New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1877-02-26
THE BRITISH PARLIAMENT.
DrR,Tr on THE EASTERN QUESTION.


IrRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TIE TRiBCNE'J
JoxDoN. Feb. lO.-The deluge is upon us once
moro--none the less a deluge for being deluge OF
words. Parliament met on Thursday, the Queen
oncned the session, her Speech was duly read, ana
the inevitable debates il gone through; al
together more than twenty columns OF me PRINT.
And vet there are people who regret that the New
York papers are not published in Washington so
that they might give fuller reports of what Is SAID
~, the conscrpt fathers and other takers there
sembed! An essay might be written on the neon-
vepeuces of a metropolis and of metropolitan jour
nalsm; but this is not the place to write 1t. do
however confess to a certain feeling OF disnay AT
the arrival Of February each year with that distress
ing punctuality which seems to be lnSeparable rom
astronomical phenomena. Perhaps have expressed
il before | am certain have felt 1t. IheTe Is
nothing in Amcrca-that happy country !-compara-
bile 70 the experience which English life imposes on
you no daily duty like that of reading through the
Parliamentary reports Of the day before or so much
Of them as YOU find you cannot safely skip. lhaSten
10 say have not read the whole twenty columns.
EXperiencc teaches you what you need mot read;
and. alas! teaches YOU also what You must some
of the newspapers, mindful of the weakness OF the
flesh and of the spirit charitably condehSc inc ne
bates into a summary. This summary Is good IN
dex to what is unlmportant and important. Inc
names of the speakers give you sometimes an as
surancc that their speeches may be neglected. andSo
in one way and another YOU arrive without lntol-
cradle fatigue at the end of your task But you are
much happier IN Ncw-York N having all tins task OF
selection and exclusion done for you in private
and the rejected matter left imprinted. Probably
the average reader has little idea how much III tHS
way he has to be grateful for.
And, after all Thursdays proceedings amounted
:
ing nothing or next 20 nothing. Its true meaning
is generally to be sought between the lines, ana
from what il does not saw Ii strikes strangely
tmid in tone for the master of so many lcglons as
Lord Beaconsfeld still Inarshas. 1t is defensive
statement. The Government Is III the AWKWARD
position of having strong majority for weak
cause Ii figures TO little advantage In the speech
or-thus farm the debates, but 1t Will come out
sDIeudidlv IN the voting which your practical
minded Euglishmau, with his unchangng Dehei Ill
pudding and the proof thereof, Is apt to regard as
the essential matter. The only thing anybody cares
q straw about is the Eastern question the Confer
encc. why it failed and what the Government mean
n do about il: most of all about tic latter point
does the public want light, and get least 1t IS all
ceneralitics. What the Government had IN view
was to maintain the peace of Europe and to bring
obout reforms in the disturbed provinces of Turkey
. without infringing upon the INDEPENDENCE and in
tenrity of the Ottoman Empire. The Conference
failed. but tie anaistiCc has been pToIongci an"
NAV vet lead to an honorable peace Lord BeaconS-
field trusts That is really all. If YOU turn to Lord
Derbys speech or to the brief remarks of Lord Bca
consfcld and Lord Salisbury, you get little more
What answer will England give TO the Russian
circular? What view does the Cabinet take oil
Mdhat's fall They do not tell you. HE truth
undoubtedly is no decision has yet been taken
Lord Salisbury has but just got home. lie has not
had time for full consultation with his colleagues
The very bluc-books with the dispatches were not
ready for members on Thurslay-it was not meant
they should he. for Lord Beacousicld IS far too
clever a tactican to accept a general debate one
moment sooner than it suits him. So there was 10
general action on Thursday only ShirmiSh. Some
powder was burnt and the guns we're really sholtcd
but they were only trying the range.
What excuses the Government may have 10 offer
for its shifting courses since il adhered 10 the
Andrassy Note may he a matter of much interest TO
the Government, and to those who would condemn
ard SupeIscde them on account Of those courses
But take it the world at large has pretty much
made UP lis mind on that matter, and to-day at least
il NAV be passed over. The spirited and vigorous
attacks If Lord Granville and the Dake of Argyll
IN the Lords, and of Lord harrington in the Com
nons-pcrhaps tie ablest speech lac has made
might be lett ulnotcd for the same reason, were 1t
not all-iuportant 10 ascertain two things; first,
whether there j. any real difference ofyiew between
fine Wing leaders ofthc Liberals and the body ofthc
Liberal party itself; secondly, what policy the
Liberal chefs would substitute for that of the
Tories If they had chance. The first IS answered
plainly. What Mr.. FaWcett and Sir VIM. Harcourt
sa,J q month AGO is verified. Between them-aud
tbcy rcpre,ent the extreme opinion-and Lord tlar
tngton there is no substantial disagreement. For
al purposes of political and party action at home
with reference TO this question they are at one.
need not dwell on the very great importance OF the
upion or reunion OF the Liberal party an issue
vital. The TO the second question cannot be
given 30 positively. The Government of Lord
Beaconsfeld though not clear what they will dc,
are clear what they will not do. They will not en-
force reform on Turkey by war; Would Lord Gran
willie and Lord Harrington and would they have the
support of the Liberal party in doing ltf II
the Duke Of Argyll can be accepted as authority,
his speech would answer both halves of the question
and answer both Of them Yes. lie has taken lead
ing share in the agitation which has gone on during
the recess and which forced the Government to
modify its policy. Therefore he may be taken to
speak for the most liberal Of the Liberals; and lie
represents also to a certain extent, the Oh'l lid
erai opinion because he was IN the last Liberal
Cabinet and must be in the next. And the Duke OF
Argyll, with plainucss Of speech Whlch does nm
honor tells ms that to declare that England viii
never rbt never force her Will on the turks is
course of utter faulty to end sooner or later in
l. disastrous war Lord Granville and Lord llTtlng-
ton speak, as their manner is more cautiously. But
they agree in saying that Russia ought not 10 be left
face 10 face with the Turk, that Europe ought to
come forward and insist, she has moral andJust
right to do that Turkey shall perform her promises,
AID that this is what England ought to urge upon
Europe. That done, it would be, in Lord Gran
yiIle's belief, utterly unnecessary TO resort to