New-York tribune., 1876-12-30
BRITISH AFFAIRS.
NoRTHCoTHs LEADERSHIP.

MUST YET sHOw.
TyRoa THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE rRIBUNE-I
LONDON. Dec 14--There is lull this week in the
excitement which has 80 long kept the public at fever
heat ef the Eastern question. The conference at
b., JaIRess Hall in London has tranquilhzed mems
minds ain not but its work has been as help
full as ANYTHING yet done by that other conference
or its component members, at Constantnopie. Inc
few days that have passed since it met and ad-
ionrned have given abundant proof of its success
As Mr. Fawcett said last night at Hackney, good
measure of tho effect produced by the demonstration
is supped by the rage Of the ministerial prints The
Turkish newspapers Of London are so hard driven
for something to say that they are foroed to lns-
nate that such moderate Whig All the Duke OF
Westminster is the leader of band OF rebelhous
priests and that the Earl of Shaftesbury the mead
of the Evangeicals is the arch supporter OF "a rlt-
ualistic plot. | have met many members Oh uhe
conference. They were one and all content ana
more than content with the results OF
it, l have met sundry members OF the
Anglo-Turk party. They one and all felt
that for the moment at least, nothing more could
be done publicly by the Government in Turkish IN
terests Two members of the Cabinet spoke last
ight-the L Duke of Richmond and Sir stafford
NorthcOte Each of them touched on the 81. James
Conference. Neither of them had anything TO say
OF il which could be called an answer to what was
said and done there In no case would the world
look to the Duke of Richmond, rich nobleman OF
moderate abilities for an original yievHO on any ques-
tion Sir Stafford Northcote is stronger man, but
neither from his speech can much be gathered. lie
is TO lie Lord Beaconsfelds successor as leader of
the House of COmmOns his personal relations
with his chief are close, and he might nat
uraly enough be chosen as the medium OF
q declaration, if any declaration were to be
made by the Government with respect to
new policy. But it is Lord Beaconsiied's habit
TO reserve those occasions for himself His heuten-
ant says nothing but what lieutenant IN such cir
cnmstances must say-that the Government have
acted with the best stntentiOns andare confident that
when the whole truth is known their conduct will
be approved. That is the language of defense not
of attack Until the conference has met-or at
least until the preliminary meetings have been held,
in which, with the Turk shut out its real work is
likely TO be done-we not likely to hear anything
from the Government more positive than this And
what we shall hear then will probably be what
Lord Salisbury has resolved upon, and more than
probably will involve change of front along tho
whole Tory line.
If Sir Stafford NOrthcote told us nothing new on
the Eastern question, he made an interesting con-
tubution to political literature in what he said about
himself and his new position. His address was de-
Iivered at u dinner given him at Barnstaple by his
constituents of North Devon in recognition of his
appointment to the leadership of the House. OF his
qualifications for that post he spoke with becoming
nodesty Others would praise with more freedom,
but what is interesting is what Sir Stafford said of
the post ITSELF and how it should be filled And he
probably, consciously uncOnsciOusly, hit the
reason of his selection for it, when he remarked that
he did not anticipate success by reason of his own
powers but because be knew the House of Commons.
Certainly that is the first condition of success. The
bod has
of its own, standards of its own, even a
code OF morals of its own. 1t demands to be
addressed in a style distinctly different from any
other style of oratory. 1t has prejudices, whims,
moods which an outsider, one who does not know II
very intimately indeed is quite incapable of caeu-
latng. great forensic orator may and often does,
prove complete failure in the House. The late
Chief Justice Whiteside. who died last month, one
of the best speakers at the Bar of the worst
ever known in the House of Commons. He never
caught the tone Of the House. and stranger in the
gallery would be puzzled to know why 1T was that a
haraugue which to him seemed brilliant and forcl-
BILE should have no effect upon the House except to
set all its members talking among themselves 1t is
apeeuliarity o. this body that it will accept no out
side reputation. Whoever enters it, no matter what
his previous career, must submit to be judged
afresh on principles which he will not understand at
first; or which only asfew men will understand.
Some men never understand them; they spend 20
years in the House and leave it unsympathetc as
they entered it,
These are only one or two out of many character
Istics But they will serve to show what Sir STAFF
ford Northcote meant when he said that he hoped
for success because he knew the House. / don't
think he Overrates his qualifications. He has risen
high in the esteem of the House since he came back
from his High Joint COmnissOneIShip at atWashing-
ton in 1871, and especially since he became Chan
cellor Of the ExchcQuer III 1874. He had never
given promise of bgiancy. He was a good man of
business and only fair speaker, though so far
above the average of county members to seem to
belong to different species He used to be thought
by those who did not know him in private rather
heavy 1t was many years after he had won repu-
tation as an exceedingly good taker before his pub
Tic speeches became lively. But he listened to
because he knew how TO handle a subject IL the way
in which the House likes TO have it handled
1t is only the few who can afford 10 be bril-
liant in the House; men who have won a
commanding position by other qualities, and by the
most solid abilities. The prejudice against intellect
is no novelty. The odd thing is that it should be
shared by men themselves intellectual. heard Of a
man saying the other day that he seldom liked men
with brains; they were generally such cads. He i
had plenty of brains of his own, and he was not .
cad but the Inconsistency of his complaint did not
seem to strike him. Men don't reason about such
things they feel AS Chancellor OF the Exchequer,
Sir Stafford may be said to have been, or the whole
success. He showed sufficient knowledge OF
finance, and his speaking grew steadily better and
lighter in toueh-surey an odd result TO come from
devotion to figures, without the help of that fine i'm
aginatiye power in the treatment Of them which
made Mr.. Gladstone's Budget speeches rank with
his verv greatest oratiOps.