Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-02-25
From Our Regular Correspondent
Our European Letter.

Our European Letter.
LONDON, Eng. Feb. II, 1880.
The conservatives in this country ar,
very much elated at their unexpected vic
tory in the election Of one of their party
to succeed Mr.. Locke. liberal, in thu
borough of Southwark. This was one of thu
the liberal stronghelds. and the success o
conservative candidate, Clarke, by plu
rality of S53 over his liberal competition
and clear majority of 81 over the latte,
and the workingmen's candidate combin
ed, is regarded as a marked endorsement
of the ministry. This election in South
wark fills the last vacancy in the house o
commons from constituencies now entitled
to be represented. A complete house con
tains 65S members, but there are now only
65l seats open; four boroughs entitled to
six seats having been DISTINGUISHED be
cause of corrupt practices, and the wri
for one member from the borough o
Norwich has been suspended since 1875
The disfranchised boroughs are Beverly
and Bridgewater. in England, and SligC
and Cashel, in Ireland. The 65l sitting
members are divided politically as follows
conservatives, 344; liberals, 2i0, and Irisl
home rulers, So, making combined op
position of 307, and leaving ministerial
majority of 81. OF the conservatives 90,
represent English constituencies, 80 ar,
from Ireland and eighteen from Scotland
England sends 1875 liberals, Ireland II anC
Scotland AZ. The home rulers, numbering
50, are all from ireland. This shows
conservative majority Of 9S in the Englisl
representation. In 1874 the conservative
in the house of commons numbered 35(
the liberals 242 and the home rulers 60, ;
conservative majority of As. So thai
throughout the six years that had elapsed
and in spite of bad harvests, depression in
business and hard times Lord BeaconslielC
has almost mants ined the majority will
which he came into power.
Lord Derby made speech few days
since in which he protests that England i,
not going to the dogs quite so rapidly al
some people appear to think. At the out
set of his speech he asked: " Are we
growing richer Or poorcr?" He compared
our present state with that of ten year;
ago, and asserted that "man for man, the
Inhabitants of Great Britain possess Il
larger amount Of property, a larger in
crease in money, than they did ten years
ago. lie then quotes" In 1870 the
incomes liable to taxation were 445 mil
lions; in 1877 they were $40 millions. In
1870 the sums deposited in Savings Banks
we're So millions; in 1873 they were a
millions. In 1870 the quantity of tea i'm
ported was 100000 pounds; in 1873 ii
was 157, 100000 pounds. Now about these
figures there is no ambiguity, and they are
taken rs samples of many others. En-
gland is richer then it was ten years ago"
Some allowance must be made for an
Increase of population; but when that has
been done, there still remains IL substan-
Jial gain. The conclusion is Just that
while we are not as rich rs we thought
ourselves in 1873 we are not so poor as we
hink ourselves now, Another piece of
violence is furnished by the estimates OF
national income based on the returns.
Now the income tax returns have risen so
high as G579,00O,O00, and Lord Derby
thinks that the honest amount which
should come in for assessment is 600
millions. Beyond, the taxable, there is
the non-taxable product of labor, and,
putting the two together, it is calculated
that the gross amount would reach nearly
1900 millions sterling per annum. In
cluded in this there is the total derived
from foreign trade, and that is put at not
less than 140 millions of profit remaining
in English hands" These figures would
appear not to justify the lamentations
about the decay of trade exhibited in the
excess of imports over exports. There
are plenty of people who declare that the
countries they inhabit have reached the
climax Of their prosperity, and have en-
tered on stationary, if not downward,
phase in their career. Lord Derby does
not believe that England has attained the
stage when decadence begins. lie con-
fronts the enemy competition with cheer
full flce, and, admitting that the United
States is II formidable rival, he discerns
ground for hope, not despair, while us to
continental rivals, | have never" he
says, "been able to see what advantage
they have over England They want
what we possess-cheap iron, cheap coal,
capital, supply of trained workmen
which never fails, and. above all, free
labor. They spend large portion of their
wealth on soldiers, and military empires
will never be industrial rivals" You will
see by all this that Lord Derby is n states
IAN of robust faith in the industrial ST.
premacy of England.
should like to draw the attention of
those in America who have SO generously
subscribed to Mr.. Parnell's relief fund to
the fact that in many instances relief has
been refused to all who had paid their
rents, and ut one place a motion was pass
ell to the effect "that no one who had paid
his rent be entitled to succor." | do not
think that this can be in accordanre with
the wishes of the donors.
RICHMOND MARKET, Feb. 23.-The
market was active and prices higher.