New-York tribune., 1877-03-10
THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT.
,rcnrNrs OF THE RECENT DEBATES.

wOIK-CRUSHING REILLY Oh MIN ubADSiONh lo
MR. CHAPLIN SINGULAR BLUNDERs OF THE
PREMIER.
IAN THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TRIBUNE
Iospoy. Feb. 24-It is impossible not to doubt
- ,nuch YOU may care to read about the Paria-
-,.rtary debates on the Eastern question. To the
s.,ure historian they viii be invaluable. To the
.rter and reader of to-day's newspapers they are,
,a,baps Just a little wearisome save when euliv-
inod bv passage of personalities. Able as were
80 of the speeches IN the Commons last Friday,
ii IN the Lords on Tuesday the tone of the discus
20 as n whole is not quite satisfactory. Ii deals
zoo exclusively with the past, aud it treats the fu-
.rre Of Turkey too much as a matter of English
..rtv notics The Liberals are hesitating TO press
!hor policy of coercion on the Government. The
,overful and spirited speech of the Duke of
ARGYLL lacked deiiniteness of purpose, except rs
ortisan attack. Lord Beaconsfields first long ad-
dress in the Lords one of his dulest harangues.
If tbis he tie rev style which we were told he was
gong TO adopt, shall all be glad to have him go
hack 10 the old. Lord Granville was civil even
complimentary, to his political enemies. lie and
Iord Derby often seem to have private under
.,ondipg: and their alternating occupation of the
roreign Office has produced kind of esprit de corps,
conducive TO good manners, but not to vigorous
criticism on gross mismanagcment of pubhc affairs
And beside this the treatment of the Turkish
,rpte is prceptibly affected by the arrival of
hers of Parliament in town. and their exposure to
social influences Their dislike of the Turk is less
robust than it was in vacation. 1t is three TO one
that the man Tor wOman who sits next you at dinner
;sa Turk II here is, further growing feeling that
something new must soon occur which will render
freshdecisions necessary. We must know in week
or two more definitely what Russia to do, and
when she will begin to do it. Some sort of an answer
IN the Russian circular must he sent That 1t will
he on the part of England, as nOn-cOmmitta as Lord
Derby can make it, may be taken for granted. But
even Lord Dcrby's timdity is sometimes useful. II
is check upon that largeness of imagination which
leads Lord Beacons6eld to regard with con-
tempt such great popular demonstration as
occurred last Autumn. That storm, indeed beat
upon him too fercey to be disregarded. The neces-
stes of party and the instinct of self-preservatlon
were stronger than everything else for the moment.
He bent but it would be wrong to suppose his own
opinion wavered. l am quoting what an admireT
and friend of his says. He cared nothing for the
massacres in Bulgaria. In his view, the Turkish
army is Eugand's advance-guard So long as TuT-
KEY exists and England keeps ON good terms with
her the English Empire in India is safe. If Turkey
disappears, an attack on India is certain If Turkey
and England quarrel, word from the Sultan would
rouse 4OOOO00O Indian Mussulmans to revolt.
Whether there fore, Turkey rules well or i'll matters
little 10 England. The essential thing is that lur-
key should continue to rule somehow, and that she
should continue to consider England her friend.
Well that is a coherent view enough, but II
were an Englishman should be ashamed to hold
l. or to acknowledge it. To state 1T publicly, as
.akedly as have stated it above, Lord Beacons-
,eld himself will hardly dare. He knows England
sell enough to know that she would not endure to
be told that her imperial position in the world de-
pends on her maintaining bankrupt despotsm at
Constantiuope; and OH cOnciliating the goodwill
of the Sultan and his concubneel aud his concu-
bines' friends; for il comes to that. where, as
Mldhats overthrow has just shown, palace intrigue
is stlll the most powerful factor i'll Turkish politics
But what Lord Beaconseld believes is that England
in the long run will abide by the policy expressed
in the Treaty of 1856. His notions of government
are after all so deeply Oriental that he thinks 1t
possible for military rule to survive in spite Of cor
ruptiOn and imbccty; and III the face OF all those
symptoms which are to be seen at this moment III
Turkey and which from the beginning of civiliza-
ton have closely preceded the collapse of empires
Yet even Lord Beaconstield admits-Lord Derby
saws it in so many wOrds-that the Opposition have
made il impossible for the Government to so to war
in defense of Turkey.
The attack which; Mr.. Chaplin was allowed to
make on Mr. Gladstone shows how careleSsly the
Tories in the House are led by Mr. Disraelis sue
eessor. Indeed, Mr.. Chaplin not merely al
lowed buf if rumor may be trusted, encouraged to
make it, The name of this great man is, | fear,
almost unknown in America, unless perchance you
remember the history of the late Marquis OF Hast
ipgss marriage. young man is Mr. Chaplin, but
10 his diving day he will remember the Just pahlsh-
ment which his insOlcnce brought down on nm.
There has been theory that he aspired to the lead
ership of his party. 1t never could have
been based on what, in the slang or that
national institution where Mr.. Chapln's greatest
notOrety has been won. would be called
"public running" He has made three or four set
speeches in the House clever enough III their Kihd'
but Of real debating power he has shown no trace
The Younger and friskicr Tories, nevertheless,
thought it would be a good thing to put Chaphn
Up" and "llave 90 at old Gladstone" If the object
was to anger Mr.. Gladstone, it succeeded, Tor men
who were there say he never seen so white with
passion Mr. Chaplin charged him with unwilling
hess 70 meet his Tory opponents in the House on the
ground which he had occupied during the recess
and ntimated that this not the course which
man of homer ought to take; which latter remark
the Speaker oblig ged Mr.. Chaplin 10 Withdraw so
much more sensitive are the Commons OF England
in such matters than Washington congressman.
Aud he challenged MIR. Gladstone to take the sense
of the House the policy of the Government ana
his policy. Mr.. Gladstone replied III speech OF
perhaps fifteen minutes. NOquOation from II wouid
convey idea of the effect If produced; OF It's MN
ged dignity and anger or of the r1dlcule whlch IL
heaped on poor Mr. Chaplin-Tidicue in all its forms,
banter, deTsiOD, and contempt. Nothing mas Deeh
heard in the House like it for many year, and 1t
eGeetually dspelled the notion, if anybody enter
tanned it, that Mr. Gladstone's unrivaled force Ill
debate had been diminished.
There are signs that Lord Beaconsheld If not TO be
permitted 10 enjoy that serene repOse TO which he