Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-07-27
DEMOCRATIC JUDICIAL TICKET.
THE TREATY IN PARLIAMENT.


has to face, when some chapter in
its policy not hitherto before Parli-
ament has to be discussed and critl-
cised before that powerful tribunal.
1t is this tribunal before which
Lords Beaconsfield and Salisbury
have now to bring the treaty OF
Berlin; to elucidate its provisions
and their bearings, to meet all OBJ
iections, to account for all short |
comings, and, in short, to reconcile |
everything in it with that intricate
conflict of opinion which has always
to be encountered when new sub
ject is to be presented before large
body of thinking men.
Before discussing the probable re-
suit of this ordeal it will be neces-
sary to premise some description of
the different modes in which
treaties are negotiated by the Brit
ish Government and by that of the
United States. 1t is well known
that the President in this country
cannot negotiate treaty with
foreign power which is valid before
being submitted to the Senate in
Executive COMMITTEE and confirm
ed by that body. There is no such
provision in England. The pleni-
potentiaries of that nation under the
direction of the Cabinet can negO-
tate treaty which, by the advice
of the Cabinet, can be signed by the
Sovereign, and then it becomes
a valid contract without further
action. But if so, it will be asked
what becomes of the responsibility
of the Cabinet to Parliament. The
answer to that question can only be
given by describing what is now
going on in the British Parliament.
AS soon as the deliberations closed
in the Radziwill palace at Berlin,
Lords BeacOnsfield and Salisbury
hastened back to London, Salisbury,
the younger man, beating the Pre-
mier by one day. He was scarcely
in London before he was in his seat
in the House of Lords, and had
given a brief expose of the main
drift and purpose of the two treaties
Just negotiated, the one with the
powers of Europe who had signed
the treaty of Paris, the other with
Turkey alone. Parliamentary war
fare did not commence, however,
until Lord Beaconsfield arrived and
reported. twill amuse our readers
when we give copy of his speech
1--WE will not do so till copy more
reliablethan the Geographic abstract
reaches us) to observe how gravely
defensive his exposition is as COM
pared with his peculiarly incisive
and aggressive manner before the
Berlin Conference. 1t is the manner
of man who is conscious that he
can't afford to lose a point, that he
is on his trial in matter which, as
regards mis- political career, is life
and death to him. It's also curious
to observe that his defensive posi-
lions are taken to meet the charges OF
not having done enough for Turkey,
whereas the main position of the
opposition party (as represented by
Messrs. Gladstone, Bright and FOrs-
teri was that he had done too much
for her, and ought to have Joined
with Russia in annihilating her.
This indicates that he is more anX-
ious to propitiate the extreme of his
own party than the recognized OPP
position, which he apparently treats
as not worth much powder and shot.
One point is quite clear in both his
speech and that of Lord Salisbury,
that the integrity of the Ottoman
Empire is only so far an object with
him as il is still capable of serving
as bulwark against the extension
of the Russian Empire southwark
i'm such manner as to threaten the
communications of England with
her empire in Asia.
But we do not purpose at present
to give any analysis or estimate OF
this speech; the whole subject can
be more satisfactorily handled when
the debate now in progress is COM
pleted. What we at present aim at
is to give our readers some idea OF
the positions of parties. These can
best be estimated by a consideration
of the movements of opposition.
Lord Derby's speech probably indi-
Gated the main point of attack when
he said the island Cf Cyprus was not
of much value, and that the Anglo
Turkish treaty would impose con-
tinuous responsibilities on England
with the contingency of being at
any time involved in affairs there
calling for military intervention,
incidentally he came in rather
sharp collision with his brOther-in-
law, the Marquis of Salisbury. He
intimated that he had left the Cabi-
net because scheme had been
started therein for Selling Cyprus,
together with some position on the
main land, with or without the con-
sent of Turkey. To this assertion
Lord Salisbury replied with an I'M
qualified contradiction. He said
that his "nOble friend" had been
framing new reasons for quitting
the Cabinet ever since he was out of
it, and that this last was palpably
untrue" Here he was called to
order, and, after some alteration of
a character which in this country
would have been suggestive of pis-
tolls and coffee, the Marquis agreed
to substitute the word incorrect
for untrue" and the Earl's dignity
was satisfied. His leading Objec-
ton, however, was an indication of
the line which the opposition was
to take. This has since been form
ulated i'm Il resolution to be moved