, 1881-08-28
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.

the rocks.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES.
:.nrit,~l, Tory Croo.<cr-rhc Eradlau:h
Affair." srreprc>*'hlc ,Ir. f'arncti, and
the English Land Lcns.le-SufeIy In
tile lnisc.t States.
fru's Jennin7s' Letter..
LONDON, Aug. 4-trherc is u great and
natural reluctance un the part of many per-
soliS to admit that we are Iiviu. III reyo!,l-
tlonaEy age, but they are obliged 10 confess
that It Is becoming Il somewhat turbulent QUE
The ''sisns of the timcs" are just now Civ
!ll- MUCH encouragement to those who be-
lIcyc. or persuade themselves thu: they be-
lieve, that social disorder can never raise its
l,cad in England. The Bradlaugtl affair may
be, Us the 1iMIS seems to think. utterly i'll
significant from personal punt uf view, but
the readiness wilt which large numbers Of
the pupslace stream forth to the support ut
anybody who is lnolncntarily in the position
Ut m opponent of law, orticr, and authority
is no: Dy any means nh Insignificant matter.
Far Mr.. Bradlaugh tile mob cares but little; it
knows nothing Of hin, except that he is all
tagonistic to the 'powers that be- aud that
Ii all that is necessary to know. III the saIno
way the late Dr.. keuealy was the idol Of tla
populace for time, hut liz had far less
plausabie cause to base All agitation upon
than Mr. ErNllaush. What the people"
want Is some one to represent the principle
which is autagultlstie to authority, or, rs u
more fr1nk statement would pitt it, to the es-
tabllslled institutions Of the lalnl. lii former
days this spirit w;ls .ascflt>td to the existence
Ut Injustice and oppression, hut since ISL
successive Governments, and the Ltber.sl
party especially, have been pretty constantly
engaged in rctl!e5stng grievances and max
in@ Concessions nf yarions kinds, every une
Ut which IN its turn wis warranted
10 eStinsulsh tho l1st s1noiderinE
it all is that it never was easier than
1t is to-day to get {. mob together to 'larc,''
against anything sou please, and the Rad
lc:!ls having ruled that any exercise OF law
ever may be demanded. These things being
st', there is 4 1ulcrtbly strong induceinenI
offered to men like Mr., I'arne[t on one side
of the Channcl, aud Mr.. HradlanGn OIL the
without much fear OF the consequences. I
To not intend to trouble your readers with
any remarks on the BraItaush bnsincss,-nd
doubt you will hive laid all the fucts before
thelll, and told them all that they wished tG
hear on The subject: How the difficulty will
end it is impossible to say, but it must bo
toerahiy clear tn everybody that we shall not
SEE an emu to it before very serious eyenta
have happened. 'flla scene Of Wednesday,
lust was the beginning, anu net the end oi
the drama.
Then there is Mr. Parne1l Mr. Gladstone
thinks that he has suppressed the chief o.
the llolAe-lsncrs, but III the very moment Of
ffct4 fe 1% lis 9 b 'ap tpous ws" a L IoWs nas
itous: and got Mr.. Tarnell suspended tht
second time, tho agItator COMES forth with
renewed declaration Of war. Not onty. ME
parncil, but the Land League US Il body haW
r1Hf
to the nation that Mr.. GIadstone's ''l'anacca,A n
on which he las induced Parliament to ex.
pend an entire session, Is not even to be 40
cepted as l. temporary sop, but must 0t
istence. BY and by it will By said it was al
because of the amendments introduced by TIT
Lords that the bitt faiied to pacfy lreiant.-
Us fail it issuredly will; but on the I'd OF An
gust. before sl1lgle amendment nat oven beel
moved, the L:uld League issued its new d.
1lnnce- The League, 1t may Dt said, Is com.
posed only Of extremists. LII answer to thas
we have the uranswerab1e fact before Us :
that Mr.. Gladstone $ bill wts produced solely
by the agitlllon and claltor which this very
Leaeuc got l1p. LII tie face OF TINT, no QUE
c;.n ridcule the Irish Land League without
at the same time ridlcnlsa@ Mr. Gfadstone's
pretensi0ns to he ranked Us Il great states
Wln.
Then there is the English Land Leasue-a
body which Is comparatively little heard OF
ut present, and which is not even united in
one compact organization. 1t is formed
partly OF :. society which Is very active in all
paf1s Of the country, nj ad which = eno"
to obtain a revision of land laws;
The real object, to secure a division
Of the land, Many people seem to suppose
attacks anybody but all 1risflnar. They
will perceive their mistake before many
years are over. Mkt session Mr.. Gladstone
will Introduce the first measure. Of 4 series
for the alteration of Tic laws relating to land.
well kuuwu that be is eager for the work, SO
that lie is not likely to fall short Of his pronl-
ises. Atr. Gladstone was not Il young maj,
when he entered the field as u reforlner, but.
Ills best 10 make UP by zeal for time lost in
years gune by And wllcn his hand no longer
guides tho work there will By other great
minds To direct it,-Ar. Chamberlain,
Sir Z. Dixie, Alr. Treyclyan, and Mr. Brad
lnugi,.' They may mot POSSESS Mr. Glad
stones eitaucnce, hut they equal him III Il
hearty desire to raise t,p Ill altogether new
England before the close Ut the nineteenth
century.
Ii, then. we must not say with the Quar-
crlU Iterie'O That this is a revolutionary Pc
.iuti we may ut least admit that it is ln unset
led one, and that perhaps the feeling which
y now becu,nlng 50 general among peopla
sho have any property at stake il not alto
sctier surprising Or unnaturaf,- feeling,
latncl;, tl;lt it would be :. most excellent
hing for them il they ami their interests
could BIT transferred butiily to the United
states. There is IL very widespread belief
hat order Is more secure there now thun it
$ here. or in'lec.l in any part of Europe; that
1ll;ltl cal1 with greater certainty count Oh
,ei1lS protected III the enjoyment Of anything
Shl.:l he ulay have earned or accumulated.
ro be sure, Internal machines a1e nlale In
lle United States, hui they dD not appear to
" intended for hol1e use. Thirty years or
% ago people used to wonder who and what
III - American really WIS Now they ara
more than half inclined tt wish that they had
themselves been bora tit America
HOPELESS.