New-York tribune., 1878-02-04
THE BRITISH ANTI-TURKISH AGITATION.

THE BRITISH ANTI-TURKISH AGITATION.
THE POLITICAL CoMMOIIoN LESS VIOLENT THAN
LAST YEAR's-LoRD CARNARvoN's ATTITUDE
PRIOR TO HIS RFsIGNATIOE-SALIEST POINTS IN
THE SPEECHES OF MIR. BRIGHT, MIR. CHAMBER
LAIN AND LORD ARTHUR RCSSElL-sIR CHARLES
dixie ACTING HEARTILY WITH The OPPo-
sITION.
lFRoM Tue REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF TRIBUNR.I
LONDON, Jan. 21-Any record of the re-
markable period just closed which should not give
some account of the efforts Of the Liberal leaders
to enlIghtcn public opinion would bc incomplete,
and even unjust. 1t may be said that the agitation
has been less violent than on previous occasions
than in 1876, for instance, when the awful story of
Bulgaria was first made known-but it has not been
less sincere or effective. Mr. Gladstone, in
deed has chosen to be silent, saying that, in
his judgment, the moment to speak had
not come. This was commonly understood to
mean that lie had such assurances respecting the
strength of the anti-war party III the Cabinet as
convinced him that the peril would pass away with
out his help. But there is another explanation of
his reserve. am told that MIR. Gladstone said that
he had kept away from pubic meetings because
when he broke silence he shond have 10 speak so
strongly that he preferred TO make his declaration
in the presence of The Government. He Thought 1t
his duty to say what he had to say in Parliament.
nobody felt secure-Lord Carnarv0n certainly di
not; nor was it till more than twcaty-four
hours after the debate which had given
relief to the public mind that Lord Carnaryon'S
anxietcs fairly vanished. So late as Saturday
Afternoon, / heard from a member Of the House
whose information was direct. that tho author OF
tho South African speech was still in doubt whether
he eh0uld be able to remain in the Cabinet or not.
Yesterday flg The first time. Lord Casnaryon'5 face
cleared up, ana hc said with confidence that tie
crisis was over. DO not know thet 10 vent "~ E.
IA TO deny the probability Of another Inc war
parry knows nc last ditch. There is always fresh
one digging while the last is filling up
To Lord Carnarvon however and to that speech
of his which have called South African because he
made an occasion to deliver it 10 delegation
which came 10 sec him on Cape matters, the iiIst
and largest share of credit IS due for the pacific so
lu;ion arrived at 1t has been the fashion until
lately to look TO Lord Salisbury rs the true hcad of
the party inside the Cabinet which La, fought 80
callautIy for peace But OF late Lore Cauar'on
has led the van. and even Lord Derby ha5 bcon a
more ardent supporter Of Lord CaIuaIVon than t"c
terrible Marquis who alone has been Thought an'c
TO face his wily chief You Will lematL
that in the presence OF a great danger 20 the
country, party ties have been little loosened;
rartv bonds have almos' melted in Tie fcrycut
heat: more than one leading Tory has denounced
tle Government, and more than one Liberal HepIe-
sentative has found his fear OF Russia stronger than
iis devotion to Liberalism. The crisis cut both
wavs IL might not be too much 10 assume that
Lord CarnarvOn has been i'll communication, more
or less direct, with some Liberals whose opinions
about war agreed with his: and it is certain that
some men who have acted with the Liberal party
heretofore, acted lately with Lord Beaconsioij. !
referred thc other day, to the Duke OF SCthcIands
l.. Il ,F ~,
meeting of Parliament, aud drew, as everybody
else drew, the inference that he FAD dissolved
his connection with his old associates. HIS friends
now nssert that lie did not to go far that,
nor did the three other noble Lords Of llhca falth
! who sat at meat with HIM that night among the
Tories lie desires to be still counted as a Liberal
the influence Of old ass0cII.os IS stronger tih Hlo
love for the Turks, and hIs hate lOr MI Olad toHc
Lord Bcacousicld's reason for asking the Duke OF
| Sutherland to such dinner may perhaps be ionhp
in the remark Of great writer concerning Inicll-
tine banquet in the fifteenth centnry,That " good
4, bcs and GOOD wine were at that time believed t.
belglten the consciousness of political prcicrcnccs
There have been at least half u dozen liberal
speechcs. Which, in less stirring and hurried times,
would have had their due share of attention even
three thousand miles away. Sir William Harc0urt'S
have already mentioned. There has been no more
complete statement the Liberal side; none more
full of knowledge or more powerful II was thought
| at the time TO express too much confidence III a
praccfu result of the crisis the result has usti
fled the confidence Mr. 3righis address to his con-
| stituents at Birmingham cannot be ranked among
his great orations twas largely hlstorical largely
occupied with rccapitulation OF the circumstances
! which led 10 the Crimcan wa :wiiha demonstration
/ that Mr. Brights opposition to that war was right,
and had been proved 10 be night since; whence his
! hearers were expected 10 draw the rather strong
/ inference that his opposition 10 a war at present
must bc right 1t was an admirable speech. never
/ theeGs with some passages of that grave and
wcIghty cOqucncc, Of which sir. Bright is the great
csr living master. No d0uht, also, precisely such
/ sD..ch as his constituents Of HirTing!aEl took
Measure and pride in hearing MrChamborlaiu. Mr..
bngnls junior colleague, spoke AT the same meeting
ia a tone OF not less decision, ana with entire
/ freedom from the burden of past conflicts His
/ was a speech marked throughout with twO
| qualities which seldom 90 together; deli
cate seuse Of literary fitness ana hearty sympathy
with the popular mind TO which ne was appealing
! the speech Of a student and Of man Of affairs; IL
/ was on Mr.. ChamberlainS suggestion that the lAD-
e!al associations all over the country were set III
! motion. Lord BeacOnsfeld, who has phrase for
everything, calls agitation which has the adNan-
tagc of being organized by central committee, me-
| chanical. Bat il has been well said that though an
agitation can be directed by party, no machinery
can produce the causes out OF which such an agla-
ton springs, and without which it would be pow
erless to act on public opinion
Mr. Chamberlalns speech was most useful because
Mr. Chamberlain belongs TO the Radical wing OF the
Liberal party, and because some Of the Radicals
have shown a strange hesitation in opposing war
for Turkey lest peace might benefit Russia They
can't forget Poland Mr. COwcn is an example of
.bo axtrau,a anti. Russian feeling among men of