Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1874-02-23
POLITICS IN GREAT BRITAIN.

party, the conservatives Ut Liocioi
would carry the day. Mr. Smalley
writes a very interesting letter to the
New York Tribune from London, in
which he sends complete list of the
parties there and the peculiar notions
which they advocate. 1t appears that
there are twenty-six bodies claiming the
attention of the electors. The Nom
Conformists are a very considerable
body, and will give no aid to candidates
who will not vote for national system
of unsectarian education, and against
any further development of the denomi-
national system. The Liberation Soci-
ETY. advocates the disestablishment OF
the Church of England and complete
religious equality. Then there is the
Church Defence Society, which appeals
to all friends of the Church in England
and Wales to take a decided stand,
irrespective of party considerations,
and to use every exertion to return
only such candidates to Parliament as
will defend the rights of the church, her
endowmeuts, aud her claim to teach her
own religion in State schools. The
council Of the church association wages
war for the expulsion of Romish doc
.trine and practices from the Church OF
England. Next is the Protestant ALI
ance for securing the return Of the Prot
estant representatives to Parliament.
Then there is the United Kingdom Anti
Papal League, which declares that
Papists have violated all the oaths taken
by them in 1929 Zone would think most
of them were beyond swearing now ald
have rendered themselves unfit to be
members of free Protestant Parlia-
ment. The Catholic Union insists on
candidates saying yes to every question
on which the Anti.Papal League require
a no, and vice versa. Then there is the
Workingmen's Lords Day Rest Associa-
ton, the United Kingdom Alliance, the
National Chamber of Trade etc, to the
sld of the list. The most powerful OF all
organizations is the Licensed Victual-
lers' League. Licensed Victuallers is
the legal pseudonym of the beersellers
and wine and spirit merchants, and they
are perhaps the best organized and most
resolute body Of men in the kingdom.
They regard the temperance movement
as a direct interference with their rights,
which are, in their view, to sell as much
beer ss the public will buy and pay for.
They stand in little fear of the Alliance
or the Permissiye bill, for the day is dis
tant when that bill will have O chance of
becoming law. Their address is mainly
defoted to a statement of their grievances
nnder the existing licensing act. What
they mean is to restore the freedom of
beer selling which existed before
the present government restricted it.
Against the present government the
Licensed Victuallers have, in fact,
declared war. Two.thirds of the
defeats inflicted on Liberal candi-
dates within the last twelve months have
been due to their hostility. Tory candi-
dates, as rule, have yielded to every
demand in the interest Of 1.-THE trade,
and Liberal candidates have either re-
fused. or might as well have refused so
profound is the distrust of them in the
public houses. Many Tory has found
himself borne safely into st. Stephens
BY the jeint influence of the Bible and
beer. His ready devotion to sectarian
education and unchecked liquor selling
has had its reward, and the combination
bids fair to be one Of the most damaging
to the Liberals in the general election.
The woman suAragists are exerting a
powerful influence aud it is mainly
directed against Gladstone. They
support Disraeli because he voted for
the women. They are able to
publish a list half column long Of
members or candidates for Parliament
who voted or will vote for Jacob Bright's
bill for the removal Of the eleotional dis
abilities Of wemen. The Tories, it IL
understood, will go for this measure.
The trades unions are not behindhand.
They have became such q power that
many Liberals have been obliged to
withdraw in favor Of their candidates,
or indorse all the measures they pro-
pose. The Radicals are also on the
alert and are steadily gaining II is no
wonder, with this array Of factions and
combinations, most Of whom are op-
posed to Gladstone, that the great
Premier has lost his power. But it is
certain that Disrael will be unable to
accomplish much with such un~ioldy
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