New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1881-05-12
TJEXIRILTTY or PdRTTSA NSITIP.

IL may not he becoming Tor Americans I'd ANA
lyze the functions of political criticism IN Eng
land Since Mr. DickcDSs first voyage across
the Atlantic his countrymcn have accepted with
An afiectlti0n of horror his structures upon
American politics and journalism Every roam
ing Blit0n who SCOUTS the country, notebook IN
hand. ocling the women and spying out the in
stitutions, devotes one of the strongest chapters
of the volume of impressions published after
his return to the craftsmanship and scurriity of
the Press. How many solemn lectures have
been read 10 orr people by The Saturday HtricT
on the degradation of our journalism the crudI-
ties of our institutions, and the anomalous con
,liion Of orr politics! II must I've, then. with
dclibcration and natural reserve that the ten
dcncic, of English public thought are watched
from II quarter where political criticism bears
the rcpr"ach of being ill-inGormcd and unscicn-
tiiic. When. for example We are startled by
sudden transitions from un.parng dcnunciltion
to cxtravagant culogy in the critical estimates
of the leading statesmen of Westminster, it may
he. discreet To rcprc-s vulgar feeling of
ama1rmcnt II may br more jUdicionS to adj
rnrt the elasticity of political sentiment
which vilIatcs 80 rapidly from one extreme 10
the Other.
Mr.. Glad,ton,,s reputation. II is not necessary
tn 20 back to 1874. when be was denounced by
friend aud foe for his indiscrrtion in making IN
abrupt ;s,pcal to the people after period OF
hara. ing legislation, and for his d~l"yalty III
rcnouncing the leadership of his party IN the
crisis Of defeat; nor even Ia 1878. when III
eloquent pleas in behalf of the Christians al
European Turkey bad spent their force, when
street mob had offered him a llagr;Int insult and
even the sobcrcSt of the conservative Journals
spoke Of him conirmptuously H. vain babblcr
"A restless marplot, an interruptions dcnagoSnr
and an c,il -minlcd intrigucr, and when all
London laughed in il, sleeve over Lord Bca-
con~ii,lds @sophistical rhetoricdn incbrldtcd
with the cxubcrancc Of his own vrrboNity.
Only twrly cmontl ago. when the frenzy of the
Oriental niatuaions was over and reason had
resumed its sway. he was bcratcd Tor going on
"a vulgar stumping tour and talking his con
stitnrnts to death like "A fanhcc Congressman.
He WAS lampooncl for his ccasrrSs chatter and
ofatorcal foIics. His speeches in Midlothian
were characterized ~ the rawlings OF "A volublc
fanaiic-thc swash of mounubanS defamation.
Even when the voice of the constituents thun-
d,r,d ont their approval of his course partisan
rarrnr was not silrnccd. The triumph of the
Liberal, va. followed by al intrigue 10 keep
the leader who had given the signal for the po-
liliral revolution in retirement and disgrace,
and when be resumed his rightiul relations to
his party his letter to the Austrian Court, his
Catholic appointments and his legislative meas
mes and foreign policy were criticised 10y his
pnlitlcal opponents with un>parinS severity.
Hatred and dctcstation of Mr.. Gladstone were
brrathrd out with passionate carncSln's7 IN
every issue of jonrnalS like TIE ~. James,
Gd.cffc. and the whole Conservative press was
at times fairly contained with PARTISAN zeal ami
nnlitiral resentment. Yet when the statesman
wa, stricken down from oycrwork and the III
ton Wa, brought face to face with the appalling
prospect of his death. what sudden change
was wrought in public sentiment, Partisan
shin swallowed its rbad irstS and opprobrI"u1
cuithcts. and confessed that he was the most
necessary man in England and that his loss
would be- simply irrrparablc. A hush of breath
less expectancy followed. EuloErs took the
Mace of sncers and dcnuncations in the Con
scrvativc journals, and all the world knows
flat if the Premier had not been spared both
polticl parties aud all sorts and conditions OF
men would have united in lamcnting the loss
of the greatest Englishman of the century.
The cmlogics which have followed Lord Bea-
consfcld to the grave o0cr IA striking an Illus
tration of the ncNibility of public OPINION rs
the one already given. We venture to say that
no American statesman has ever been pursued
with more relentless part Sinship OF more cab'-
tic ridcule than the son OF Isaac Dsracl,
uh,sr very name became stock joke in Eng
fish politics Carcaturc lent its aid to satire
Week after week these many years TcnnIcl has
brought that well known face, with It's subtle
ties Of expression, before the eyes of pubic
that was easily amused because from force oil
habit il refused to think seriously of the man.
Even in his palmicst days, when he was Her
M,csty's favorite Minister and seemed to have
behind him the mass of the nation AZ well rs q
compact majority in the Commons, he was ridi-
culed and denounced IA never before. Party
preiudice never was guilty of greater excessos
Ills foreign policy was condemned as I'M Eng
fish in every respect lie was held up to the
pubc as a conjurer and mountebank Lib
eral editor wrote a series of essays under the
contemptuOus title OF @Political Adventures OF
Lord Beaconsfeld," and with one consent tho
Opposition orators charged him with treating
Parliament with disrespect and neglect, with
working all manner of mischief in the dark,
with degrading England in Europe and wasting
the resources of the Empire in the pursuit of
pbantoms. The bal, full influence of the leader
and the dangort us tendencies of his policy
were recognized by those who challenged the
whole course of his Administration. Yet
twclvemonth after the general election, when
those savage criticisms were sustained by the
verdict of eleven ont of every twenty votes,
Lord Bcaconsfleld's end stirs the generous
pulses of Liberals and Conservatives alike.
Death has not changed the essential facts Of