New-York tribune., 1880-04-04
THE BRITISH CAMPAIGN.
THE PROGRESS OF THE CANVASS.


GREAT LIBERAL VICTORY.
The circumstances which led to the dissolution
of the British Parliament, the state of public
feeling which succeeded the announcement of
an approaching general election, with some in
cidents of the canvass, are referred to in the
London letters appended They form, in con-
nection with the current news, q key to the
| political situation in the United Kingdom.
THE DISSOLUTION OF PARLIAMENT.
SECRET WELL KEPT-THE FAILURE OF THE
WATER BILL THE PROBABLE CAUSE or THE
| D1ssOLUTION-THE SPIRIT AND TIE HOPES WITH
WHICH THE LIBERALS BEGAN 1HE CAMPAIGN.
lFROM A SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRBUyEl
| LONDON March 1O.-Never was q secret better
| kept than that of the dissolution. There is no
reason to think that anybody outside of the Cabinet
knew it till Sir Stafford NorthcOtc rose to announce
| it on Monday afternoon in tho House Of Commons.
That it was coming, that it might be near, that it
would probably be not later than Whitsuntde.
many men knew, or thought they knew. But the
actual date WAS profoundly unknown, although, as
now appears the decision must have been taken
! last Saturday; must have been because the QHeens
assent to the scheme necessary, and 10 Minister
| has been to Windsor and had audience of Her
Majesty since Saturday when Lord Cranbrook
went down. 1t is doubtful whether even tho
| Tory whips knew it, 1t is certain the
Liberal Whips did not; and there is kind of
| understanding between the whips on both sides that
there shall be sharp practice III such matters.
| When the announcement was made, Mr.. Adam
away III Scotland. He has been i'll and was recruit
! ing. Lord Harrington was also out Of town. Mr.
Adam came back yesterday and was at work at the
Liberal headquarters from in tho morning till
| know not what hour OF last night He is one OF
those men to whom sudden call to laborious and
harassing duties acts rs tonic. So incessant had
| been the preparations of the Liberal managers,
however, that the dissolution finds them with their
work well in hand. Said one of them last night:
"When Mr.. Gladstone dissolved over night, in 1874,
we had hardly anything ready hardly borough IN
| order where a new candidate was to stand. Now,
| we have most of our men selected and by the end
| OF the week we shall be in fighting order" And
hear that Mr.. Adam, as his days service drew TO
close and favorable accounts poured in from every
corner of the Kingdom. remarked; Upon my
honor if we don't take care we are likely TO come
IN with majority"
But what provoked this sudden decision of Lord
Beaconsfeld1 For he it is who took this, as he
takes all other decisions of kind peculiarly mo-
mentous to his party to the country over which
he rules. Without pretending to fathOm the
mysteries of that mind, NAV say it is tolerably
clear that the ignominious failure Of the MetrOpo-
tan Water bill was the immediate occasion of the
dissolution. This again the irony of fate. The |
Minister who came in with proclamation that |
sanitary legislation was what this country most
needed at home goes out because his Cabinet lacked
the business capacity to make bargain for supply
ing London with water. 1t is tolcrably clear. als0
that fortnight ago they meant TO make stalking
horse of obstruction and that Sir Stafford North
cotes sfeeble proposal for supprcsSng obstruction was
intended as basis for appeal to the country As
you heard at tho time this pretty purpose was baked
bv the cleyerness and honesty of the Liberals, and
by their perversity in declining to walk into the
snare laid for them. Lord BeacOnsfeld's address |
was manifesty composed for state of affairs which
does not exist-for n state of affairs in which OBJ
structon should be running riot and Lord Harting-
ton making himself the tool of Mr. Biggar. Alb
surd as that seems. it was counted on. Close
upon tie collapse Of the scheme for such
q tableau, came the outbreak against Mr.
Cross's not less absurd scheme for buying up
the water companies at q price nearly
double the value of their actual property. The
Water bill proved too gross for Tory digestion. 1t
could not be passed. To allow it to be defeated, or
to withdraw it, would have been alike fatal. There
remained only the of dissolving the House,
which, after six years of subservence to every Min
isterial caprice, revolted against attempt upon
its pocket The bill will hardly he heard of again.
but it has played great part in this crisis that
may relate here an incident which befel last week.
two days after the terms of the measure had be-
come known met In Pail Mall stock broker in
a very large way of business. Said he, abruptly:
"What is the name Of that man in your country
who got away from the sheriff on tie staircase of
his own house 7" "You mean Tweed ~ Yes
Tweed He is dead, is he mott" eyes. he is dead"
." 1t is well for him that he is dead" rejoined
my friend; he would have died of shame at see
ing his biggest swindle outdone. He never cons
tn hia nte pfp afp |
And he went on to give figures and facts of suff-
ciently appalling kind. They have become daily
more appalling and the speculation in water shares
to which the bill gave rise has risen to height
seldom paralleled In the City, and mon have been
enriched and other men have been runeds and a
feeling has sprung up against the Government
which expresses itself in very strong words indeed.
Two things believe are true that Ministers were
warned that if they pressed the scheme they would
lose every Metropolitan seat and that " Cave
was forming in the House af Commons peOpled by
all the most independent Tory members, resolved to
defeat the measure at all hazards.
1t is characteristic of Lord Beaconsfeld that not
finding a convenient occasion for appealing to the
country he should have made He has been
waiting for o striking success; he seizes upon O.
disaster. Long since he announced his belief that
this country is governed by words True to his
theory he has strung together a number of
sonorous phrases which are made to do duty in
place of the missing facts. have heard his mani
festo described as a piece of brilliant impudence.
With great skill he has put before the country the
two propositions on which he invites the constitu-
encies to condemn his opponents end .eturn an
other Tory majority. Lord Beaconsfeld suggests
that the Liberals are guilty of wishing to dsmem-
ber the Empire, and that he himself and !
be only, is capable of preserving it and {
,f insuring to England ascendancy in !
The councils of Europe. and of maintaining peace
With honor He avoids direct accusation. and