The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-02-16

selves at The De6O Vi TIC mOD anu nave lea t0cm
till they themselves we're carried or their legs by
the torrent Mr. Gladstone il. therefore, quite
right when he describes the liberals AZ being the
ERNEST upholders Of the throne. they are more
than its uphoiders-they are its saviors; for each
time they return TO once they nnd the throne
splintered, soied and tottering from the stones
and mud which their faithful followers have been
ninging at it. and the Queen naturally heaves q
glad sign Of relief when she sees them come,
for their arrival simply means mo more stones
for the present"
Mr. Gladstone. then, Ia anxious for . little rest,
bug before vacating Downing street he has taken
the precauton of launching
TWO PAKrHiAN ARROWS At THE CONSERVATIVES,
to VITA promise to abolish the income tax and
an undertaking to support household franchise
in the counties These two measures, II resisted
by the tories win serve useful texts for radical
declamaticns against class ascendancy during the
period Of Mr.. Disraeii's rule II, however, the
tories accept them, then the former innovation
will involve the conservative Chancellor Of the
Exchequer in dih1cuIttes with his finances. He
Will be unable to show big SURPRISES in his budgets
and will be obliged, perhaps to cast about him for
fresh taxes, whereupon the liberals will clamOr
Ike one man, that the tories understand nothing
about managing the public purse, and they will
complacently adapt to themselves Tennys0n's
lines
IT'S only who love the people we'll
And loathe 70 see them overtaxed.
As to the household suffrage in counties should
the tories support that what pretext more fruitful
1or long drawn signs over the INSCRIPTIONS Of
Mr.. D1srael1, ever ready TO shred away his con-
victions for the sake OF retaining placer We have
scarcely done yet with the storm OF liberal in
dignation aroused when Mr.. Disraeli dished
the wings with his Reform bill of 1857,
and new surrender on his part would be
pointed at as a final symptom of degradation in
the man. SO MIR. Gladstone has virtually contrived
to make things pleasant for his successors; and
possibly some OF the keener liberal Office holders,
who are not 80 anxious as their chief to take
little rest, may be thinking that Mr. Gladstone's
two measures may yet turn the scale in his favor
at the balloting. But this is not likely.
THE COUNTRY Is TIRED OF MR.. GLADSTONE
Never personally popular flor the qualities at.
trbuted to him Ave years ago were such as CON-
mand respect rather than afection), the liberal
leader has managed to rule Britain in q manner
profoundly repugnant to the majority OF English
men. He has Inundated England In foreign eyes,
and this to 30 unmistakable an extent that even
the most partisan radical Is forced to own that
Britain no longer holds the influence in the world
which she welded under Palmerston. Russia has
torn up the Black Sea treaty in her face; the
United States let this be said without offence to
American readers, for we are here dis
secting English opinion, has forced her to
submit to nne which, II proposed to
the universal suffrage OF the United Kingdom,
would have been rejected; and the new born EN-
pire of Germany has spoken once or twice to Lord
Granville in tone which no nation burst adopt in
former times when speaking to a British Minister.
Then, In the FrancOGerman war every one now
feels that the Gladstone Cabinet let slip an oppor.
tunity OF restoring England to the proud position
she held after Waterloo. When Napoleon disturbed
the peace OF Europe by declaring war against Ger
many on the most nimsy Of pretexts, 1t was the
duty OF England to take part against the agrees
sor. Had she done this she would have shared the
triumph Of the Germans and would even have ben
Gifted France, for she might have declined consent
ing to the annexation Of Asace- Lorraine, and the
Germans, thinking they owed half their victories
to England woul0 n0t have Insisted on the point.
This is what Englsnmen thinking about Mr..
Gladstone's foreign pOicy-a policy at once timid
and anti-humanltarian in its final results; but
they are not more satisfied with his policy IN home
matters. The concessions made to the Roman
Catholic hierarchy in Ireland; the scandalous ap-
pointments Of Mr. Harvey to the rectory OF Ewelme
and of Sir j. Collier to the Lord Chief Jusriceship
in defiance Of the law; the overriding of the will
OF Parliament by royal warrant; the frivolous ex-
periments OF Mr. Lowe In finance; the vexatous
legislation OF Mr.. Bruce for che regulating OF the
liquor traffic, and the invarlable dscOurtesy shown
by the Cabinet in its relations with corporate or
scientific bOdieS-al these things would have COW
cred tory administration with inefaceable Oblo-
guy, and they have made Mr.. Gladstone and his
colleagues contemplate. Then sense and caudor
will not readily forgive them, either. for the
many acts of petty jobbery they have perpetrated
to recompense party services. Liberals who are
so energetic in denouncing
THR 1NCApAC1TY OF THE HOUSE OF LORDS
should, one would think, be more sedulous than
their opponents to appoint to that House none but
men OF proved ability and yet OF the numerous
peers which Mr.. Gladstone has created the has
created by himself than had been created dur
ing the regns of George w. William w. and OF Vic
tora before HIM the majority are humdrum
bankers ana merchants and the rest all gentle
men undistinguished by any public service Of con.
sequence. Then. again. in the award Of minor
honors Mr.. Gladstone has so invariably preferred
partisanship to merit that, with the single excep-
ton OF Mr.. Amplett, just appointed to puisne
judgeship, not one conservative has obtained any
favor at his hands. In a word, the Gladstone Cabi-
net has stamped itself with brand Of meanness
and ungenerous pettifoggery. 1t is Cabinet OF
which Englishmen feel ashamed, and the ballot
Will afford them an opportunity OF condemning it
more emphatically than might have been the case
under the old system OF voting. For
THIS IS THE FIRST GENERAL ELECTION HELD BY
BALLOT,
and the balo: has altered the entire aspect Of
English parties. Under the old system Of open
voting party discipline was kept up without diff
Guilty, for men were in manner Responsible to
their neighbors for the votes they gave, and they
were averse from changing sides save for very
cogent reasons. But nowadays in towns where
parties are pretty evenly balanced the scale must
be turned by those voters who are not particularly
attached to one side or the other, but who Osc-
late from liberal TO tory according to the capices
or grudges oil the hour Now the caDrices are. as
we have shown, all against the liberals, and so
are the grudges. 1t Is significant fact that
although the liberals have lost nineteen seats In