New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1871-10-28
THE kEW ALLIANCE.

THE NEW ALLIANCE.
Mr.. Disrael, unless the public judgment
does him great injustice, is not q man of
strong convictions or heroic conscience. He
has passed through o curious variety of in
constituencies in the course of his brilliant
career, and not long ago he seemed to have
followed tho example of q great many other
political Missionaries by settling down into
comfortable cOntentment with the good things
of this world, and devoting tho evening of
his life to the gorgeous company of thorough
Bred high stepping aristOcracy. We traced in
"Lotharn the hand of one who had trifed
with reform, and found it a sham; coquetted
with the people, and found them in
different to his advances affected
sort of gentccl and patronzing liberalism,
and found it an exceedingly disagreeable and
dangerous principle. He had discovered the
secret of happiness. 1t was to live on your
acres, belong to the Church of England, dine
with duke and bishop, stand by the
throne, and read The Morning Post and The
Standard How different was the Disraeli of
Lothian" from tho Disraeli of Coningsby,"
"Sybil,n and "Tancred,n that trilogy of nov
els in which, during his younger and enthu-
siastic days, he planned the regeneration of
England through coalition of the throne,
the old nobility, the peasantry, and the
church The people then were to place
themselves under the protection of their
natural leaders, and be happy. The middle
class of shOpkeepers, professional men,
and snobs in general; the squircarchy
which he had assailed and satirized 50 bitterly
at the outset Of his career, the fictitious aris-
tocracy of the new-made peers who had
usurped the prerogatiyes Of the crown, were
to be deposed from power, and under the new
alliance between the two extremes of the So
cial system, blessed by the church, England
was to become paradise, full of prosperous
lords and contented laborers. When he wrote
his last novel, Mr.. Disraeli seemed to have
forgotten these rosy visions, and to have ac
cepted his failure with philosophic composure.
But just a year ago the Tory statesman
surprised the world with revival of his old
fancies. Under the disguise of a preface to
collection of his writings, he published an
Apologize, rehearsing the once famous doc
trines of the Trilogy, and assuring us anew
that they formed the only ground of true
national progress. Because the people and
the throne were still far apart, the middle
class despotism still powerful, the church dis
tracted by the assaults of DR.. Newman
on the one hand and Prof. Huxley
on the other, government had fallen into
the hands of venetian oigarchy,"
and the nation was going rapidly
to ruin. 1t may or may not have been mere
coincidence, but it is certainly curious fact,
that at the very time when Mr.. Disraeli was
attempting to revive the political philosophy
&c h.
and wOrkngmen was first proposed by GER
tain Tory leaders, among whom Mr.. Disracli
is well understood to have been the moving
spirit 1t was in January that formal over
lures to the artisans were made by their
natural leaders," and the people were asked
to state in plain English what they would like to
have the peers do for them. Mr.. Disraeli's name
was not signed to the proposed articles of agree
ment which have just been disclosed as the
result Of these overtures, but nobody doubts
that the scheme was one of his devising.
The negotiations have apparently fallen
through, for the cable has informed us that
the workingmen are averse to political COM
bination with conservatives, but for q time
they created in England very marked sensa-
ton, and promised to be the starting point of
new Tory departure. The demands of the
artisans, 80 far as they can be understood from
the vague propositions drawn up by their
representatives, are certainly not revolutionary.
They AJAX for comfortable homes in the open
country instead, of vile tenements In over
crowded towns; self-goyernment for counties,
towns, and villageh, with powers to act for
the common goods a days work Of eight
hours technical as well a. elementary schools;
places of free public recreation; public mar
kets, with goods at wholesale price; and "a
great extension lof the organization Of the
public service on the model Of the Post
"Of1ce." Some Of these things are doubtful
subjects by legislaion; others are just and
reasonable demands. But we dare say 1t has
occurred to the artisans that they arc not the
most unfortunate and oppressed of the English
Dessls. end that ana rsfaruIia athe s0oial cou-