New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-08-26
BRITISH POLITICS.
RESULTS OF THE LAST SESSION.


MIR. BRowNING's NEW PoEM-A WORK ON WASH
YNGroN PROMISED.
iyRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRrBUNE.1
LONDON, Aug. 14.-The session which ended
Yesterday might just well have ended
Cen days ago. The Government o fortnight
tince was unable to find time TO proceed with
its most important bill, and was unable at last
10 find work to fill up the time till the day fixed for
the Propagation arrived. That is one instance, and
not the most striking, Of the misnianagement which
has characterized Mr. Disraes leadership during the
Last three OF four months. There can be no doubt
that the session has seriously impaired Mr.. Dsraeis
prestige; if anything about Mr.. Disraeli can he
taken seriously. His ingenious explanations of mis-
takes and failures have not helped matters. The
English press Is decOrous, but its decorum has
Acarcelv restrained it from telling Mr.. Dsraeli in
plain terms that his of recent events is nso
1ently at variance with the facts. Men never mad
great confidence in Mr.. Dsrael's sincerity, but they
had great confidence in his abilities as leader OF the
House of Commons. and this confidence has been
shaken. He has led the House very badly. Business
men complain that he has not understood business
Politicians complain that he has been slow to per-
ceiye the feeling of the country He has made more
than one bunder in Parliamentary law. lie has
shown want of courage and want OF tact, the TWO
oualities he was thought TO possess IN the highest
Iegree Ill health has been cause OF his failure,
no doubt and other excuses could be found, bnt IL
matters little about The public judge by re-
snlts. and the results most dscredltable 10 inc
man who is responsible for them.
No first-rate measure has been carried. fhe
measure to which Mr. Disraeli himself attached the
greatest Importance is the Agricultural Holdings bill.
and that is ONLY another specimen of the kind OF
lackadaisical legislation which has grown into favor
with statesmen who SHRINK from the fatigue OF
making up their minds-permissive and not peremI-
sorv II is bill TO give compensation for improve
ments to outgoing tenants, and II provides that
tenants shall be entitled to compensation II there De
NO agreement to the contrary. But 1t expressly re-
seryes the andords-under the specious preteXt OF
maintaining freedom of contract-the right to ex-
empt themselves by agreement with their tenants
from the operation of the law The grip OF the land
owner upon the farmer is thus but slightly, If at all,
relaxed Every effort to make the bill compulsory
Chat is really efficient and benehcia-was steadily
resisted. The same thing may be said of all, or
nearly ALL the measures which Mr. Disrac takes
credit for passing The Friendly Societies bill is
only a she'll The Artisans Dwelling bill-gying
powers to municipalities 10 purchase conpulsory
land infested by overcrowded and unwhoesome
dwellings-is limited 10 towns with 2o,OOO popula-
tion and eiveslttle encouragement to rebuild
snQ The sanitary acts which this Government
t,ledged itself to reform have been simply codifIed
The projected reform of the judicature by the ADOLF
zion of the appellate jurisdiction of the House OF
ards WAS abandoned in obedience to the decision of
q secret caucus Of Peers And so on L need not
1ecapitulate the history of the Merchant Shipping
DILL That is fresh in everybodys memory. Nor Is
Il necessary in order to supply the means of esti-
ating the work of the session, to mention the title
of every two-penny act which has been placed on the
statute book What is called the Queens speech re-
cites the name of every bantling which It's own
n,rent believes credtable TO him. The Queen is
guiltess of all completely in the performance which
goes by her name. The speech is the speech OF the
Ministry, and convenient fiction gives them the
opportunty of composing their own euloey, and
publishing it from the steps of the Throne
H. is probable, nevertheless, that the series OF
bunders and utilities which make up the history O1
xle session have damaged the Ministry more with
a.. Uopsc than with the country. People read the
dong narratives of personal squabbes and disputes
about privilege and debates third rate bills with
but langnid interest The only thing that really
stirred public feeling the Merchant shipping
hill Then came a storm TO which Government and
House together had to bow. Mr. Plimsoll standing
before the House as a culpTit stronger than his
Judges lie was able to pronounce an apology and
decree in the same breath. But there has been, so
far AS we can Judge nothing like general political
reaction The country is still sluggish. III 1t were
ever 40 active il has official representative IN the
House TO make known its wishes Ihe widest
stretch of imagination cannot picture LORD iialtlng-
toni do not say as a tribune of the people, but a
,cader when there is anybody wanting TO be led
AR Disraeli has more than once COM
claimed of the want of organization in the
opposition. He made it an excuse for his own
psdeeds-for the difficulty he found In leading the
House. He would have liked coherent Liberal
marty with reCogniZed head to il, that wouG nave
known what il wanted, and known when IL was
beaten There is justice i'll his complaint though
o.t in the use TO which he puts it, The opposition
bos hardly made pretense of following Lord HaI-
tiurton's lead: any more than Lord Harrington has
made a pretense of leading the opposition He has
been seen on the front bench from time to time has
snoken in the character OF opposition leader on
few matters Of detail and often in the charac-
lar of the son of the Duke of Deyonshire and leader
of one section of the opposition. The other sections
have spoken and voted with or against their nomi-
nal chief according 10 their mood and the question
at issue PERHAPS on the whole, Lord Harrington
has done better than anybody expected him to do IN
such circumstances. lie has sometimes even ap-
peared 10 take an interest in what was going on
Sometimes his coolness-product OF complete indif-
fcrepce-has been of service TO him; as in the Plim-
soll incident Once-Only last week-he reused hint
self TO make direct and vigorous attack on the
Prime Minister; and, to the astonishment OF the
House not merely escaped rOut and annIhllation,
but left the field with flying colors OF the other
men In high position either side OF the House IL
cannot be said that any has either gained or lost
very much in reputation
At the last moment the determination OF the mill
tary authorities to accept Col Bakers resignation
has been reversed, and he has been dismissed the
army. There is little reason to doubt that the
change is due TO the Qneen herself. All honor to