Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1878-07-27


ament. We have already noticed
that the American method makes
treaty invalid Until it is confirmed |
by the Senate. This answers very
we'll in the case of our scanty deal !
ings with foreign nations, and that,
for the most part, with nations far in
ferior in power and importance to
ourselves; but should we ever find
ourselves involved in the intricate
web of European diplomacy (Which
may our destiny avert for many
years., we should find diplomacy
utterly impracticabIe under such
provisions. Imagine one of the ma
tons, England for instance, to have
gone into tine conference at Berlin
fettered with such provisos. They
would have been exactly in the POI
sitions of person who went into
game of poker with his cards open
on the table while the rest had their
hands concealed. To refer clause
after clause to Parliament as it came
up would have been to publish it to
the whOte world, and, of course, to
antagonists in the game. A treaty
negotiated on such terms would
never have extricated England from
such difficulties as surrounded her at
lifetime, and moreover peace, in all
probability, would never have re-
suited at all, for with conflicting
and exasperated armies and navies
face to face for the length of time
that such negotiations must occupy,
some untoward event must have
precipitated a conflict. The English
method is to put faith in your states
men and then hold them to rigid
responsibility; and that response
bility evidently is a formidable one.
On the American plan a draft of a
/ treaty is offered to the Senate, and,
if they reject it, there is nothing to
be responsible for, there is no treaty,
it has fallen to the ground. ButnOw
suppose the resolutions Of Lord
Harrington should be carried, which
would be tantamount to q cOndem-
nation of the treaty and its authors;
! irreparable evil would not yet re-
suit, for the Prime Minister would
be justified in assuming that the
voice of the Parliament was not the
voice of the people, and on that
presumption he would advise the
Sovereign to dissolve Parliament
and command the election of new
one. If after that the new Parlia-
ment should ratify the decision of
the former one, then the Cabinet
and the party which they represent
could no longer hold power; they
would have to resign their places,
to the Extreme Liberals, as repre-
scented by Messrs. Gladstone, Forster
and Bright, with probably Lord
Derby reinstated in the Foreign Of
fee. There is no action of Congress
which could effect so complete a
change as this.
We have now to estimate the
probabilities of parliamentary ac-
ton, whether Parliament will ap-
prove or condemn the treaty OF
Berlin and its authors, Lords Bea-
cOnsfield and Salisbury. We have
already said that the position of the
opposition is well taken in view OF
a parliamentary contest. The two
points insisted upon are the auto
cratic way in which the thing was
done without the concurrence OF
Parliament, and the future Obliga-
tons and complications which il
imposes upon the British nation.
The former of these is always an
effective consideration with the
average member of Parliament, who
is indignant at anything which is
allowed to transpire in the British
Empire without his being consulted.
Even in Parliament, however, this
will not go for much, and before the
people it will go for nothing, the
one question with whom will be,
"Was it good treaty ?" The other
question will tell much more
strongly. For some twenty years
a party has been gaining great
strength in England which con-
tends that England ought to have
no foreign policy, and participation
in the affairs of Europe is con-
demned as a meddlesOme policy,
and especially all engagements with
foreign powers are condemned which
can possibly issue in an appeal to
arms. This party or school of poll
ticians has undergone remarkable
fluctuations in regard to the influ-
ence it exercises over English poll
ties. When everything is going on
smoothly in Europe it is OmnipO-
tent, when any difficult complied
tiOns arise, fierce struggles arise
between it and what it calls the
war party; but let any real danger
threaten the prestige and power of
England, and it shrinks instanta-
neously into obscurity and insignifi-
canoe. 1t was in its full strength
before the Crimean war under Lord
Aberdeen's premiership, and then
let inactiOn go so far that when the
reaction came it was too late to
remedy the danger without war /;
the Aberdeen ministry was COM
PEELED to an ignOminiOus retreat
from office and the vigorous hand of
Palmerston carried the nation
! through the war. TWAS again near
gaining the predOminance during
the Servian rebellion which pre-
coded the RusSO-TurkiSh war, but
when that war broke out, it began
again to lose ground, and when the
Turkish resistance collapsed and
Russia announced her purpose of
enforcing the treaty of StefanO with
out asking the concurrence of the