Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1880-03-10
Che frmmau.
England,

The declaration made on Monday by
Earl Beaconsfeld that parliament will be
dissolved on the Esd of this month brings
out sharply the differences Of popular
government as found in Great Britain and
the United States.
Here the two great parties are getting
ready three months beforehand for the
preliminary formation of their lines for
the contest coming in the fall. Then the
June conventions will be followed by five
months of hurrah and excitement-and 1t
will be fortunate if when November re-
turns are in there does not follow dispute
about the result of the contest.
Then too under our system the execu-
tive being elected for four years remains
in office till the end OF that period, no
matter if the country by its election of
national representatives declares that its
will is in favor of policy directly at va
rance with that of the president and his
advisers. Our plan has of course its great
advantages over the English one outside
the fact that our basis of suffrage is much
more popular than that of our neighbors
but some of their peculiarities are worth
attention.
Their upper house the people at large
have no power in directly. The accident OF
birth and the royal will control its men,
bership. The only way in which the
people of England can control it is by
virtue of sort of unwrtten law that
makes the house of lords yield when the
popular will is expressed in the lower
house so strongly as to show that it is
unsafe for the peers to stand in the way
of it.
The sovereign of England is supposed
to do what is advised by the ministry, and
to have as advisers men who represent the
will of the house of commons. So it has
once happened that when the lords stood
out against the commons it was under
stood that unless they yielded the king
would create new peers enough to make a
majority for the bill favored by the COM
mons. Rather than to have this done
enough peers opposed to the bill absented
themselves and the popular will was
triumphant. But such things as this are
possible only in IL great crisis and the
lords usually stand as great conservative
body moved with difficulty in the direction
oflarger powers for the masses of England,
When new parliament is called into
existence it endures seven years unless
sooner dissolved by the sovereign. The
full term Of seven years is rarely reached
however. On assembling a ministry is
formed that is in accord with the majority
controlling the house of commons. If
before the end Of seven years this minis
try finds itself in u minority on important
state questions it either yields to another
formed of those whose views represent
the will of the commons or obtains a dis
solution Of parliament and appeals to the
country in new election.
The coming dissolution is not from the
fact that the ministry of Earl Beaconsfeld
fails of support in the present parliament.
This body has been in existence something
more than six years and has less than a
year of life left to it in any case. The
present premier has been in office all this
six years and has now majority at his
back in the house of commons.
He simply chooses to have the election
for new house take place this spring
instead Of deferring it to the last of the
year. And he proposes TO have things
done up in short order. This parliament
will be dissolved the 23d, writs for new
election will issue at once and in the first
days of April most of the elections will be
held. The new parliament will doubtless
be convened in May and if either of the
great parties gets good majority of the
new house of commons the necessity for
another general election is probably done
away with for five or six years.
The time is well chosen by the premier
W luahe lnc dppehi W Ilc peoplo' hitSl
year his brilliant policy was under several
clouds but they have temporarily blown
away and late elections in Liverpool and
elsewhere have given the government en-.
enlargement that they can beat Gladstone
and his followers at the polls at the pres
ent time.
Beaconsticld Monday wrote letter tc
the Duke of Marlborough in which he
adroitly states the issue as he will have it
His plea is that the government has done
well for Ireland, that agtaters there wisl
to break up unity of feeling and actor
between the sections Of Great Britain
that the strength of the nation lies in it
imperial policy, in ruling with power it
great dependencies and bringing thc
power to sustain its own if need be: ant
that EnglanGs presence if not her ascend
ency in continental councils is necessar,
not only for the peace and well being o
other nations, but for her own good ant
glory.
Gladstone on the other hand advocate
more subdued policy and evidently re
CARDS Beaconsfield's course as putting
England into such career as that France
came TO grief in when " the glory O
France" was the motto that stirred the
blood of Frenchmen.
Which of the two chiefs will win in th
brief and sharp contest that is at hand i
to be seen. The queen likes Beaconsfelt
and dslikes Gladstone; the people ar
perhaps dazzled by the exaltation o
England's influence by the policy of tn,
government and we shall be somewha
surprised if sober sided Mr.. Gladstone an,
his homely principles come out victorious
And after all it is question whethe
Beaconsfeld's plans are not best for Eng
land in her present condition; and mucl
as he is denounced.as wanting in principl
his early writings show that when youue