New-York tribune., 1875-11-18

not vested in the President with or without the
consent of the Senate, but in Congress. suppose
ought to quote the words which prove that The
Saturday believes the power 70 belong TO the Presi-
dent with the consent of the Senate though IT is
sad waste of space. Here they are
Gen. Grant is much capable OF provoking omar
rel with Spain "a an electoneering maneuNer. IL Ia
wei that he partially secured by the provisions Of the
Constitution against the consequences OF his rash and
urjusthabe pFoeeeding Tie consent Of ,he senate IL
necessary TO declaration OF and IL If highly iin
probable that II viii he given
am really sorry to have to add that The Spectator,
which a rule sincerely tries to understand Amer
lean affairs, has fallen into the same error. II un
dertakes to argue that the United States Constitu-
tOn is not a working constitution, and its argument
is that the President might tomorrow advise
war with Spain, and the electors might heartily
accept his advice and the trdr might be declared by
President and Senate and the House of Representa-
tiyes might refuse supplies for carrying it on, and
there would be no appeal" How is it that man
can allow himself 10 describe system of govern
mcnt rs a failure without having read the instTu-
ment on which il is based
Spite of these exceptions, il may be said that the
comments on the elections show, as a rule, grow
ing intelligence about American affairs There is,
for one thing less omniscience and more knowledge.
The results of Tuesday freely admitted TO have
confcundcd the wisest prophets here, as they seem
to have done with YOU also The Republican victory
is recognized fact which quite upsets previous
calculations about next years contest. Rot to mul-
tIply quotations, will select n single passage from
The PaU lfaU Gazette, winch may strike the Demo
Gratis as interesting. That journal refers the change
in the balance of power to what it calls the Amer
lean middle class the body OF farmers in the rural
districts, and says:
Their change OF position, disclosed ia Tucfday voting
Is & oe 10 te & 80 e %as allowed to
he adopted plank Of the Democratic platform IN
Ohio and Pennsy van3 the r"ckessness win when the
Southern allies o the party have proclaimed their seer
sonst syInpahcs the non-appcardnce Of any men 4i
high capacity in the Democratic ranks except GOV III
densl these things have dsheartened The electors who
year thought that anything would DC bettef thdh
the maintenance OF Republican rule.
ii adds that the reaction may go further If il he
true that the Mississippi Democrats mean TO send
Mir. Jefferson DAVIS 10 the Senate-a stroke of policy
which, in its opinion, would suTpass the bllmders Of
President Grant in his least sober mood" This
hint nav seem 10 the ex-COnfederates deserving of
considerations if they win bear in mind that it comes
from journal which would have been one OF their
old friends had it been born in due time.
The first Cabinet Council of the season was held
on Thursday, and its very first act was 20 withdraw
the Fugitive Slave circular Its second was TO send
round TO the evening papers notification ot what 1t
had doncso impatient was it of resting another day
under the odium of that dcplorable blunder The
strength and unanimity of the popular resentment it
unusual swiftness of action. Possibly, too, the de-
cison was FASTENED by the appearance in that morn
ings Times of powerful and elaborate argument on
the question by Sir William HaTcourt under the
well. known signature HstOricus. This was followed
up by second on Friday-none the less useful be-
cause the Government had come down at the rist
shot. The question whether pnblic ship subject
10 the laws of the country in which she happens to
find herself isand may be said of slave-catching
one that will not admit Of doubtful answer SIT
William Harcourt proves not only that positive
answer can be given, but that the question long
since ceased to be a question. So overwhelming is
his demonstration that we are more curious than
ever to know who were the highest legal authorities
on whose advice as Lord Derby declared il his Lv-
erpoo speech, the instructions had been issued
Whoever they were, there is reason TO believe that
the Foreign Office and the Admiralty were jointly
responsible for the circular. Ii is stated this morn
ing with circumstantia expcitncss that the clrcu-
lar was invented written and decided upon first 10y
the Foreign Office and then by the Admiralty, at a
time when all the Ministers were in town, and when
Cabinet Councils were being held, yet was never
once brought before the Cabinet either by Lord
Derby or by Mr.. Ward Hunt and came upon their
colleagues entirely by surprise Parts of this at
least are true The circular bore date July 81
while Parliament was sitting and Sir Stafford North
cote declared at Middlesbrough, the day before its
SUSPENSION that il had appeared without his knowl-
edge. Other Ministers equally Ignorant
among them, it is believed, Mr. Disraeii himself
The official notice of the withdrawal of the circular
is coupled with pledge that new instructions on
the subject will be issued. But the law is plaiD
naval officers know it, and the best thing the Ad-
miralty could have done was to let it dtORe-which
seems to the natural mind the easiest, and always
proves to the official mind the hardest, course TO
take. G. W. g