New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-01-30

pOlitica situation for the week. Mail all
vices have pointed to Lord Hartington's
speech as the strongest appeal for coercion
made this session in the Commons, but the
Secretary for ireland seems to have opened
the debate with admirable lucidity and con-
summate tact. His position in the party is
steadily improving. If he succeeds in
forcing both a coercion bill and thor
oughgoing reform act through the Com
mons his influence will be nearly as
great as that of the Secretary for India. Mr..
GladstOne's ascendancy will never be ques-
toned. The Irish crisis has enabled him to
take q determined stand against the noisy
group of ObstructiOnists who brought the
proceedings of the recent Parliament into
disrepute. His brilliant success i'll the first
skirniish over the coercion acts will probably
be followed up this week.
A street-car conductors rights have been
yndicated in one of the local courts. lie had
beer required to deposit 500 with the COM
pany when he received his appointment, but
was not allowed to take up the deposit when
he retired from Its service. The contents of
the pledge which he signed he repeated from
| memory, and the company neglected to put
the paper in evidence. The result was
that he won the case, and Will
get his money with COSTS The
conductor appears before the public as per-
petual "suspect." and each company resorts
to mechanical devices and "sDotters" to pro-
tect itself against his predatory instincts. AT
the same time he has the humiliating sense
of inferiority to the driver, whose pay is
generally few cents a trip more than his.
A snall triumph like this decision may i'll
crease his self-esecm and knock a little OF
the personal degradation out of the bell
punch.
The most noticeable feature of the walking
match which has been brought to close
is the decline of public interest in such
contests. Thousands of spectators are still
attracted to the tan-bark arena and the bet
ting men never neglect an opportunity in their
line. but the result of each days tramp and
the final score no longer form the staple
of conversation for a single week, as they
have done in recent years when similar con-
tests have taken place. A disappointing cle-
ment of these trials of physical endur-
ance is the moral certainty that whoever
wins and whatever may be the best score,
somebody will turn up in few months who
will knock few more seconds out or the mile
and thus distance the new champion. The
hest record was OutdOne last week.
Another year and this in turn will be out
stripped. Why should the winner be COM
pllmrnted when everybody is convinced that
somebody else will do still better next year!
After every election the Democratic party
gather themselves together-so far as they
can-and ask each other mOurnfully why
it is that the country refuses to trust
them with the Government. One lit
tie incident in Fridays proceedings of
the House of Representatives may instruct
them little in the reason of the general
distrust of Democratic craftsmanship. Mr..
GO0le wanted the House to pass a claim of
less than $500, which the Republicans resisted
on the ground of disoyalIy i'll tine original
claimant WhereupOn Mr.. GoOde grew angry,
and said that if they were ready
to repuliate an honest debt let
"them tIke the responsibility, and look
"out for other debts owing 10y the Gov
"crnment." The fair inference was that Mr..
GoOde and his associates were ready, III re-
vengc, to repudiate other debts, and perhaps
the largest debt of all, simply to spite the
Republican party. The gentleman who NJ;
tered this foolish and wicked threat com
pares favorably with II large number
of his Democratic colleagues in the House.
1t is hardy strange that party made III of
men like tins finds it difficult TO gain control
of a great Government.