The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1872-06-01
Thomas Hughes's Assault on the English
Constitution.

s a Thomas-Thomas Hughesl How could
youq 1t was bold, bad thing enough, for Sir
Charles Dixie, supported by Auberon Her
bert and two others to question publicly the
items in the Queens civil list-to raise a
doubt about taxing English subjects to pay
a squad of dentists expressly to look after
the royal teeth, and corps of physicians OF
the first rank to do nothing but inquire con-
corning the welfare of the royal stomach.
That disloyal proceeding almost threw the
Premier into commissions, and turned the
House of Commons into mob that behaved
lin a manner strictly English and constitu-
tional) very much like sixth ward Demo-
cratic caucus. But the offense of Sir Charles
and his little band of enthusiasts was venial
compared with that of our old friend and
everybody's old friend, ''Tom Brown" of
Rugby and Oxford. The former only at
tackled the outworks of royalty, but when
the latter, supported by about fifth of his
associates, resisted the motion to adjourn for
the Derby races, he went to work at under
mining the very throne ITSELF Had be sue
ceeded, the world would have presently been
entertained by the fine spectacle of all that is
20 venerable in English institutions, Queen,
House of Lords, class privilege, primogeni-
ture, prescription, the Church of England
the magma charta, habeas corpus and ssthe
British jury tumbling into the abyss. This
is what comes of the dwelling tendencies of
q English Radicalism! This is the final result
of the democratic theories of the hair-brain-
ed iconoclasts who declaim about ''the rights
of the people," and pretend that there is
any hardship in the struggles of millions of
half starved laborers to support Britain's
three hundred Thousand landowners! This
IS the anarchy to which England is to be re-
duced by the indulgence of your Brights,
Mills, Dilkes, Hughes and Bradlaughs in
speculative republicanism. At last these CO.
laborers with the Partisan Communists have
boldly thrown off the mask, and say plainly
that they will dsapprove of the neglect of
important business by England's hereditary
legislators and their younger sons and cou-
sins in the House of Commons, for the sake
of betting at a horserace! lu -fs1l
OF course there was "derisive laughter
when Mr.. Hughes made such bold socialist
and terrorist movement! OF course Mr..
Gladstone was equal to the emergency-for
the Prime Minister knows how to pick up an
incidental crumb or two of popularity for
rainy day as well as anyman of his generation
and put himself at the head of the brave old
guard that is always ready to resist invasions
OF the vital principles of England's hoary
constitution. He was as brisk about it as he
WAS ON tbaf3 yathor ,nav,, hIo ,Jox, x,,J.o,x
reused by his great antagonists gibes, he
frantically protested that he would aban-
don the treaty of Washington and take the
consequences, if the American claims for
consequential damages were not withdrawn.
For Derby-pronounced Darby by everybody
that is anybody-is the very palladium of
English liberty, that is, the liberty of the
aristocracy to do as they please at the ex-
pense OF the commonalty. 1t is patronized
by the royal princes; the horses of English
statesmen run for the Derby cup, and it is
recognized in the novels of Disraeli, who
would have instantly been "sent for'' by the
Queen in case the present head of the gov
eminent had proved wanting in this I'M
looked for and startling emergency. But the
constitution is now safe, the Gladstone min
istry is enthroned in the hearts of the peo-
pie and poor Tom Hughes is only laughed at
for his foolish escapade..
THE Maine Standard, to the great accept
ance of its rural patrons, tells how Gen.
Grant recently went intoxicated and disor-
derby to circus, and would but for his high
official position, have been given into the
hands of the police. OF course the story is
pure fabrication, but it is eagerly read and
triumphantly commented on by all the gro
Gerry store politicians of Conservative tenden-
cies. What horror these good men sudden
ly have for the vice of intemperance One
would hardly think they were the same per-
sons who instantly perceived that Andrew
johnson was a congenial spirit when he dis
graced himself in the eyes of all the world at
his Inauguration, and who adh cred to him
through four long years on the strength of
that trustworthy indication of perfect fealty.
THE FREE TRADE meeting at New York
Thursday evening was not so enthusiastic |
body as may greet Mr.. Greeley Monday even
ing, but was nevertheless made up of men of |
solid character and of sufficient influence to
draw from the Cincinnati ticket all of the re-
spectability that was ever attached to the
movement 1t is also apparent that the man
ayers will not stop short of putting ticket
into the field headed by Chas. Francis Adams
How great the influence of this movement
will be upon the Baltimore Convention, can
not at present be calculated, but the New
York reports state that it has decidedly de-
pressing influence upon the friends of Mr..
Greeley. ~
A GREELEY organ saws that tba nast xuaoly