The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1872-06-29
-he Gladstone Ministry ON tho Ballot
I'm England and tho Prospect for

The conclusion come TO at Geneva regarding
the so-called indirect claims has made ON end
of much useless speculation on both sides Of
the Atlantic The result is gain to civiliza-
ton. 1t is gain also to two great political
parties. 1t is a gain to the republican party in
America 1t is o gain to the liberal party in
England What may be the gain to President
Grant we do not yet choose to say but we
have no hesitation in saying that the salvation
of the Washington Treaty is the salvation of
the Gladstone Ministry. Mr. Gladstone to-
day is more powerful than when some years
ago he was called upon to take the place va
Gated by Lord Palmerston. Mr.. Gladstone
has already made record which justifies his
friends to say that Great Britain has had no such
statesman at the helm of affairs since the days Of
William Pitt The name Of Peel will never be
forgotten and Palmerston will be lastingly
remembered; but, much as those statesmen
did for the prosperity and honor of England,
neither Of them could make the boast which
the friends Of Mr.. Gladstone can Justly make
in his name. The present Premier Of England
in addition to the services he rendered his
country as great financial reformer, has
accomplished great and memorable reforms in
the Church and in the army. The disestab-
lishment Of the Irish Church and the impor-
tant modification of the system of Irish land
tenure were political triumphs sufficient to
reward the labors and to satisfy the ambition
of any statesman. These reforms rebound to
the honor and praise of Mr. Gladstone and of
Mr.. Gladstone alone. For those great political
triumphs Mr.. Gladstone is now entitled to
claim all the glory which comes from the sal
walton of the Treaty of Washington. If this
treaty affair had fallen through Mr.. Gladstone
would have been pronounced failure. 1t has
not fallen through, and Mr.. Gladstone is the
powerful Prime Minister of England, more
powerful to-day than ever, and Mr.. Disraei is
nowhere.
Mr.. Gladstone is now in reality master Of
the situation in England. His reform ten
denotes are not only not checked, they are
encouraged. The British people, feeling con-
vinced that he has carried them through
great crisis with honor and dignity will stand
by him in any future measure which may call
for national sympathy and support. The
demand for reform is as strong in England
to-day as it was when Mr.. Gladstone came into
power. The disestablishment of the Irish
Church and the important improvement made
in the system of Irish land tenure. if they have
pleased certain sections of the Irish people,
cannot be said to have satisfied the reformers
of England. These were but steps in the
pathway Of progress. The law of entail,
Scotland, and the Nouse Of Lords-as the
House of Lords is at present constituted-all
these are bugbears to the reformers and one
by one, if the reformers are true to themselves,
these must pass away. The settlement Of the
questions which threatened trouble between
Great Britain and America leaves Mr.. Glad
stone free to prosecute the work Of domestic
reform. Mr.. Gladstone must go ON in the
path he has chosen or retire from public life.
The Ballot bill, which has passed through
both houses of Parliament, leaves Mr. Glad
stone no choice but to prosecute the work Of
reform. His hand has been laid on the plough
and he dare not look back All that is
wanted to make the Ballot bill law
throughout the three kingdoms is the
signature of the Queen; and it is
but little likely that the Royal
signature will be withheld. A George the
Third is no longer possible in England; at all
events, Queen Victoria has never been obstruc-
tive, and the power of Parliament has been SO
little held in check during the present reign
that it is reasonable to conclude that royal au-
thority will not interfere with the Ballot bill.
Now that secret voting is likely to become
law in Great Britain, the question is raised
whether secret voting will not destroy the mon
archy and make smooth the way for the tri-
umph of the republic There are those who
say that the introduction of the ballot marks
the beginning Of the end of the monarchy.
There are others who hold that the ballot is
as safe as the open polling booth. 1t
is notorious that, while these things are said on
both sides of the Atlantic, the passage of the
Ballot bill, first through the House Of Commons
and afterwards through the House of Lords,
has scarcely rippled the surface of English
thought The debates in both houses have
been uninteresting, and the mass Of the
people have been absolutely Indifferent as to
the fate of measure which, so far as they
could Judge, was to make them neither richer
nor poorer, better nor worse. This state of
feeling marks revolution in itself Time
was, and men still young remember it, when
the ballot box was demanded by one class as
their one hope Of salvation and denounced by
another class as the certain ruin of the empire.
The ballot is now certain to become law, and
the tory gentry are not mad, neither are the
people jubilant All classes accept the situa-
ton, and oil seem equally willing to make the
experiment.
With regard to the possible effect of the
ballot on the fate of the monarchy and the
prospects of the republic, it is sot unimpor-
tant to note the opinion given by one of the
rav,, rs