The Portland daily press., 1874-03-07
High,Church Beer.

English election. Inc correspondence that
has since come to hand and to which refer.
ence has already been made in these columns,
faithfully restores him. The pivotal point of
the canvass was beer. The Liberal ministry
had with :mpunity laid its heavy hand on
many time-honored institutions dear to the
conservative heart. 1t had dared to assault
aristocratic privilege by charging the elective
franchise, by reforming abuses in the army
and by insidious approaches toward land re-
form. 1t has cast an evil eye on the estab-
lished church in its very home, after disin-
heriting it in Ireland. These things had been
endured with patience. These reforms had
affected injuriously only class, and class
embracing but small minority OF the people.
Let the CALLED Tory vince, the withers of
the masses we're unwrung. But anon there
came question of beer. Not that Neal Dow
who is still in England-and his allies of
the Temperance Allianc. had so far gained
the ear of Messrs. Gladstone and Lowe that
anything like pronounced Maine Law legisla-
ton was imminent. 1t would, in.the natural
course of events, be a long time before that
crisis could come, for the rate of progress in
England is about as slow as that of the depo-
sition of geological strata. But the dreadful
thing was apprehended afar off. Permissive
acts and some other suggestions of slight re-
strictive legislation aroused a fear that the
grand children of men now living might not
be permitted to "bemuse themselves with
beer and that posterity might, as the result
Of the initiative taken under the fanatical
Gladstone, lose their inalienable right to be
drunk of a Saturday night, muddled all day
Sunday and heavy with the megrims of a
Monday.
Then the British heart was fred as never
before. The two great conservative interests
of the kingdom, the established church and
the breweries, drawn toward each other by
secret consciousness that they were becoming
anachronisms, Joined their forces. The beer
interest, which had often succored the church
in its times of trial, was now reinforced by
the church and the election was primarily a
triumph of beer and incidentally of high
church ecclesiasticism. Ale was regarded as
the real national palladium, the genuine cor
ner stone of English constitutional monarchy
and the church as an important adjunct to
the leading interest. The brewers were by
no means ashamed of their associates but
condescendingly recognized them by such
epigrammatic legends as "Beer and Bibles %
Beer and the Church go together, and
"Scriptural Education and unlimited Drink. %
1t does not appear, either. that the clergy
were FESTIVE in the company of their hlnff,
red-faced allies. At any rate no echo of dis
sent from them reaches us here.
On the whole the result is rather discour-
aging. The exaltation of beer at the expense
of the "rights of man," which is something
more than cant after all, is an anomalous re-
suit OF all the scientific preaching and repub-
lcan agitation of the last Eve years. It may
pe mere preparation for strong, whole
some reaction against Tory high churchisun
but tits far from an exhilarating sight to see
those mighty brewers, Bass and Allsop, tri-
umphantly elected to the House of Com
mons, while statesmen, patriots and reform
ers like Fawcett and Jacob Bright are voted
down; to see another great brewer lead
Gladstone at the polls, while Thomas Hughes
is left to enjoy the quiet and obscurity of
private life.
What can be expected of government
which rises to power like an unwholesome ex-
halation from the brewers vat Is it anv won
der that such government promises " a Wig
orous foreign policy that is, a policy of
war instead Of one of peace like that which
has of late prevailed in Britain that arbitra-
ton for tho sofflou,opt Of d;ex,,,t,, a., l.. L. =.
nored, that no further progress ito be made to
wards the education, political enfranchsement
and social Improvement ofthe peasantry; that
the church is to be upheld in all its ancient
honors, immunities and riches; that the
tenure of land is to continue, as heretofore
the most deadening institution now existing
In the civilized world and that beer is to be,
while the renegade Jew holds the helm. the
holy OF holies- thing to be spoken Of with
b&ted breath and uncovered head? But after
the English stomach has got its fill of beer,
perhaps something more worthy of national
veneration will get an apotheosis.
ELsEwHERE will be found the titles of the
pubic acts passed by the Legislature, en-
bracing about one hundred of the three hum
dred and forty-two acts that received the of.
fetal approval of the Governor, the rest be-
ing of a special or private character. No i'm
portant railroad bill was passed. Charters
were granted to several railroads which will
never be built, end the time for building sew
eral Others extended. Twenty-three acts in
cooperating manufacturing companies were
passed, involving capital of $7.130,0OO.
The success of associated dairying the mast
year has led parties in various parts of the
state to ask for the incorporation of thirty
seven cheese factories with an estimated CAP
ital Of $37O,500. Two new towns have been
incorporated, Blaine and vanceboro'. The
principal measures which failed to secure
favorable action were those to change the ex
listing law relative to the punishment of muir
der' the general railroad bill, the bill to al
low the women to vote at Presidential cleo
lions, and for the abolition of imprisonment
for debt.
IN