The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-12-24
OUR LONDON LETTER.
The Parliamentary Victory Of the Rencons-
field Government-Mr Gladstone's Moral
shnm-RussIa Defeated In Afghnnistnn.

Reid Government-Mr. Gladstone's Moral
shnm-RussIa Defeated In ArRhnnistan.
LONDON, Dec 1.-THE Government must
DO agreeably surprised by tho result OF last
nights division in the House OF Lords. The
creation OF about forty peers by the previous
Gladstone Administration suggested the posi-
bility Of much stronger opposition vote. and a
small majority I'm the Upper House would have
had most encouraging effect upon the Rus
sian politicians. who base their hopes upon the
success ofthe Liberal party. A majority OF 1856.
however. In House of 26s sets all these fears
at rest. and will. no doubt. have its influence on
the Lower House. where the majority is certain
to be almost as large.
The events which have conduced prncpayto
this result are the brilliant and rapid successes
which have been gained by the British troops
in AfGhnnlstan. and the reply OF the Ameer to
the ultimatum. From this last document II
plainly appears that the quarrel with that po-
tentate was not OF Lord Lytton's making. but Of
Lord NOrthbrooks. 1t was because the Liberal
Viceroy In 1873 refused 10 support the Ameers
policy In regard to Yakoob Khan. whom the
Ameer styles that ill-starrod wretch. my son."
that he felt himself aRgrieved by the Govern
ment OF India. and entered upon that course OF
unfriendliness toward England which has at
astculminated in war. Thus the enemies OF the
Government. who have persistently maintained
that the policy OF mastery inactivity had re-
tanned the Ameer rs our friend find the ground
cut from beneath them. now that the Ameer
speaks himself. and lays the whole blame upon
the former Viceroy who was the most conspicu-
Gus exponent OF that policy
Mr. Gladstone. as usual. has now used his
splendid ora,orical powers to condemn rs
immoral line OF conduct which was the
nf fhn Of
his own administration. and TO claim
for himself tho exclusive monopoly OF
political rectitude and virtue. He is. in
fnct. sort OF moral claimant" and Is be-
iieved in by the same class Of persons. who. un-
able TO Judge between sham and real pinned
their faith to the fictitious Sir Roger Tichborne
Logically his speech last night was utterly de-
fectve. and so far as the merits OF tho case he
argued were concerned. II entirely failed TO
carry conviction; but IL abounded in nvcctive
and In highhown moral sentiments and had
that Britannia metal ring about II which unhap-
PLY characterizes the political utterances ofmost
Of his followers who have spoken upon the
question. just as n moral plntitude in q play
is sure to bring down the gallery. and win the
ioudest applause from the class OF persons who
are the least addicted to the practice OF the vir-
tues they acclaim. Mr.. Gladstone gets a cheer
rom the Ignorance Of the country by his vague
lcnuncatlons OF injustice and immortality. and
his seutentious aphorisms in favor OF purity
and humanity The consequence is that tho
ministers Of religion all over the land. who un-
derstand nothing whatever OF the political
aspects Of the question. preach and hold meet
lngs condemning the war in Aighanis,an as i'm
moral. merely because Mr. Gladstone. for party
purposes. tells them SO; and it is a cheap way
| OF acquiring a sort OF semi political. semi
ecclesiastical notoriety. extremely fattering to
their seli-ove. SO far MS their power OF Judging
Of the merits Of the points ut issue goes. these
Nonconformist ministers aud Dissenting con-
gregatlons might aswell meet TO pronounce an
opinion upon an abtruse point OF medical iu-
rispruience. as upon the expedlcncy Of the
policy which should be pursued by this country
in Its diplomatic struggle with Russia.
II is a new and by no means favorable fen
ture-these clerical meetings TO discuss foreign
affairs. and these constant sermons upon blue
book despatches-and Is no doubt largely due TO
the fact that the religious element has from the
first been so improperly mixed up in this East
crn question. That the morality Of these gen
tlemen should be utterly inconsistent is only
what one might expect; but it has become
ludicrously apparent since they have espoused
| the cause OF Afghanistan against England. SO
| long as It was u question Of the Mohammedan
] III EUROPE no WIS IN unelthkubt luIh Tor
ghom no treatment WAS too severe. who de-
served no sympathy and who. in defiance Of all
abstract principles Of justice. should be kicked.
bag and baggage. out Of Europe. But when the
Mohammedan. instead OF Being Turk. is an
| Afghan, then he is no longer the unspeakable
| Turk. but the pronounceable Afghan" who.
| though his Government is as cruel. corrupt.
and mendacious as that OF the Sultan. is en-
titled to our warmest sympathy, and whom it is
immoral to attack even in vindication OF the
national honor. or MS a measure OF saf-prescr-
walton. II those same principles which they
now invoke in favor OF Afghanistan had been
applied TO Turkey. tho perfectly gratuitous at-
| tack upon that country 10y Russia would have
incurred their most severe condemnation but
they have one rule OF morality for Turkey and
another for Aighanistan. and curiously enough
1t is precisely the same rule in both cases ich
has been adopted by Russia. The result is that
it is dawnnG upon the minds of many VINO have
hitherto been gulled and misled by this spuri-
Gus form OF morality. that by adopting II they
are in reality playing into the hands OF that
power which they instinctively feel is perma-
nent menace and danger 10 England; and hence
they are drifting away from the party whose
morality seems TO BE- another word for want OF
patriotism.
Mr.. Gladstone found himself compelled "a
meet this danger the other day in his speech
at Greenwich. and for the first time he indg-
nantly denied that he was friend Of Russia
maintaining. to the establishment OF those OF
his hearers who we're calm enough 10 remember
his former uuerances, that he had been from
the first favor Of preserving the independence
and integrity Of the Ottoman empire. l was
surprised that no one took the trouble after
ward TO produce in parallel columns his utter
0nces upon that occasion with his numerous
declarations in precisely the opposite sense
Nethe did not shrink last night from imputinl
the most direct dishonesty. not to say lying
though no used a euphemism for that disagree
able word, to his opponents in their treatment
Of dispatches and he might easily have beer
condemned for the same practice by quotations
out OF his own mouth. Happily. he has sale
his saw. and as there is no one likely to be more
acrimonious than he has been. 1t is Just posi-,
bic the debate may close in the Commons with
out scene.
1t is singular that in both Houses the debating
power b largely on the side of the Liberals
In the Commons. especially tho Government
nnyo me- a giurln brilliant opoot.ar tho Ioolor