New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-08-20
her real capacity. Her future in Mr.. Bonners
hands will be watched with widespread interest.
TBE hRHlTiNWENr or THE LORDS

THE ARHfT,iNWENT or THE LORDS.
The politica campaign proceeding in England
! Is notable chiefly for the fierce assaults which
! the Liberal speakers are making upon the
! House of Lords. or course there is cylRgera-
ton in many of these philippics, aud IL is un-
dcrstood that 1T bottom the Liberal programme
does not contemplate any very radical interfcr-
cncc with the Upper House. Mr.. Bright pro-
poses nothing more radical than a suspcn3iye
| yrto "A measure which some Liberal Journals
think insufficient But il does not always happen
that The pioneers Of political reform are able TO
limit or control the mo, cmcnl3 they originate.
History indeed contains many examples show
ing the tendency of all such movements To get
beyond control. The English revolt against
Charles the First is case In point and the
French Revolution IL another. Mirabcau Ger
tanly mover contemplated the possibility
of the Terror and the men who re-
sisted the payment Of ship-moncy did not
imagine that the agitation would end In rcgi-
eide. II Is true that The Lords have been tie
| nouncpd before. aud that they took no harm by
II. hut in that period. b fore the passage of
! the Reform bill, The situation was very dihcf-
emit Fifty years ago democracy had no voicr
IN England To-day II ia tho controlling fuitr !
and though II may be true that 40 me fpeeid-
| tr SAYS "the House IT Lords - alil dear 10
what Mf, nlsmnli used ~ call The historic con
| science Ot the great mass al tho people, II 10
not less iiur that for several years there has
been at work Ia England an influence tending
10 weaken this sentiment and that this hllu-
enCe is most active amOLg the largest class,
namely that Of the artisans and abOrers.
These have "A pres, of their own. press
often ably edited, and saglCiOusly, but charac-
terized by hostility to thcaristocracy scarcely
TO be paralccd for yiuence and intensity. Iii
through this radical press that the Liberal at
tacks on the Lords are being handed on to the
masses. 1t Is accompanied by its CLOSES that
snch biting arrdignmcnts as Mr.. Chambcrlain's.
for instance, will be read. And here is 4 spcci-
men of that speakers tone During the last
hundred years the House of Lords has never
contributed one iota to popular liberties or
popular freedom or done anything to advance
the common veal. and during that time it has
"protcctcd every abuse and sheltered every
"privilcgc. 1t las denied justice and
" delayed reform. 1t is irresponsible with
" out independence, obstinate without cOur-
cage, arbitrary without judgment, and
" arrogant without knowledge Mr.. BnShtS
Indictment of the Lords has been
equally vigorous if less epigrammatc. He
has described thatbody as "the rcsults-many of
them hcspawn Of the plumber and the wars and
the corruption of the dark age of our country
He has said that for thirty years, between the
peace Of 1919 and the repeal of the Corn Laws
in Is IS, "they raised their rents at a cost of
"periodic famine to hundreds of thousands OF
families; and now once more they are treating
" the House of Commons and the people with
" contempt and bitter insult
These speeches and others like them have
been delivered to immense audiences, and pub
lishcd everywhere Are they calculated to in
crease the favor with which the English masses
regard their hereditary legislators I