New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1873-08-28
GLADsToNG'S TROUBLES.


or PARLIANENr-GBIEvANCEs OF THE LOWER
MIDDLE CIAssEs-ME BRIGHT's POSITION.
irsoE rHB REGULAR CORRESPONDENT % rHE TBIBuNE-l
LONDON. AUG. 1A-There is nothing very inn
portant 70 add 20 the list Of Cabinet and Govern
mental changes Mr. MonseIl is still postmaster
General though the latest rumor shelves HIN with
q Peerage. his successor remaining unnamed The
SUCCESSOR in not 70 be Mr.. Ayrt0n, however. 1 am
almost sony it Is not 1t would be interesting 70
soc Nj Avrfon and Mr. ScGdamore brought into con-
tact One might venture 20 say that Mr. SCudam0re
would find his match-unless perchance Nh. AyrtOn
found his Mr.. scHdamOre would not again 80
easily ignore Mr.. Ayrt0n and misappropriate mil
lion without letting his official chief know anything
about 1t. Mr. AyTton might dub Mr.. Scudamore
maiI-oacrier at he did Dr. Hooker a market
gardener. A good many other pleasing incidents
might occur. but unhappily there seems no chance
OF them now. Mr.. Ayrtou, poor soul Is put od with
the place of JudgeAdvocate General. an Office that
was supposed TO have been practically abolished,
and Is known TO be useless. It's Last tenant died.
resigned l forget which, two years ago. 1t re-
manned untitled. the ground that there no
need Of II, and that an economical government re-
ioiced IN saving the E20OO year s;rlary attached
b IT. Now. however. II proves once more conve-
nient. MENUS" to use the curious language of
journal between the Ministry and official
whose assistance II does not wish TO lose. The En-
glish Of that is that Mr. AyrtOn if not provided for
somehow. would make the existence of the Ministry
8 burden to them. BE was born 20 be in opposition,
70 say priokly things Of people, and make awkward
criticisms in the character OF a candid friend, in
which he can be as disagreeable though not dan
gerous A. Mr. Bouverie himself. OF Mr. HOrsman.
That, presume is why a place is made for Mr..
AyrtOn and none made for Mr.. Baxter. whose resig
nation Of the Secretaryshp Of the Treasury gave the
signal for the ministerial transformation. MIR. Bax
ter Il able and useful Mr.. AyrtOn, and he
had pretty much kept cut of quarTels of his own
making That with 3lr. Lowe of Mr. loves
making. and consisted IN Mr.. loves contemptuOus
disregard Of the usages Of the Treasury in the Fan
zibar contract business and others. Mr. Baxter
known 70 diSapproye that contract. so Mr. Lowe
Just made IT, and submitted it TO the House of Com
mons behind Mr.. Bakers back-Or over his head. if
that be a more proper expression. OF this Mr.. Bax
Ger complained. and Mr.. Lowe was believed TO have
promised that the thing should again. But
when the amended contract was framed and laid on
fhe table. precisely the course was taken and
Dir Baxter resigned. Ny impression is that he can
do without Office as well as the Government can do
without him. In the inevitable reconstruction, it is
probable his name viii again figure.
More to the purpose than this gossip of why's and
~wherefores Is the announcement made this week by
Mr.. GladstOnes personal organ The telegraph
don't the word organ in offensive sense, but
everybody knows the intimate relations subssting
between that paper and the Prime Minister, and
there must be- short word for them. Mr.. Glad
stone does not 90 into the Exchequer a warming
pau but takes il permanently-sO far any part Of
the present arrangement can be said 20 be perma-
nent In the emphatic not 10 say pleOnastic,
phrase of The Telegraph, The Prime Minister takes
up burden he intends to bear. assumes duties he
means 20 fulfill enters an otnce ID which he VIII
remain.' Mr.. Childers, assured by the same
authority "retires in October wholly and absO
Quietly and has no expectation of succeeding to the
Chancellorship.p The language almost implies a
coolneSs between Mr. Childers and Mr. Gladstone.
II there has been quarrel IN that quarter The secret
has been well kept which, in these days of endless
hoods of talk, Is surprising. The mere number OF
Iznesses men make almost destroys secrecy In
xheir random speculation they stumble unawares
upon the hidden fact, the new story gets current.
nnd then the few officials who knew II eye each
other suspiCOusly and wonder who babbed.
Most material Of all is the scarcely vailed hint of
an intended dissolution which we get through The
inns That journal though rather given 10 Delphic
uttsranoes seldom speaks without books.
General Election" il says. may come sooner than
weexpect and though fair interval must De allowed
for recreation. candidates will find it prudent to be
n WOO 1t had been conjectured before that all
this shifting OF commands was not made 50 much in
view of what had happened as of what was going to
happen Time enough has elapsed to enable one TO
form some notion of what effect the change has pro-
duced on the country. 1t does not seem to be very
great Il Will not do TO judge Of the effect on the
erest body Of the electors by the amount Of discus
sion it has provoked in the newspapers OF Of talk in
society Any change affecting a number Of men IN
high position viii make talk. But if you ask, " Is
Che Government substantially and demonstrably
stronger than II was before il would be difficult
70 answer Yes" with great confidence. The
causes which have weakened Mr.. Gladstone
and his Ministry with the country at large are not
10 be removed by an exchange of offices among GER
tain members Of the Government, nor even by the
entry of Mr. Bright INTO the Cabinet. There Is a
gain. bat not great gain; certainly not yet so
great as % change the steady current of defeats into
victories. I explained in my last letter on what
grounds I thought the country had withdrawn so
much Of It's confidence from the Government. The
present experiment hardly attempts TO deal with
the more general and serious Of dissatisfac
fion single one excepted. The opinion of business
is always important, and that opinion has been
much conciliated by Mr.. loves removal from the
Treasury. II Mr. GladstOne's health were believed
~ be equal TO the administration Of the Exchequer
Win Ot4lti uAlibS TIC COutcut VI
9hat point would be general, but there is doubt,
and doubt Is precisely what business dislike.
To the list Of general causes may add one which
Sc stated forcby in a letter to The Times from Man
ehester-sn extremely good post of observation
such matters The writer takes a practical view
which is peculiarly English and all the more likely
to be correct because it is not speculative. He be-
heves that dissatisfaction and discomfort with the
Liberal party and the Liberal Government are far