New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-01-18
MR. GLADSTONES ABDICATION.

leadership of the Liberal party in England is
an event which throws an interesting light
upon the unwritten Constitution of the British
Empire. He holds no Office; he is simply
member of Parliament from the constituency
| of Greenwich, and yet his retirement from
place of merely moral significance is an
incident Of more Importance than the fall OF
| any Ministry on the continent. The sensation
created by his formal announcement of his
| determination to abandon the leadership of
his party, is the more remarkable when we
consider that this act has not been unex-
| pected, and that for year past his relations
with his political associates have been
| by no means regular or complete. Yet they
are now thrown lpt0 confusion by his formal
retirement scarcely less than that which would
fall upon an army which had lost its chief In
battle. The deliberations Of the prominent
Liberals, which are to result in the choice of
| o standard bearer to succeed Mr.. Gladstone,
| are watched with almost painful interest by
the rest of the party. For upon their decision
| depend not only the strength and conduct of
their organization in future but its very char
acter and principles. In the names of Lord
| Harrington, of Mr.. Forster. and Sir William
IIarcourt, the Liberal Committee are now
weighing not merely personal fitness and ca
pacity. but also the comparative merits of
three different lines of action and policy. The
Liberal party Will not be the same organiza
ton under each of these three gentlemen.
The adoption of either of them as leader will
mean the exclusion of certain powerful e!e-
ments of support which would have been Sc
cured by the Others and the gain of some
thing which the others would have repealed.
This seems strange enough to us, who have
solved the problem required by the conditions
of the times, and get on well enough
without any leaders. If Mr.. Logan should
some day dechne to lead the Senate any
longer, Mr.. Morton would ask him how long
he had been leading it, Mr.. COnkling would
observe that his standing at the White House
was as good as any ones, and Mr.. West would
say that Pinchback might as well wait awhile
before aspiring 30 high. And if ali these lead
ers should give their places up to their coach
men, it would make no difference whatever in
the policy of their party.
In fact the Government Of England has now
become sort Of duarchy, where the Prime
Minister and the Leader of "HeI Majestys
Opposition occupy positions somewhat anal
ogOus to those of the two kings of Siam. The
Major King, the First Lord of the Treasury,
in normal times governs 6 reat Britain. with
the assistance of the majority of Parlia-
ment, and the leader OF the minority, "a
the Minor King, occupies post of vigilant
observation, with tho prospect, though not
the certainty. of the succession. For a
man like Mr. Gladstone, not yet old nor
broken in health, to deliberately abandon
Of hyyao oil
and length of service, is nothing less than an
abdication. If now, Mr.. Disraeli should take
counsel of his physical infirmities and resolve
to pass the residue of his days in retirement,
the constitution and the plan of action of
both the great parties of England would suffer
the most serious changes and notifications.
But this result, though often spoken about, is
not likely to take place Immediately. The air
of Bournemouth has been very beneficial to
Mr.. DisraeE, and it is openly given ont that ho
is as well as ever. While this Is probably an ex-
aggeration Of his improved physical condition,
there 10 no reason to think that he will
soon retire fr0rt public life. He is absolutely
free from those conscientious besetments
which so frequently attack Mr.. Gladstone, and
make him act rather as theOlogian than as
politician. The latter has several times shown
that he would rather defeat his party than
violate his convictions, while his rival has
never given evidence of any stronger con-
victions than that his party ought to succeed.
Not the least singular feature in the matter
of Mr.. GladstOne's retirement is that his party
strongly objects to his remaining in Parlia-
ment if he resigns the leadership and his own
constituency of Greenwich is said to be pre-
pairing a petition for his resignation. 1t is
thought, and seriously argued, that if he should
cease to be the Liberal leader, his influence
and moral authority would still be so great
in the House of Commons that he would be
continual danger to the party. A man Of his
sincerity and earnestness could not sit silent
when measures which he thought wrong were
presented and advocated, and il at any time
he should disagree with the leaders of his
own side, it is feared that he might carry
with him sufficient contingent to defeat
them. prominent English paper speaking
Of this probability, several weeks ago, said
that a man of Mr.. Gladstones ability and
temperament holding an Independent position
in the House of Commons, might 20 far toward
making parliamentary government impossible.
There arc, after all, therefore, some compensa-
tons for that lack of great men which we
sometimes bewail. 1t would be highly incon-
venient to have any statesmen among us too
powerful to be allowed to go to Congress. 1t
is pleasing to reflect that even IL Mr.. Chandler
stays In Michigan and Mr.. Cockerel comes