New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-07-23


for no other, and would not have any other. nor
DOES the candidate need to be resident among them
or even have previous acquaintance with them.
He may he n total stranger of unknown antece-
dents. brought from some distant part OF the
country-London or elsewhere-his FIRST lntroduc-
ton to his constituency that is to be. gwen nm by
the local lawyer who acts as his elecuoheerng
agent often only few days before the election
But the lawyer himself has been previously made
acquainted with his legislative capabilities by nav
ing heard the jingle Of his gold. This COM
muncated to the covetous constituency has mar
veous almost magical eject, and presto! the I'M
known Plutus. who may be the vericst advcnturer'
becomes Of the Senatorial gIandees OF the g'e"'
British Empire, on which the sun never sets!
A man without money, or of only moderate
means, entering Parliament. is a thing never
thought of. Such man never thinks OF IL hiin
self; whatever his self-knowedge OF fitness or his
ambition may be; and no more, however III o'n'lS
NAV deem him. Even the preliminary expenses VA
election are sufficiently deterrent; ana wha' ini''
accrue after whether elected or rejected VIII i"'
impoyerish if not totally ruin him. for Il pun "D
therefore, aspiring to Parliament the coe' w..
absolutely prolIbitive; and the lie" sum o'
thither are only eccentric eXceptlohS' ""oSo Hi'
and admirers have stood sponsors lor 'nci"' ~
fool ing the bill. .
HOUec COiiI'''N
vere the verlest burlesQue to speak OF it as pre-
sentative assembly. In numbers 1t has enough Ill"
70 snare. but in all else deficiency and | venture
the affirmation that if the names of the first
,housand men met promenadng the streets oil
London were written upon slips of paper, thrown
ipto a lat and go OF them drawn out again ~
blind lottery they would lie found quite az Ill legiS
latOrs as the elect of st. Stephens Perhaps oc''of
fit for allowing them only the fair average OF non
estv and capacty it is not likely there would be as
many numbskulls and political empires among
them; certainly there could not be more
In serious truth the Parliament of england. az at
present constituted, represents not the EhgliSh
people in any way worth their being represented.
And Just for this reason is 1t all but poWeress; as
the Crown and it's secret advisers thoroughly well
know. Indeed its action is almost as mythleal aS
its imaginary representation In proof OF 'hl'
many events OF daily occurrence might De au-
duced: but none better demonstrating it than the
vacaries of the late Lord BeacOnsfeld: "ho, as
Prime Minister for matter of six years ruled the
realm rs though Parliament had been swept out Oh
existence With the Crown at his PACK anu mum
ing else ne declared wars and levied armies 10
wage them: ordered troops to be transported from
India 10 Malta and back again; decreed an TO- 4
sion of AfghanIstan which. commencing Wlth us
honor ended IN disgrace; did The same in southern
Africa with like resuIts-all merely to eXalt hmse
and crafty the vangloIv of the god JlngD-'thaV
malcvolent divinity too oft presiding over 'ho
dest,njes Of England And all this murderous,
wasteful work was done without the authority oil
Parliament. or warning given to It, even so much
as saving with your leave" When done Parlia-
ment was merely asked . pay the bill, or rather
der anded to do So since it could not well be re-
undated The extravagant expenditure, not yet
paid Dor fully audited las cost the nation some
$40. 600 900 sterling; sacrifice that VIII prlhS
retributIon for the wrongs done, if not l'lniiia-
ton And its bancfu effects will hang like
milestone around Fngand's neck for the next half
century Of her existence
In point of fact the English Parliament, even
allowing it to he far representation of he people
instead of feeble one, is inirusted with only
portion of the national lav-making n large slice
of If emonat1ng from Privy Council; in other
words direct from the Crown. This permanent
authority is endowed with all the three powers OF
coverrment-iudiciai and executive as well az
laoislotive-and can issue DEGREES or edcts, many
of them relating to most important matters. They
orn sunnoed 10 need Endorsement by the Parliament
before Incoming law; but there is a very loose
construction put urOn this leave. when Is olteh
forestalled and usually taken Tor grahtcd. me
people accustomed to be ruled by somebody above
them never call those DEGREES into question, bnt
look upon them as having all the lorec OF law
To them the Privy Council is mysterious bnt
potential entity, Of which they must not speak. CT
orlr with hated breath If disposed to complain OF
its action, they know it to be an irresponsible
power, far above and beyond the reach of their
voices.
A result of all Insists natural and logical
seouence-is the Indifference OF the English people
t. exercising the fTanchise-a very apathy. FOR
what interest can man have in voting. with the
copviction hat his vote is not worth the casting
For # is not worth casting IN England, at least as
regards her Parliament and were this dissolved
TO morrow and permanently, IL would not be
greatly missed
So once more repeat my assertion with the hope
that have justified it, saying; If ever there was
myth or miscou cepion in the world. it is that OF
Encland's having a representative form Of govern
meut Nor fear l to add that one nearer the oppo-
site could not well be contryed or imagined short
OF AbsOutism itself