New-York tribune., 1879-05-21
BEACONSFIELD PERPLEXED.
POPULAR Discomfort INCREASING.

LONDON, May lO.-NOtWlthstandlng sir STAFFORD
Northcotes statement this week in the House. the
feeling that dissolution is probable this year has
gained ground. Sir Stafford was asked whether the
Government meant to fill up the vacancies in the
representation there being now six seats to dispose
Of six boroughs to be created enlarged, in fact
in order to bung the House mp TO its full numbers
He answered that there no hurry. This implied,
and was meant to imply that general election u not
imminent. That, doubt, is what stafford North
cote believes. Mr.. freeman, who has talent for saw
age innuendO. remarked lately that he had been IN
the habit of believing Sir Stafford until he went
to school to the jew" But that is unjust to the
worthy man who leads the House of Commons. 1t
is charitable 60 consider that, in those cases
where his statements about the intentions Of the
Government have proved misleading he has him
self been msled It is not supposed that Sir Staf-
ford Norhcote or any other Minister is fully in the
confidence of Lord Beaconshed Mr.. Bright
warning at Birmingham made deep impression,
for Sir. Bright is not a man VINO utters warnings
lightly. spite of that and OF what l described as
general feeling, it may be doubted whether the
public is yet in possession OF much evil
deuce on this point. Such Liberal members
of the House as l have met during the
week do not believe IN an Autumn dissolution Ole
of them said las. night Thought with much force.
rhat the calanties the Government is endur-
ing are arguments against, not for, an immediate
appeal to he country a Government does not
want 10 ask for q verdict at the very moment when
the evidence Of ts mistakes and foles i strongest,
and when individual members Of the jury are ex-
pressing hostile opinion.
Perhaps uo single blow has hit Ministers so hard
as tine Canterbury election this weak. Canterbury
i- @ cathedral town. Ecclesiastical influences have
always ruled It, and thc Church is now more than
ever conservative. When Mr. Butler-JOhnstone re-
tiyeI-tuat was i'm February last Year-the Liberal
Nhjus pronounced a contest hopeless, and Lord
Cran5roo6s was allowed walk-OTer. At the
previous election the Tory majority in cOnsttu-
cucy of less than 5000 was 5GO 1t is now 56.
exactly one-teu,h. The successful candidate is
local maguate, with great personal connections
and influence. HIS Liberal opponent was brought
up from Wales; man quite unknown 10 the
borough. The Tories had ali the advantage Of sur
prise. Their Old member resigned secretly; writ
was moved for al once there was scant time for
organization or canyassing. Yet among these case
hardened and prest-riddcn burgesses, Liberal
comes within thirty votes Of a majority That is
anything but an encouragement to the Government
TO dissolve.
Gbeir hope plainly Is that matters may get better
before they get worse. and the calculation for the
moment is that a general election should be
put off till they can 90 10 the country with q
more plausible account of their stewardship than
can b. given to-day Il is q month since Sir VIII
liam HlrcouTt, at Sheffield, pronounced a funeral
oratiou on Jmg0sm. People said he had got his
epitapl ready before the grave was dug OF the
breath ont Of the Jiugo body. But look where You
will you see signs tha; the people arc tired Of Impe-
rals.l and that Ministers, themselves keeu-5igIted
IN such matters. are abandoning lt.
The day of great enterprises is over. The enter
i To-. IN, in
i,e and the cost Of them greater than all calcua-
tion. Iii, this last revelation which has had
decisive effect on the popular mind. John Bull is
before al things "a man OF business, and desires
his business 10 BE- conducted on what he thinks
sound business principles. A Government which
cannot make its accounts balance is no longer a
Government TO his mind The Budget has been
called an electiOneerng Budget. Ii was framed on
the theory that any scheme OF finance would be
acceptable 70 the taxpayer which did not
impose fresh taxes. Ii NAV be doubted whether
similar error rs 10 popular feeling did not lie at
the root of this plan and oi Dir. Giadstones too
famous manifesto in 1874 SIR Gladstone, ezasper-
ated by successive Liberal defeats in by-olcctOns,
Thought to retrieve his position and regain his
popularity by reducing the income tax. The coun-
try responded by sending mp a Tory majority Of
sixty. Lord Beaconsfcld thought the country
would rather renew its bills for his fireworks than
nav them as they fell due. Re has rot rsked gem
eral election on that issue. bGt all the evidence
accessible 10 the observer goes 10 show that he was
mistaken. No single act of the Government has 50
disgusted its supporters.
There have been TWO debates in the House during
the past fortnight in which the hole policy of the
Government financial as well ~ political has been
overbauIed The result has been most damaging 70
them They control their usual maiorties but they
cannot control fgures-nQr close mems eyes To the
facts. And a voice from he tomb has denounced
them. No incident in the discussion hurt them
more than Sir William iiarcourts quotation from tie
Prince Consort. The Prince wrote IL 1904, the date
of the Crimran campaign. thar Mr.. Gladstone
wanted 10 pay for tho war ont OF the current
r.velue. and 20 increase taxes for that purpose,
while the Opposition were for borrowing, and Ill
crsasing the debt d" The former COURSE said the
Prince. "lsmauv. statesmanhke, and honest; the
latter .s convenient, cowardly, and perhaps popu-
larv The quotation has -tung the Torres, and de
serves place III the next essay on the Uses OF
Princes.
Asto the great enterprises Of which we once
heard so much we still hear something; but III
changed tone. Lord Salisbury has been az the
pains to- make two speeches prove that the Treaty
of Berlin has been is being, ANA will be during all
time to come scuuulously observed. The 81 Of
Nav has como and gone. 1t was the date nXed Dy
the treaty FOR the evacuation Of Bulgaria by the
Russians, upon which Turkey was To
resume her sovereignty, garrison the Bal
kans and maintain order by her own
troops. The Russians are still in Bulgaria the
rarrisoning Of the Balkans by the Turks mas been
postponed " for 4 year." nominally in fact tIll the
Greek Kaleuds: and the Turkish Governor OF
Southern Bulgaria himself Bulgarian, began his
,.i,n b,- Announcing that in no case would be sum
mon Turkish troops into that province. Well may
NJ Gambstta's organ in Paris, 50 long the faithful
supporter Of Lord Beaconsieid, declare that the
.n..t - for from heinu scrnnulnnsly Observed. IS