The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-08
Tie British nieetions-Ths Prospe.

The election returns in the three kingdoms
II was believed by many that
the general election would not only retain the
liberals in power, but would largely increase
their working majority. few hoped for o
contrary result; but the situation, as 1T now
stands, must be quite as much surprise to
Mr.. Disraeli as it is disappointment TO Mr.
Gladstone. When the London Times and the
Post and the Daily Ne,os and the Telegraph
have abandoned all hope Of liberal victory
the situation cannot be said to be full Of
promise for Mr.. Gladstone. A large number
of constituencies have yet to be heard from.
and it is not at all improbable that in the new
Parliament the liberals will still have ma
iority; but the majority will be so small that
it will be found extremely difficult for them to
carry on the affairs of the country. 1t
is not at all unreasonable to suppose that
Mr.. Gladstone, regarding the result Of the
elections as q vote of want of confidence, will
resign. thus following the example set by MIR.
Disraeli in 1868, and giving his great rival the
opportunity of again trying his hand. Mr.
Disraeli can hardly refuse to accept the reins
of government and make one more effort as
Prime Minister of England. 1t is quite clear,
however, that Mr. Disraeli, without majority
in the House of Commons, will be quite as
badly off as Mr.. Gladstone Mr.. Disraeli's
acceptance of Office, therefore, will not make
an end of the difficulty which at the present
moment divides the electors of Great Britain.
The situation is thus peculiar and almost
without parallel in the recent Parliamentary
history of England. working majority is a
necessity to whatever party should happen to
be in power. The tory administrations since
1852 have been administrations Of sufferance
only, and they have all been short-lived. If
Mr. Disraeli should succeed to power he will
be largely dependent on the liberals for sup
port, and such support can only be
bought and retained by do-nothing policy.
A coalition government, similar to that which
was formed in 1852, under the presidency
of the Earl of Aberdeen, is what England
needs at the present moment, but such coali-
ton at this time seems impossible. There is
no third party holding the balance of power
as the Peelites did in 1852, except the home
rulers should supply it; and such combi-
nation of forces is rendered all the more diff
cult that it implies the retirement of Mr..
Gladstone, or of Mr.. Disraei, or of both. A
conservaive-liberal Ministry. under such a
man as the present Earl of Derby, would, we
believe, command general approval through
out the three kingdoms but the grand objec-
ton to this arrangement is that it would place
MIR. Disraeli, now the recognized leader of his
party, in secondary position. The situation
is thus, on every side, beset with difficulty.
II Mr. Gladstone retains power at the head Of
merely nominal majority his government
will necessarily be weak. If Mr. Disraeli
accepts Office he will hold power only by suf-
ferance of the liberals. A coalition Ministry
would necessitate the retirement of one or
both Of the greatest statesmen of the day. In
the circumstances, therefore, speculation as
to the immediate future is vain. Come what
may of the present crisis, it is safe to say that
the present election contest is not decisive.
The battle must be fought over again, and
that at an early day, not in Parliament, but at
he polling booths.