New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1880-05-24
THE NEW BRITISH MINISTRY.
IT'S FIRST BLUNDERs AND MIsHAPs.

ITS FIRST BLUNDERS AND MISHAPS.
THE TORIES ExuLTING AT Mr.. GLADsToNE's AFoLo'
GETIC LETTER-Hs OWN OPINION OF IT-MR.
FAwCETl's RETRACTIoN - SIR WILLIAM HAIR
COURTS DEFEAT-IIPRUDENT INTERVIEWS.
IFRoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE TRIBUNE.l
LONDON, May 13.-The best friends of the Gov
ernment shaking their heads over the events OF
the last few days; its enemies are exulting; the
neutral public is puzzled. Mr.. Fawcetts grave
charge against the late Ministry heedlessly made
and compulsorly retracted; Sir William HarcOurt's
defeat at Oxford; Mr. Gladstones amazing letter to
Count Karolyi-these three incidents occurring
within three days have seriously damaged for the
moment tho prestige of Ministry which only
fortnight before took office amid chorus of popular
applause and the silent discontinue OF its Oppo-
nents 1t is anything but q good beginning The
impression may presently wear of, and doubtless
will, but certain amount of mischief has been
done which cannot easily be repaired. For one
thing these checks to the Government have In
spirited its adversaTes who are lifting their heads
once more. The shrll note of that young chan
ticeer, Lord George Hamilton, is heard again, and
there are signs of active disturbance in the House OF
Commons.
Only last Saturday telegraphed you, on what l
thought aud still think, sufficient authority, that
the Tory gossip about demand upon Mr. Gladstone
and an apology extracted from him was not true
that the contrary true, and that Mr. Gladstone
had in fact refused to apologize Since then you
have had his letter to Count Karolyi, which you
probably thought somewhat inconsistent with my
statement. thought it, and still think it, not only
inconsistent but rrecOncilabe with that statement.
Yet am able to say that Mr.. Gladstone adheres to
his view; that he does not consider his letter an
apology and that he is OF opinion that it Is he and
not Count KarOy nor the Emperor, nor the Ans
trian Government. who out of this controversy
triumphant II is enough to mako one doubt the
evidence Of ones eyes and ears. need not recaDt-
ulate the terms of the Karolyi letter. They are
familiar to you. can only say that when read 1t
thought there was only too much justification for
the Tory Outcry. and for the general feeling that
the Prime Minister of England had put his country
in position of some humiliation The Liberals
whom have talked with admit souOwfully that
the letter is open to this hostile Interpretation of it,
The Continental papers treat it as q surrender.
Continental statesmen are inferring-much too
hasily-that it marks tho of that period
which they we're wont to describe as the efIaccment
of England in European affairs The tclegraphic
columns of tho London papers arc filed with dis
patches In this sense ] may assume that you have
had your share OF intelligence Of this kind also,
Tho explanation is this: Mr.. Gladstone has
made the mistake of treating one Of the points at
issue between himself and Austria rs If the dispute
were personal. He has written such letter as he
or any other hgh-spirited man might write TO
another Of equal or superior Tauk HON he had OF
fended-and to whom he bad imputed remark
which in fact, he never made. lie certainly does
apologize for his mistake and apologies in terms
somewhat more profuse than most men would care
to use. Tho Prime Minister is too much the private
gentleman. The humility of the Christian mingles
al 1rty of fhp Of honor. Iut Mr.,
Gladstone PAYS little heed either to the personal
side Of the misundcrstauding-bcyO a frank ac-
kuowlcdgmcnt Of error-or 10 the worldly view
sure to bc taken Of his conduct. What weighed
upon his mind was the great political question Mt
issue the attitude of Austria with respect TO tho
Balkan Peninsula and tho nationalites in whose
behalf he uttered tho memorable warning to Aus
tria-" Hands OIL" He has deeply at heart the
wclfatc Of the political future of those oppressed
populations. He was possessed with fear that
they were to be handed over to the tender mercies
of Austrian rule AS to the result OF his interviews
with Count KarOlyi, he has succeeded In extracting
from him n specific, explicit declaration that Aus
tria has no wish nor intention of going beyond the
lines laid down for her the Berlin Treaty He be-
lieyes he has insured tho ultimate independence OF
the Balkans-that he has at any rate forced Austria
to put on record before Europe pledge that she has
no designs upon that independence That is why he
looks upon this whole business not merely with
satisfaction but with exultaton.
In his view as TO the extent of the concession OBJ
tained from Austria be is doubtless right. In his
Wow Of tho value of such pledge he may not be
equally right Austria has made pledges before
now. and broken them. But what Mr. Gladstone
did not apparently take into account is the anger
sure to be produced at homo by his attitude of pub
lie penitencc, and the opinion OF the Continent
upon that attitude. IIe knows very well what has
been thought and said by Prince Bismarck and by
many lesser men about his foreign policy. lie would
have done we'll to avoid giving any pretext for the
repetition of such remarks. Ii is an open question
whether the Austrian pledge is worth what 1t cost
for the cost Is nothing less than the revival OF the
notion that England under Mr.. Gladstone is less
important factor in European politics than she was
under Lord BeacOnsfcd. The notion is a wrong
notion but it's absurdIty does not prevent 1t from
being mischievOus
Mr.. Fawcett's bunder is only to be condOned by
bearing in mind his physical infrmity. 1t is mis-
fortune on every side. Before he spoke, tho Tories
were in utter distress and perpexity about the
Indian deficit They had no defence. There was
no question that gigantic blunder had been COM
mitted that the expenses of tho Afghan war had
boon underestimated to the extent of four millions
storling and that tho accounts of Indian finance
~, tbc strength of which the burden of tho Afghan
,yor Ind been thrown by the late Government on
Indian shoulders were false and misleading Mr..
Fawcett Thought he had got hold of a telegram from
India which proved that the Tory Ministry
bccoIne aware Of the mistake before the
elections. and had concealed it from the