Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-03-27
THE RUTLAND HERALD.
TUESDAY, MARCH 20, 1878.
xVonted-A Policy.

yTT0G
C " - on a division, by majority
~ three votes, on what is known as 'he
II University bill. AS natural ana
-, ,-s', necessary result, Gladstone and
d.. 60 ontire ministry, representing the
liberal I'll party in English politics. re-
aigned, and their designations were ac-
centea by the Queen. Disraeh' tne
O monument of those hitherto IN
t tl,e opposition and the leader Of the So
called high Tory party, was summoned
70 buckingham Palace and had, what by
courtesy, or in reality, is termed, a con-
ssronce with the Queen. The result OF |
Mic conference was understood to be,
,hot n new ministry, representing and
unused of the Tories, was to be
formed with Disraeli at its head, an APP
'.1oI ~ the peOple, a new Parliament or,
rather. House of Commons, and a gen
oral change, if the voters so ordered, IN
English politics In any event, 1t was
understood and so telegraphed, that there
was TO be a change, unless the new cleo
ZION should result in sustaining Glad
stone's general policy. OF these facts
there was no doubt. Gladstone an
bounced if. and Disraeli accepted the
changed condition of affairs and was, as
bc and his supporters proclaimed, about
to enter upon the work of forming new
ministry. In commenting on these facts,
we took occasion, some days since, to
sneal, of some of the beauties of English
nolitics but subsequent events have de-
veloned the fact that our remarks were
rather of a general application than es-
pecially appropriate to the present time.
Thursday night, it was announced, by
authority. both to the Commons and
Lords that Gladstone would resume the
roirs Of government, that Parliament
would NOT hc dissolved, and that the af-
fairs Of government would be conducted
in fine same general direction as hereto
fore. Why this sudden change? Gen.
cral Grant. in his first inaugural, as well
q. elsewhere, announced that.hc should
ON all subjects have a policy to recon-
mend. but aone to enforce against the
will of the people" The Missouri
Democrats. under the leadership OF
Frank Blair were in favor Of going into
fine last Presidential campaign and fight
ine on, the contest on ''passive poticy,
whatever that may be. The Liberal Re
nublicars. mere handful though they
were. in convention at Cincinnati,
adopted a platform of principles which
contained n 0olcy The once great
Democratic party of the country as
,omblcd in convention at Baltimore
and although they had no policy OF thei
own did not say So, but adopted that o
their Cincinnati brethercn. Not So, how
ever. with the high. Tory element o
,no British public They not only hay
mo- D,E~y 70 enforce. but no policy to an
nouncp. They are utterly without
policy. and have not even policy enough
an keen tine fact hid from their consti
tupn,- That we are talking about fact
auG not drawing on our imaginatlo
u,ight we'll be doubted but for tn
spcrchcs of Disracli in the House o
Commons and the Duke of Richmond l
fbe House Of Lords Gladstone, natu
ally. felt quite iubilant at the failure G
tine opposition to assume control OF tn
Government. and, in announcing that h
Ind again consented to act as Premle
-. said. referring to Disraeli's failure
unrlrct or refusal to form ministry
that the summary refusal given Whe
fine occasion arose, he considered NJ
fu)ly in accord with the exigencies
the case. nor with parliamentary usage
What that usage is we stated, the oth'
dav. to be the formation OF a new mi
istry by the opposition, the dissolutl'
of the old and the election Of ne
Parliament. This, Of course, broug
DisraeIi to his feet, and he was COZ
yelled to admit in the face Of ParliameI
tbc British public and the world, in
feet. that the "high Tory party was
myth. That they had no settled prin
pies. no policy to carry out. In
simply had, in the past, pursued coul
of factious opposition to everything pl
poscd by the Liberals, and intended
pursue that course in the future.
made no difference with him or the
whether the measures proposed by
ministry were for the benefit of Engla
and the world, or the reverse, they w
in Parliament to oppose all and every
such propositions. They had nothing
propose in their stead, but they did p
pose to oppose. This, of course,
not the language used. But the act
words uttered, taken in connection W
the course pursued by the high i
leaders for years, means just that
nothing more Any one at all FAM
with the proceedings in the Eng
Parliament, during the premiership
Gladstone knows that the tactics
Disraeli and his partisans has been
of opposition-we might say capt
and senseless opposition-to each
every measure proposed by the Minis
1t might have been supposed That,
much as they were in a hopeless mlno1
they did not deem it expedient to
pose new measures, but were confer
simply record themselves in oppos
to the Ministry. This, at the best,
not craftsmanship. A substitute
posed by hopeless minority may
tain something of wisdom and IS,
times, adopted by the majority.
raeli. however, dispelsall such ideas
confesses the whole high Tory weak
# is easy enough to oppose a me
right or wrong. 1t is simple thlI
vote no. It needs something III
however, to propose remedies for
ing or supposed defects. Statesman
or even leadership of a party,
seem to imply ability enough to
lsh or organize a policy. The
idea Of parties implies policy
British Tories, however, led by Dis