Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-05-21

ENGLISH POLITICS THE NEW CAblNEr-9"ME
INTERESTING COMPARISONS.
LoNDoy, May 8, 1880.

ENGLISH POLITICS NEW CABINET-soME
INTERESTING COMPARISONS.
I.oxpoy, May 8. 1880.
A week after my last letter was mailed, 1t
became known that Lord lIarin.ton-whom
large number of careful and wcll-iniormed
politicians had anticipated would he the next
Premicr-had been asked by the Queen to
form cabinet, but felt unable To do so. lie
answered the Queens summons 10 Windsor
with true Democratic simplicity. He went
unattended, by an ordinary passenger train
from London; and instead of taking the
royal carriage which was awaiting him at the
railway station he preferred to walk to the
castle, although it was raining, and after his
audience with the Queen he walked back
again through the rain. This incident is not
deceptive; so thoroughly Democratic is the
man who, although not now AT the head oil
the English Government, must inevitably he
very soon and his character and power are
such that he cannot fail if he lives to lie re-
cognized and feared in theneSt three decades
as one of the two or three foremost statesmen
of Europe But with all the force of his
character and his Democratic principles, it is
recognized on all hands that the Liberal ma
iority was essentially Mr. Gladstone's, and
represented a strong Radical or Republican
leaning which Lord harrington has not yet
seen fit to avow.
The question, How long will the new gov
eminent continue? is largely dependent upon
Mr.. Gladstone's powers Of endurance for It's
answer. He has marvellous courage,-as
evincedby his taking upon himself the duties
of two of the most responsible Offices, and
marvellous strengths evInced by the
work he did in the late campaign, for man
already twclvc-month rast the allotted
three score years and ten; and so long as he
stands up under his burden, even Conserva-
tives are satisfied, their public representa-
tons to the contrary Notwithstanding, that
the new government will continue on to-
ward the extreme limit Of seven years. But
few men conld draw together, as Mr.. Glad
stone has done, a cabinet satisfactory to
everybody (but the Home Ruiers) from a
multitude of claimants who all had valid
claims and vet who held views as different
as old -fashioned Liberal and ultra Radical /;
and still fewer men could keep harmony IN
such a camp. Then, possibly, the new Pre-
mier may fail, although thus far there has
been decided determination apparent 10 do
what Convict Denis kearney urged upon
Massachusetts, voters in his harangucs two
years ago-''pool the issues"
In these hard-bread- and butter times man
looks with peculiar interest upon estimated
governmental expenditures, whether the fiss-
ures represent dollars and cents, or pounds.
shilipgs and pence If man is dissatisfied
with the expense of government, he may
oftentimes get at least satisfaction, if not
abatement, by comparing his own tax with
the burdens of others | do not mean TO say
that exact comparisons can be made between
the American and the English governments;
but they may be made approximately. The
Premier corresponds 10 our President, en-
cept that he is not called upon TO give levees,
nor in his official capacity to give note on
his banker to every worthy charity; and all
the pay he gets is a thank you'-it Is
doubtful if he always gets that. Whatever
pay he receives, he receives as minister do
ing service in department. Thus MIR.
Gladstone as Chancellor of the Exchequer has
an annual salary of $500 Gt is said that
his ''screw"-as Englshmen say in vulgar
pdrlance-for the two offices he has assumed
is S37, 500, which may be compared with
Mr.. Shermans salary as Secretary OF the
Treasury OF $4,000 year. 1t must he re-
membcred, however, that he and all the
other members of his cabinet take most
active part in legislative debates whereas
our cabinet officers, with whom they are
compared, do not (nominally, at least, have
any duties whatever to perform as regards
Congress Again, Earl Granville as Secre-
tary of State for Foreign Affairs may in Il
rough way be compared with Mr.. ESmt',
Secretary of State the annual salary OF the
former is S25, 900, of the latter $4,000. MIR.
Childcrs as Secretary OF State for War may
be compared with our Secretary of War; the
proportion subsists between the salaries of
these two officials AS in the last case. The
Earl of Northbrook, as First Lord Of the
Admiralty, may be compared with our Sec
retary of the Navy; the annual salary of the
former is So, 500, of the latter IS, 900. Sir
William Harcourt (he is half American, by
the way, having married the daughter OF the
historian Motley, as Secretary of State for the
Home Department, may be compared with
Mr. Schurz, as Secretary Of the Interior !;
the annual salary of the former Is S25, 900
and still the salary of the latter remains the
amount that has been fixed for each OF the
Cabinet ministers The English Attorney
General and Postmaster-General are not In
the Cabinet. But the Lord Chancellor, now
Lord Selborne, sits in the Cabinet. lie may
be compared with Chief Justice Waite; the
annual salary of the former is ST., OO0 of the
latter $40, 900. Besides the English Cabinet
officers that have mentioned, there are eight
others whose corresponding dulles In our
Government are performed citherby the heads
of departments already mentioned or by IN
ferior officers. We are led 10 the astound-
ing conclusion therefore, taking into account
the smaller expense OF living IN England,
that the highest officials OF the nited States
are paid salaries only about quarter as large
as the salaries paid the corresponding officials
in the English government. To he sure, the
expenses of these officials are greater than
the expenses of ours are, for they live in
greater state, but that is matter of choice
and not of positive necessity. Finally, 10
make a comparison where these tables arc
turned,-Sir Edward Thornton is paid an
annual salary of $4,000 TO represent the
English government suitably at the Ameri-
can capital, and James Russell Lowell is paid
little more than one-half that sum-SlI, 900
to represent the lnited States in London
With such figures before our eycs-rcmem-
bcriny, too, that John Bulls little ornament
known as Royal Family costs, exclusive Of
the expense of keeping the royal estates in
repair, 81 426, 695 Il year, whereas thousands
of competent men in the United States are
willing TO he President for $50, 900 Il year
the burden Of supporting the heads of our
government seems light as mir. ! almost
wonder sometimes if ii would not be as well
to make them rs light rs ether, or else 10
make them worthy the dignity of the stars
anil stripes.
While Englishmen are watching intcntly
the man who now, probably. more than ever
the Earl of Bcaconstrd feels like stigmatizing
rs IAN unsophisiicatcd rhetorlcian, iAebrlated
with the cxuberancc of his own vcrbosity,
two incidents of some note have come TO
light in the preliminaries. by ignoring the
Claims of Mr. Goschen and MIR. Travilyan,
the two most distinguished advocates Of
freehold qualifications for county suffrage,
the new government has asserted that that
innovation, if ii comes AT ALL will have TO
grow in public sympathy first. The other
incident is Mr. Bradlaugh's request To he adj
mitted to the House of Commons by AN al
tirmation instead Of by oath. by applica-
ton of u Quaker, Mr.. Pcasc, and later OF Il
Jew, Mr. f. Rothschild, change in the form
of oath was made 50 as 10 admit even others
than Christians; now it appears probable
that another innovation will he made and n
man will be admitted who denies that there
is any supernatural power in the universe.
H. 5. b.
"DEMINa," the the intelligent correspond
ont nf TIM Rostnn I,uruH in his letter of