, 1881-04-13

As the House OF Commons and the country
are on the other side, the vote 10 Of no fnpor.
lance, except ia 80 far as it may be misinter'
prsted in Foreign States asia sign Of division oi
opinion. We have noticed the speeches Of Lord
Beaoonsneld and Lord Granville elsewhere,
and need only say here that Lord Cranbrooh
made a long speech of the blatant kind, which
does not resd So good 'as its audience thought
1t; and that the Duke Of Argyll spoke as we'll
as a man could speak who had previously
exhausted the whole subject. The result was
an almost strictly party vote, only Lords
Houghton, Waveney, and Brebourns deserving
the Liberals, while the Marquis Of Bath and
Lord Chelmsford voted with the Governme nt.
A party vote 10 the Lords is always, and
must always be, against Liberal policy, a fact
which, but that the Peers usually effac CO them.
selves on important subjects, would have
serious results. If such votes were often
given, the expediency of continuing q House
which can never be in accord with the people,
except when the people is in a momenta,y
mood of reaction, would become one of pfacti :
cal politics. At present, the Land Leaguers
Interest the universe more than the Lords.
1t looks very much as If the late Govern.
ment had made another unsupported Secret
Treaty with Russia. Mr.. Charles Marvin. In
his recent book on "Merv", declares that
euch q Treaty is 10 existence-signed on Nav
31st, 1S76-ani binds the Russian Government
never 10 extend the Russian frontier In Asia
Minor. Mr.. Errington questioned Sir Charles
Dixie about the matter On Thursday, and was
told that the statement quoted was not cor
rect;" but that the case concerned the late
Government, VIII "gave the explanations
which seemed to them at the time possible.n
He could " add nothing as to the confidential
communication between the late Government
and the Russian Government without authori-
ty from both parties.n Phat is not a denial.
and it may be supposed such an agreement
exists,-an interesting fact, when 1t 10 rsmem.
berec how bold and brave the late Government
was considered for guaranteeing Asia Minor.
The burglar having given hs word TO leave tho
house alone, the noble policeman s~ole.nnly
promised never to lsavs off watching the
door.
Prince BismGrCk has brought forward bls
long threatened pi.n for depriyinp the German
Parliament of its right to vote annual Budgets.
BY a Bill introduced on Tuesday, and support.
ed by all bis agents, the e~lsctions are made
quadrennlal, instead of t~rlenniai, and the Gov
ono "~J P'0PoSo ouuSobS tuI Two years.
and abstain from calling Parliament when no
Budget is to be voted. 1t il suggested that
Parliament may be called for other purposes,
but this is Inconsistent with the alleged object
of the Bill, which is to relieve the pressure on
Members who sit in both the German and the
Prussian representative bodies. The effect
will undoubtedly be to relieve Prince Bismarck
OF control, and the Liberals are resisting him
with all their energy. The balance of pow or
however, remains with the Centre, that is, the
Catholics, and their leader, Herr Windthorst,
announces that he shall support the Bill, az far
ss Budgets are concerned, though he wishes
Parliament to meet for other purposes. That
Is understood to be an offer to accept the whole
measure, If concessions are made about the
Falk Laws.
The French correspondents all report an
effort made by M. Gambetta to convince