New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-06-13

AND BERNARD on THE NEGOrATIoNs-THz |
GLADSTONE MINISTRY IN DANGER.
uROM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TIRE TR1BUNEI |
LONDON. June IL forget how many times the
Treaty has been killed and how many times 1t has
come to life The historian must settle that for
posterity Whether il is at this moment 1Ol. Satur-
day morning. more dead than alive or more allVe
than dead, / win not undertake TO say All can
say is that people who ought to know think 1t as
good as dead and should accept their opinion Win
great confidence if they had not so often before Deen
sure that the difficulty as good as settled. A
month ago we were oil sure that IN
another dav OF two the suspense would be
over, but here we arc to-day in just as much
suspense as ever and just sure also that another
day or two will put an end TO it for good or for evil
THROUGH all this chaos Of conflicting rumoTs ana
protracted confusion, the interest of the English
public remains undated. Morning after morning
the papers discuss the Treaty. and the Supplemental
Treaty with about the same resulting proportion OF
wheat and etraw,-stTaw nine times threshed out
for one grain of wheat, and the single gram not
sure to be found after ALL Such a discussion or
rather conversation, that of last night IN the
Lords gets rediscussed in this mornings paper in an
equally eager way and with equally barren product
IL might all be dismissed in sentence, and would be,
If it related to any question under the sun except
the Treaty The debate is nothing but q string OF
crossinterrOCatOrcs one side and steady refusal
70 answer on the other. There is not much to be
got ont Of that Yet if you take the trouble to read
what Lord Grey, and Lord Cairns, and Lord Sails
bury and Lord Westbury say, it will give you a
pretty correct notion of the queruous impatience
which pcrvades the English mind this matter.
That Americans should not be equally sOlictous is
what the English have never yet been able to I'M
derstand nor do they now believe that any other
matter does OF can seem so important to Americans
as the settlement Of the Alabama Claims Leading
journals have than declared that is the
main question on which the Presidential election
turns. Such a state of mind is natural enough 1t
Is the main question Of English politics, and has
been so ever since last January and that question
70 cugrossng to them should not be all important to
the other party thing quite inconceivable to the
great number Of intelligent Englishmen. Among
their many excellent traits aud capacities the habit
Of looking through any spectaces but their own is
not one Directly or indirectly, the fate Of the
Gladstone Mi uifty hangs the fate of the Treaty.
It Is hardly polite in you permit the Presidency to
be at issue on other grounds.
certain interest attaches TO the declarations Of
Sir Stafford Northcote and Prof. Montague Ber
nard because they were COMMISSIONERS Yet it is
difficult to discover in their speeches any posi-
tive contribution to our stock of knowledge. Sir
Stafford has this week been questioned in Parlia-
ment about his Exeter speech. His reply contains
little more than an admission that he was correctly
reported as having affirmed that some sort Of prom
Use was made by which he understood the Indirect
Claims to be barred, though not barred by the
phraseoogy of the Treaty is to the credit Of the
English papers that they lay comparatively little
stress on this bit of testimony. With one or two
exceptions, they treat it as a probable misundcr
standing Last weeks Spectator explained with
much elaboration how Sir Stafford Northcotes
statement might be true and yet consistent
with perfect good faith ON both sides.
There has been not little criticism
oil the indiscretiOn of this Commissioner in making
such a statement at such moment whether true or
not, and on the iDapttude for diplomatic business
indicated by such a method of making treaties, sup
posing Sir Staford's statement to be accurate. Mr.
Disraeli put his objections into the usual epigram
matte form when he protested against the new de-
vice of negotiating by understandings. Mr. Bernard,
also administered a reproof to his brother Commits
sioner by declining to follow up the revelations
which Sir Stafford NOrthcote had begun so promis-
ingly remarking that he, one of the negotatOrs
had no right TO speak question still Of the great
est delicacy and Importance and in respect to which
negotiations were still going on. III truth, Sir Stat
ford NorthcOtes friends feel that he has made a
bluuder. If l were to up in sentence the pre-
valing En- glish sentiment about the Commissioners
should describe it conviction that the procedure
was very loose on both sides and that it is still
SS~A
the greater blame for the existing difficulties.
Precisely what part Of Mr.. Demands address it
was which awoke in Mr. Disraes breast that
ment and alarm by which he was led to question !
Mr.. Gladstone on Thursday, / do not know. 1t may
be that Mr. Disraeli has fuller report of Mr.
Demands speech than that published in the London
papers What struck me in reading the summary Of
1t was it's similarity in spirit to the Historical Ac
count Of British Neutrality by the same author In
the speech and in the book there is the same |
afectation Of candor and impartiality, which !
are in fact but thin disguise for ex-
IRENE partisanship, and for frequent disn-
genuousness in narration. We are likely to get |
some hint next week of the real views of the Tory
leaders Lord Granville though declining to reply |
20 the questions with which he was pelted, admitted
that he could not keep silent much longer. 1t is be-
Heved that the resources of diplomacy are pretty |
much exhausted, and that something very like an
ultimatum has been dispatched from both sides. Mr..
Gladstone, moreover. with his usual carelessness
about foreign affairs, informed the House of Com
mons that the adjournment of Congress on Monday
would make it impossible for the Senate to consider
any project not agreed upon by the two Governments
before that date. Lord Granville better informed
than his chief was aware that Executive session
of the Senate could be called by the President, hut
there is a general disposition to regard the settle
ment as turning upon the dispatches Of this week.
On Tuesday, therefore for which day Lord RusselIs
motion is once more fixed, there will be debate,
in advance Of which IT IS worth while To say
that the attacks upon the United States Government
will TO a great extent be attacks on Mr. GladstOnes
Government. There are but two men from whose
words any notion of what the Tory policy would be
iu Office can be collected, Mr.. Uisraeli and Lord
Neither al friendly |