New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-12-27
THE GREAT BRITISH DEBATE.
THE VALUE OF THE VICTORY.

AIMING TIE LIBERALS.
fFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBUNE.l
LONDON, Dec. 14.-At halfpast this morning
the debate Oh the Afghan War came to an end, with
majority of 101 fer the Government in the Com
mons. On Tuesday they had 1876 in the Lords.
The figures are larger than were expected
There were but 65 Peers in all who voted for Lord
1alifaxs amendment-G5 out of the 400 or more
hereditary legislators of Great Britain. six Bishops
(nOn-hereditaryl voted for an unprovoked war OF
spoliatiOn; one against, which is one more than
was looked for. The honorable exception is DIR. Mack
arness Bishop of Oxford. Lord Granville and the
Duke of Argyll were both absent Tho Duke is
really ILL Lord Granviles illness is said to be of
the diplomatic kind, though his friends deny 1t.
lie is against the war, doubt; but lie belongs to
| the Wing clique, who doubted whether anything
was to be gained by resisting OF criticlsing war
| once begun. Small as the Liberal minority in the
Lords was it exceeded the calculations of the
whips. / know that of the Liberal leaders
said they should get the front opposition
bench. Lord Derby, Lord CarnaryOn, and por-
haps Earl Grey from the cross benches, but beyond
that he could not see where the votes were to come
| from. The Wing magnates mostly went with the
Government. The Duke of Sutherland, Earl Fitz-
william and Earl Fortescue are confirmed Jingoes.
So is Lord HOughtOn. In the Lower House, ten
men vino at odd times pass for Liberals, voted for
the war The list includes Mr.. ROebuck Roths-
child, and Mr.. John Walter. But the majority is
twenty less than the Government has heretofore
obtained.
The debate lasted two nights in the Lords. four
in the Commons, and was, on the whole,
worthy of the occasion. The value of il is not
TO be judged by the result. which was known be-
forehand, and would not have been much altered
though an angel had descended from heaven. Its
| tba IF ard
Beaconsfcld-a speech of such lucid frankness as
to contradict and cOnfOund the more tlmld OF his
supporters. 1t puts the country in possession of
coherent theory on which hostiltics can be de-
tended. The Prime Minister cneerfuly admits that
the grievances against the ANGER, of which his lieu
tenants have made so much, are no great matter.
He even admits that the existing haphaz-
ard frontier of India might have answered
its purpose well enough for another twenty years,
it has for twenty years past, but for one fact.
The one fact is the appearancc-he called 1t the
sudden appearance-of Russia on the scene. lie
makes no complaint Of Russia. He admits, Ill
manly way, that Russia, expecting war with
England had a perfect right to send a Mission to
Cabul, and to start her columns toward Mcry.
Explanations have taken place since, the danger
of immediate has passed away, and Russia
has frankly confessed her intention to make what
trouble she could the Asian frontier, and
frankly abandoned it. But England cannot run a
similar risk again, says Lord Beaconslied. 1t has
become necessary in order to provide against
il, that the haphazdrd frontier should be
exchanged for n scientific frontier, and since tins
can only bedone the expense of the Ameer,-why,
80 mucb the worse for him. We sorry for him;
he Is spoiled child whom we should have liked to
humor, bat since he will not bo humoTed, the
scientific frontier must have and II is only out Of
his dominiOns that il can be carved.
don't profess 10 give Lord BeacOnsfeld's words.
| give the drift and meaning of his words. Ills
statement seems to me irrcfutable. if you once
admit that an AsiatIc Prince has no rights
which England is bound TO respect, when
it is inconyonicnt TO respect them. This
speech turns Mr. Gladstone's flank. Mr. Gladstone,
both at Greenwich and this week in the House,
rests his main argument against the Government
ON the answer to one question Is it just war;
Lord Bcaconsfcd in his Jaunty way puts that qucs-
ton altogether aside II is only he says advocates
Of pcacc-at-any- price who ask such questions The
real points are the frontier, the security OF India
against possible future mcnaces of Russia, aud the
character aud the influence of England IN Europe
The answer is compact and neatly PIT. But have
heard an admirer of Lord BcacOnsficldS policy put
il even more briefly aud more frankly. 1--WE won
India" said he "Dy force and fraud; we must keep
il, if need be, by the same means"
So then, the responsibility which heretofore tho
Cabinet bore alone, is now divided between tho
Cabinet and the Houses of Parliament. There re-
mains, as Mr.. Gladstone pointed out Mt Greenwich,
the third and last body winch share It the cleo
torate of Great Britain and Ireland. The House OF
Peers is Tory and will remain So and Will support
the Government so long as the Government last ana
whatever they do The House of Commons is Tory
d, 4, 1,sta will nj IN eli M
Government. II is the most docile the most useful,
the most scryile instrument of personal rule which
Europc has seen since the days of what was called
the Legislature under the late Emperor of France.
Bnt il may be dissolved at any moment by vote OF
the Cabinet and il expires by limitation OF law IN
fine beginning of 1881 at furhest. If it had voted
10 censure tho Ministry, the Ministry might have
appealed to tho country. The Opposition have no
such power. They cannot hasten the dissolution
of the House by an hour, but they have IN ehect
and IN morals appealed from the House 10 the
country by this debate. And in that hes the real
importance of the debate.
True, Lord Harrington and his colleagues, VINO
conduct tho affairs of the Opposition so ihiShah-
AGED matters as to discredit themselves III advance
They exhibited at the outset spectacle OF heslta
ton and DISCRIMINATION, and faulty tactics wei
calculated TO discourage their supporters; wei cal
culaed also TO impress the country WIN cohVic-
ton that a party which could do no better
than that in opposition was hot hAely 10
ronIoce tho existing Government with much
advantage. To some extent, however. they
have repaired their mistake, and they presented
something like o united front on the division.
Lord Harrington and Mr.. Chamberlain, Sir William
Uarcourt and Mr.. Fawcett, went into the same
lobby. The keynote of the debate struck by Mr..
Gladstone was echoed by tho most Laodicean Of
his old colleagues. Lord Harrington spoke better
than ne ever spoke, and with more distinct