New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-08-27
THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT.
GENERAL RESULTS OF THE SESSION.


LRED BY observation-disclosures WHO HAVE
GAINED OR LOST IN PARLIAMENTARY DIsTINC-
TON
PROM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or TIE rRIBusEl
LONDON, Aug. ID Parliamentary session Of
1877 came to an end on Tuesday, and epitanhs
without number have already been written on il.
Unlike eptaplis in general. they anything but
fiattcrng. They agree in pronouncing the session
the most frniless that has been known in this gem
Grafton. Most lugubrous Of all is the verdict of the
men who are responsible for the failure-Mnsters
themselves they who compose that curious funeral
Grafton delivered at the end of every session. which
used to be called the Queens speech, and now goes
by the name of the Queens message; the republic
canlzatlon OF the institutions of England having
advanced to that point, if further. When
so great an artist az Lord Beaconsfeld de
sends in search of topic for congratulation to tho
passage of an act for extending to the Sheriff
Courts of Scotland jurisdiction in regard to herit-
able rights matters must be at n very low ebb in
deed. Excepting this, and bill relating to Trial
| Courts of law, the sole measures Of the sessions
which even the Government think worthy of mem
ton, are the South African Confederation bill, an
Act to centrallze the present Administration and
third enarglng to some extent the educational bene-
fits of Oxford and Cambridge Universities-an Act
with a clerical twist in it, unhappiIy. To the true
Tory this may well enough be cause of pride not
a reason for apologies. For Tory may be defined
as man who is for keeping things as they are while
most measures Of legislation involve novelties; so
from hls point of view, the fewer laws the
better.
But Il would he n mistake to suppose that the
SION has not been productive of good; though, in
deed, 1t is not Ministers who be considered the
authors of the good When the House met last Feb
/ tIol
! eminent would embark in in behalf Of the
! Turk. That such was the wish and purpose of Lord
Beaconsfed is well understood The events of the
session thwartcd his WISH and made the accomplish
ment OF his purpose impossible. The debates brought
on by the Opposition, and above all that which Mr.
Gladstone started. against the will of the tituar
leaders of Tories and Liberals alike, compelled the
Government to declare policy of some kind, and
the known feeling Of the country stood in the way
of a declaration in favor Of Turkey Not forgetting
all that due to Lord Salisbury for his resoute at
tude il must still be said that the opportunity af-
forded by the sitting of Parliament for repeated dis
cusson gave the best effect and ensured the best
suit to the dislike with which amajority of the ma
ton regarded the schemes of the Prime Minister.
Schemes which looked to armed Intervention finally
subsidized into strict but conditional neutrality.
But the character of the House of Commons has
been lowered say many people Well suppose it
it has. Not however. by the proceedings of Messrs
PaTell and O'Donnell. No. Any legislative assem-
bly, may be invaded By men who think their own in
terests the interests Of their constituents are
best promoted by policy of obstruction and riot
The House has suffered, far it has suffered, be-
cause il dealt weakly with these men, and became
to certain extent accomplish in their folly. The
Leader OF the House is directly responsible for the
NAV urge that he acted in accordance with the opin-
ion of many Of the oldest and most respectable mem
bers of the House But that is not defence, it is
confession. The business of leader is TO
lead to take the opinions Of other men, but 10 act
upon his own. Ii was tine duty of Sir Stafford
Northcoe to protect the interests and honor of the
House which had cOnfided to his hands the control
of its affairs. lie failed 10 do it. He entered into
undignified and wholly needless contest with fac
! ton which he ought to have crushed hence the
scandal and odium which the whole House has had to
endure. | have said inuch as | wish to say on
this subject in former letters and not going to
continue the discussion. But when verdict has to
be made mp at the end Of the session the conduct
of business during the session, it is necessary 10 tell
| the whole truth. miscarriage of justice may be
the fault of the officers Of tie law much as Of the
culprit We fear Parnell and his six abettors de-
serve all that has been said of them. Sir Stafford
Northcote's weakness has been deplored and his
failure generally admitted. But it seems to me to
amount to positive dcrelIction of duty.
Sir Stafford is personally popular, and it is with no
pleasure that either political friends or political foes
concur as they do, in the opinion that his leader
ship of the House has not been success. 1t may
of course, be a success hcrcafter-thcre is time
enough before him-but success in the past il
| IL. hos bapn lie shown
try patience and some tact, but he has not led the
| House A remark which quoted from Mr.. Bage-
hot at the start as pointing out the reef on which
he would probably strike, may be quoted again rs
sufficiently exact description of the causes of his
disaster: A Minister who succumbs to the House,
who ostentat0usly seeks its pleasure, who does not
try to regulate it, who will not boldly point out
plain errors TO it, seldom rives. The great leaders
of Parliament have varied much, but they have all
! had certain trmness'
With this exception, no great reputation has been
| made or married by the session which has Just come
10 an end Perhaps nothing about IT is so remark
able as the fact that it is the first session for forty
ve,rs in which Mr. Disracli has not been a conspic
mons figure Iiis voluntary exile to the House of
Lords has deprived the House of Commons of the
man who contributed most to its amusement and
tle amusement of the pubic. The element of sur
nre - gone and there Is nobody with that peculiar
attractyeness which springs from the possession Of
marked political genius aud the absence of fixed
politicaI principles Mr.. Gladstone has one of the
subtlest minds ever applied to practical affairs yet
ms course on given question can gcaerally be lore
told with accuracy. Nobody ever knew where to
find Mr. Disraeli. nor what he was going to say,
and mn sibiect was so grave that he did not dis
cover a udicrous side to II. In the Lords he
has spoken seldom, aud but once with great
effect. His defence of his appointment OF Mr..