The Portland daily press., 1871-12-12
THE PR ESS.
TUESDAY MORNING, DEC. 70, 1871.
Political Effect of the Death OF tne HrAnce
oF Raies.

From the Democratic Slanu-polnI Lie uofs1A
Of tbe Prince of Wales must be considered
DISASTER In the event of his living, one can
hardly see how the monarchy could survive
the reigning sovereign. A prince whose de-
baucheries and general worthlessness had
made him notorious throughout the world
whose conduct had been so unworthy OF his
station that he had utterly lost the affections
of his own people, so that they showed mark
ed attention to his neglected wife on pupilc oc-
casions as a rebuke to him-whose behaviour
had at times so outraged public feeling that
even the London Times and other conserva-
tive journals openly upbraided him-could not
succeed to the throne in highly civilized
and progressive country, like England, with
out great popular commotion. Even the
most loyal Britons must have had sad mis-
givings when they thought of the reap
pearance of an imbecile George ~ in
the person of the next sovereign of
England. The avowed republicans, of course,
nave made 1t their special care to protest
against an event more to be dreaded in this
century than the restoration of the Stuarts
In the last The illness of the Queen short
time ago made the happening of the great
disaster imminent, and therefore gave pow
erful impetus to democratic agitation. Last
month thirty thousand people assembled at
Leeds to sympathize with Sir Charles w.
Dixie in his frank avowal of republican prin-
ciplesI
1t is easy to predict the change that must
take place temporarily, at least, on the death
burst Of sympathy with the Prince and his
family that will for the moment overbear
everything else, and for some months moth
Ing will be heard in any part of Great Britain
but what is regretful and eulogistc. he
had been as amiable, blameless and popular
as the Princess Charlotte, whose untimely
death made England once before this centu-
ry land of mourning, the grief could not
seem to be more general To the careless OBJ
server it will appear certain that the people
are mourning a well beloved prince, and that
their hearts are unalteraby attached to the
existing institutions of their native land. 1t
may safely be assumed the democracy will
be unpopular in Britain for several weeks.
The monarchy will gain, too, by having an
innocent child, whose character is yet I'M
formed and is therefore susceptible of all
sorts of idealization, substituted as heir
apparent for a confirmed roue, whose char
acter and intelligence could be made
to appear tolerable by no effort of the
Imagination or even of royalst supersti-
ton. If the child's grandmother should
die before he reaches mature age, and
it is necessary to appoint a regent, no one
can be selected for that important position
whose accession to power would be viewed
with such profound dissatisfaction as would
have marked the assumption of the crown by
the Prince of Wales. The uncles of the in
FAINT heir, the Duke of Edinburgh and Prince
Arthur, are by no means model young men,
their characters being deformed by much the
same blemishes as made their elder brother
obnoxious, but they are younger not so well
known, and may reform, like 'sPrince Hail.
under the influence of greater responsibilities.
The death of the Prince of Wales may re-
suit, therefore in the continuance for many
years OF monarchy in a country where the
personal good character of the sovereign has
even now become absolutely essential to its
perpetuity.
THE Boston Journal says of Mr.. Lynch's
resolution calling for thorough examina-
ton OF the accounts Of the Treasury Depart
ment,a all officers who disburse public mon
eys,that it Is not only appropriate but urgently
needed. These Treasury entertainments are
getting to be altogether too common, and
determined effort should be made to see
whether there is any common cause for them.
and whether it can be removed, IF the wav
OF keeping accounts in the Department offers
any special facilities for the preparation and
conceaiment of frauds; or if "a general laxity
OF supervision has come into vogue, or if any,
thing else applicable the matter s ascer-
tanned, it should be made known TO congress
and corrected, so far as that can be done by
additional legislation.
IHE remedy for war proposed by the In |
ternationals who are so much dreaded by
those who have received their idea of them |
from the deliberate falsehoods of ROYALTY and |
aristocracy, which have been so thoughtlessly
echoed here, is ingenious and no doubt prac-
ticable. One of the fundamental principles
OF the Internationals is the abolition of war.
When they have established the people in |
power in majority of the European States,
they propose to coerce countries that insist
on resorting to the sword, not by war, but by
cutting them off from commercial intercourse.
This, q they justly conclude, will be the most
severe and disciplinary measure that can be
resorted to, and by using it they hope speedily
70 nfang about the reign of universal peace.
Ihey may be dreamers, but their purposes
are righteous.
JOHN BRIGHT's return to public life on re-
covering from his recent grave illness reioices
everybody. But according to Geo. W. Smalley
ne Is not to be counted on for any more re-
form work, being extravagantly fond of mon
archy, and willing to go any length in de-
lending it against the Democrats, or even
against moderate Republicans, like Sir
Charles w. Dixie. When the question is be
tween monarchy and republic. Mr.. BRIGHT
will act with the aristocracy. He is a capitaI-
LIST and an employer, and there is, according
ly, limit to his liberal sympathies.
ELSEWHERE is published a call for a State
Temperance Convention to be held at Au-
gusta, January 18th. In point of numbers
these annual conventions have not been so
successful as they should be, and, it is to be
hoped-for the Importance of the subject de-
mands it-that large number of temperance
men who have not attended such gatherings.
go up to the Augusta Convention
The question of the enforcement of the laws
against vice, including those to prevent in
temperance, is of the first Importance.
The exclusion Of Mrs Woodruff and her
followers from all participation in the Woman
suffrage Convention at Washington, last
week, ought to convince every body that she
Is not only not ''the woman suffrage candi-
GATE" for President, but that she has few fol-
lowers among the friends of that reform.
SECRET EFFORTS are made to revive the
LABOR Reform party in Augusta on dark
lantern basis. When will laboring men learn
as tne fhhss has often urged them, to use
the Republican party for their own purnoses
instead OF permitting the Democratic Marty 70
use them for its own?
The new Ways and Means Committee is
said by Washington dispatch to show a ten
1ency to collect in customs what it releases in
Internal Revenue taxes. But there are prob-