New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-05-08
dvOTHER VOTE or CEySUPE.

ANOTHER TOIE or CENSCHL.
The Gladstone Ministry are mastering their
followers for a second critical division .on a
direct vote of censuYe. The new resolution
moved by Sir Michael Hicks Beach expresses
regret that the policy of the Government has
not promoted the success of General GOrdon's
mission and that steps have not been taken to
secure his personal safety. The Premier viii
not be able to repeat the tactics which proved
so successful on the occasion of the first vote OF
| censure. Then the Government were charged
| with vacillatiOn and Inconsistency IN their
Soudan policy and he was able to offer logical
defence and to confute the arguments of the
Opposition leaders He did not convince either
the House or the country that the Ministry had
acted with prudence, decision or sagacity, but
he was successful in demonstrating that the
| Conservatives had chosen the wrong grounds
for attack On the present occasion there will
be no opportunity for argumentativc subtleties.
| The responsibility for General Gordon's mission
is one that cannot be shirked. He was sent to
| Khartoum to carry ont the Governments policy,
and not his own ideas. He was the accredited
| agent of that Government, the personal repre-
sentative of the English people. Has be re-
ceivcd the mhinchng unquestioning support
to which he was entitled rs that agent and rep
resentativc Has anything been done to
strengthen his hands, to promote his success or
to secure his personal safety These are the
questions to be answered in the forthcoming
debate and they are so plain and direct that 1t
Will be impossible even for so ingenious
reasoner as Mr. Gladstone to break their force
or to confuse the judgment of the House.
The original instructions, it is true did not con-
template military expedition to KhartOum. Cen
eral Gordon himself defined his mission as n pa
ciic one He went up the Nile to make arrange
ments for the withdrawal Of the glrrisons and
the pacifcation of the country. He expected to
restore the political power of the native
princes or sultans, and to Withdraw the
Egyptian troops at leisure under the protection
of the local governments founded by him.
When he reached KhartOum he was hailed az
deiverer and the population gave him loyal
support. There were no representatives OF
families formerly reigning there who could be
placed in charge of the Government. General
Gordon was under orders to retire, but he could
not abandon his position until there was some
substitute for anarchy. Zebehr was one Of the
old slave-huDtng sultans, but he possessed in
fuence over the tribes and strong traits of
character. General Gordon probably reasoned
in this way: Zcbchr has, it is true, an in
famous record in the slave traffic; but if the
Soudan is to be abandoned, the old trade of
hunting and kidnapping will certainly be
revived; Zcbehr will sooner or later regain his
power in Kharoum and it will be wiser to place
him in power at the outset than to leave him to
triumph by intrigue and blOodShed' The APP
pointment was warmly approved at Cairo, but
the British Ministry would not sanction it,
They refused to allow General Gordon to select
his successor ana called upon him to evacuate
the city which hal put faith in him. They made
his professions OF peace 4 m0ckcry by empower
ing a British army on the coast 10 slaughter
Arabs by the thonsand; and when Teb and
Tamasi were fought, they failed to turn them
to practical account BY opening road to Bcrbcr
and relieving khartOun.
The Liberal whips are not disconnected by the !
difficulties of the argument. They are conf
Gently predicting majority Of sixty for the
Government on the second vote of censure.
They are counting probably upon picking up |
few Irish votes which previously were cast |
against them, and are depending upon Mr.. Glad |
stone to explain away the last budget OF Egyp- |
tian correspondence, in which General Gordon is |
represented "a impiOrng military aid and Sir |
Evelyn Barring rs strongly advising British |
expedition They are shrewd tactcians, and |
their predictions may be speedily fulfilled. The |
Ministry will probably survive the debate, and !
may even increase their majority. Bat they |
are receiving warnings from the cOuuny which |
it will not BE- prudent for tAr.n 20 disregard. |
Popular Indignation finds expression. not only in !
the press of all shades VI p9ti.a opinion, but |
in public meetings throughout England. IN |
audience of 5000 ass ablcI at mission
airy mretng in Exeter hall unanimously APP
plauds Canon lIoges declaration thas .hc Eng
lsh people are hanging their heads for shame
because General Gordon HIS been fGrs1ken.
This is only one among a thousand signs that
the Nation is profoundly moved, and determined
not to be dupcI with rhetorical phrases and
ciIcuit0us logic. Eloquent phrases may serve
the purpose iii the Commons, where the Con-
scryatiyes are helpless, almost tongue tied in
great debates But with the constituencies
resolute action in the Nile valley viii be the
only satisfactory argument which the Liberal
Ministry can bring forward.
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