Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-10-17

10 recover from the shock experienced in
the spring OF 1880, it was indispensable that
the Conservatives should play a cIrcT1ru-
spect and waiting game, postponin0 actual
collision as long as this might be done
without hagrant sacrifice of principle.
ana choosing Tor the place Of conflict not
the House of Lords, where a victorv would
be barren and invidious, but the House of
Commons. Lord Salisbury, however, was
too impatient, self-willed and arrogant for
such a role, and he failed to command even
the confidence and obedience OF the Con-
servatIve msjoritY In the upper house. As
for the Conservative members Of the House
of Commons, whom Lord Beaconsheld, It
will be remembered, had no difficulty In
controlling from his seat among the peers,
they declined from the outset to recognize
Lord Salisbury's authority, and In
half-hearted, disorgsuized fashion
accepted the guidance of Sir Stat
ford Northcote The latter has
shown himself ludicrously Incompetent to
enforce party discipline; he has announced
no definite policy, but shifted his position
from day to day; and he has overlooked
opportunities of combination with disatfect-
ed Liberals which are not likely to soon
occur again. But his inefficiencY has never
been more signsllY demonstrated than in his
recent speech, in which he set his face
against the current Of popular enthusiasm,
and denounced the one achievement of the
Ministry which has strengthened 1t alike
with its own partisans and the community
at large.
The errors committed by the Conserva-
tives during the past two years are probably
irrepsrabie. The renewed prestige of the
Ministry, involving as it does a correspond
ing increase of subordination on the part Of
its adherents, renders it probable that Mr..
Gladstone will succeed in muZZling the op-
y,ocfkfor1 hu tho anfOroauoant of tba nlOenra
in the new session of Parliament which will
soon be opened. Then will come the assim-
ilation'of dthe county to the borough fran
chise-a reform which the Liberals
have been warned by their recent mar
row escapes from a new general
the bestowal of the parliamentary franchise
on the agricultural laborer upon conditions
no more onerous than those imposed on
artisans in towns, the last rampant OF Con-
servatism in Great Britain will be demolished.
This, however, is but one more step In the
march toward manhood suffrage to which
Great Britain is irresistiblY tending. It is
not to be expected that the British people,
once thoroughly impregnated with demo-
cratic principles, will tolerate the present
complicated and inequitable scheme of par
liamentary representation. They will
sweep away the many vestiges of class aud
local privileges In their electoral system,
and Will insist that they are quite as
worthy of manhood suffrage as the citi-
zens Of France or the subjects of the Ger
man empire. Such must be the final out
come of the electoral reforms which will be
presently begun by the equalization of the
county with the borough franchise; but
even the first step in the process must appa-
rently be fatal to the Conservative organiza-
ton which Mr.. Disraeli had the largest
share In framing. or course there will
always be in England a party which believes
In applying the brakes, as well as a party
which desires TO put on more steam. But
the Conservative party of our day, which
has endeavOred TO reconcile the interests of
the landed aristocracY and of the establish
ed church with popular aspirations, can
hardly be expected to survive further con-
cessions of political power to the demo-
cratic element. Thanks to Mr.. Gladstone,
two or three opportunities were offered Of
deferring the date Of its collapse, but these
have been thrown away, and the hour of
complete disintegration is probably close at
hand,