New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-09
LORD SALISBURY on AMERICAN INSTI-
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Lord Salisburys article entitled Disintcgra-
ton" in The Quarterly RerieW has produced a
certain sensation both in England and on the
Continent, both on account of its bitterness and
the audacity of its charges and suggestions. 1t
appears to have been written in one OF those
moods of irritatcd disgust which at times impcl
public men to profess the abandonment of hope
for their country. Lord Salisbury declares in
effect that England is going to the demnition
bOw-wOws ;' that the monarchy has become
virtually superseded by the House of Com
mons and that the latter is by its folly about
to preciptatc dsintegration,' not only in poll
ties but in society. One is reminded by the
noble lords dcnunciations Of the kind of talk
which was held when Sir Leicester DedlOck
called family council at ChcSney Void TO take
measures for the salvation of the country.
But Lord Salisbury is not satisfied with
prOphcSying woe in this manner. In the fierce
ness of his wrath hc turns to the United States,
and regardless of the implications of his
ayowal declares that the great Republic pos
scsses a more stable Government than that of
England. The Americans, he observes, no
doubt with a lively sense of the growing in
frmitics of the House of Lords, have a real
NttOlll fllUUbGI With hdi'N w 'NN' my iii''
also. he point. ont President who darcs to
veto, and Supreme Court which can arrest any
legislation infringing the obligation of con
tract In short, Lord Salisbury is disposed to
think that the United States Government is
safer" than that of England and that i'll
many respects ii is n better system. What
makes this criticism peculiar is the fact that it
is the criticism of a noble who can only be sup
posed to detest the whole theory of democratic
government, and who is raging against his po-
litcal opponents mainly because he fears that
the policy they arc pursuing will dcmocratizc
England There Is of course no safety for his
order III In" idea of the American second cham
Der. II may be that England will some day
COPY orr Senate. but before that can happen the
doctrine of hereditary legislators will have to be
discarded. and of course such a step implies
even more radical disintcgratiOn than Lord
Salisbury now apprehends. II is indeed curious
that his lordship's intense hatred of English
democracy should almost lead him TO throw
himself into the arms of American democracy.
For if he really believes that American institu-
tons are safer" than those of his own country,
it i manifest that he ought to be found in the
ranks of the Radicals whom he aSSails instead
of thus leading the forlorn hope of the Tories
II is 10 be hoped. however that in what he says
of our Supreme Court there is no intention to be
ironical For, while il is certainly true that the
tribunal referred To can arrest any legislation
the obligation of contract the eX-
pcricnce of the past ten years seems to render 1t
questionable whether the will of the court in
that direction is equal to its jurisdiction. In
deed good many Americans have lattcrly come
TO ask themselves whether in view of recent SUI
prcmc Court decisions. there remain any contract
obligations which any one is bound to respect
Perhaps Lord Salisbury does not understand
this, and is quite serious in what he says. But in
any case there is no justification for the abuse
lrycllci r. him because he has had the tcmerity
10 - look abroad" for examples. The Spectator,
for instance, observes that he is "by no means
typical Engishman.' because of this. 1t might
therefore be concluded that the typical Eng
lishman" never ventures TO lift his gaze from
the Ark of his own political covenant. Yet the
English press is never weary of gliding at the
French cOnccit which finds nothing deserving
observation or imitation outside France, ana
the same English press has always manifested
hn,tcrcd complaccncy when American speakers
Dr writers have praised the institutions OF Great
Britain.
But Lord Salisbury'5 remarks upon the
United States may be commended to those
Americans who think it an evidence of superior
sense to dcprcciatc their own country. 1t Is not
that the absolute sincerity of the re-
marks ,h,uld b, po>tulatcd. So far IA they are
true. the force OF the argument is not weakened
bv any considerations OF the inspiring motive.
We have in fact an almost involuntary testimo-
NAL to the supposed wisdom OF our govern
mental system, in The Quarterly article, and
what makes it more interesting is that it is the
expression of one who is of necessity from his
position and education opposed to democracy in
all its forms.
CHANGES IN COMMERCE.
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