restless sentiment be-
| hind the orator which makes him formidable
The cheers of those just-triumphant New
castle worknen carried him through his
speech, and lifted the speech itself into the
light, and brought down on Sir Charles all
his tempest. Fifty years ago this speech
would have been impossible. I almost WON
Ter to-day that the law is not put in motion
against its bold author. But government has
learned something if the newspapers have
| not. Mr.. Gladstone does not want to make a
new political martyr. If the newspapers do,
hey may succeed, in different way. Mean
lime, thanks to them as well as to the cour-
age and ability of the speaker, this address
mas added a great deal to the dislike of royal
lata Ii.,er al
| you ask why speak of courage, the answer
IS that Sir Charles Dixie risks not only popu-
iarity among his associates, but his seat in
Parliament by making it. If he loses Chelsea,
rs he well may with the government influence
against him, he would find another seat with
great difficulty. And just so long as he should
be kept out of Parliament would his political
career be retarded, while if the delay were
great it might come to an end altogether.
1 THE N. Y. Commercial in one of its bright
editorials informs its readers that Maine, which
is facetiously called the State of alag stones and
snow balls is completely given up to the cul
ture of potatoes. The people talk about moth
ing else but the potato ministers preach abou
it; it has become the cheerful topic of socia
converse and the fashionable and proper thing
TO talk about in the most fashionable circles
1t has even supplanted that very original top
ic of the weather Indeed, ladies no Longer
talk of the latest styles but of potatoes. 1t may
be so-probably is-and our valued contempt
rary shows the goodness of his heart in condo.
ling with people afflicted with potatomana
which cannot survive a season, while New
York, if the confessions of the Commercial are
true, has number of pretty desperate manias
20 desperate that the commonest slanderer i'm.
AGNES he has done his worst in defamation
whenhe compares the object of his malice with
the government of New York city Good sir
we will still talk about the potato.
THE name of Minister Schenck having ap.
peared as Trustee of the Emma Mining Com
pany in London, and having been noticed by
some of the British journals, the matter has
been discussed by the leading papers in this
country. Of course the Democratic press is
| yirtuously indignant and mourns over the dis
grace of the nation. OF the Republican press,
the New York Evening Post is decided in its
opinion that Gen. Schenck should be recalled at
once. On the other hand the Tribune says,
There is nothing heinous in owning shares in
| gold mine, any more than in growing corn OF
making wagons, and the monarchical interdict
OF holding responsible Office and at the same
time working OF trading for a livelihood is re-
pudiated by the genius of our institutions Gen
Schenck must not be stricken down unheard
Men as able and worthy as he is are not so
| abundant that we can afford to crush one on a
blind Presumption The Boston Journal de-
tends Gen. Schenck and demands that the
whole case be heard before sentence is passed
upon man who has, during years of public
life, sustained spotless reputation. The great
er part of the Republican press take the same
| view.
The N. Y. Commercial says a scene as dis