New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1884-02-24
ENGLISH POLITICS.
BRIGHT, CHAMBERLAIN. dixie AND
CHURCHILL.


e, ;I,s.-;ors commemorative in the House of Com
mons Mr. Bright and its eminent representative III
the Cabinet Mr. Chamberlain. They nave maze
f,ur or five speeches apiece. short ana iohg uu tue
least that can be said Of these speeches ~ 'at iy
make most of the other oratory OF the week rather
dry reading: Lord Salisbury at herti"r" eAcep'cu
for Lord Salisbury whatever else ne may De- Is NOV
dry Students of Oratory VIII llsten' as LOT thlrty
,oars they have listened, to every sentence OF Mr.
Rricbt and study every phase of diction Ehich re-
minis for oratorcal purposes what it has BEEN in
co,Dparablc Students of immediate politics will
t,rn more eagerly 20 tho speeches of Mr.. Chamber
lain. because Mr. Chamberlain IS in the Cabinet and
Mr. Bright is not.
The last word on current affairs is expected from
thc President of the Beard of Trade. Either from
him OF from his political Achates. Sir Charles
Dixie this last word is both expected and obtained
The energy Of these two distinguished young men
approaches the miraculous Ever since the autumn
set in which is a of political harangues. there
has been. will venture to say, no single week
when either one or the other has not mounted
platform If it has not been Damon, IL has been
Pythias il not Pythias. then Damon; and at times
IL has been both together. an not sure l shouid
much exaggcrato if said that Mr.. Chamberlain ana
Sir Charles Dixie between them have during the
last three or four months made as many political
speechcs al all the other Cabinet Ministers put
together. IcrnapS L uiiSut HiCiuuc "ii '"''"s
Liberals. all Liberals in the front rank, and all the
members of the Government, body much more
numerous than the Cabinet by itself. 1t need not
for moment be supposed that this continuous flow
Of oraiory on the part of these two Radical Minis
ters is due to loQuacity or vanity. or any poor
motive whatever. 1t is due, doubt not, to SCI
tied purpose on their part 70 impress themselves
aud their convictions and their Immediate political
obieets on the country Never before has either OF
them been so powerful. Never before has theT
political and personal alliance been so effective.
Never before has the Radical wing Of the Liberal
marty seemed to take a lead so decisive. Never,
perhaps have they brought so much pressure 10
bear on their less Radical colleagues, who outnum-
Der them as six to one. They have taken possession
of the public mind They have spoken, if You Ike,
in season and out of season, bnt, the whole, with
an ability, a copiOusnoss, variety OF resource,
rhetorical versatility real intellectual power ana
n real force of convection which have insured them
the sustained attention they demanded, and which
have gone far toward carrying the points they IN
tanded TO carry.
What they both want is a Reform Bill of sweep
ing kind and they have demanded 1t should be
more sweeping than they expectedit0 get, IN order
10 make sure of It's not being more mocerate IMAM
they could accept Mr.. Chamberlain has laid him
sef open 10 the charge of forcing trying to force
charge is a damaging one. But he and bis friend
and tho caucuses and conferences they have en-
cinecred between them have reused a body of pub
Lie opinion created demand which has 10 he salts
fed and on at least point have contributed To
altering in a radical sense the character OF the
measure that IS TO be introduced Ireland is T. be in
cluded ia the Franchise BILL result 10 which, 1t must
he added Mr.. Forster and Mr.. Parnell have gwen
Is much help. each in his own way, as Mr. Chamber
- IL 1srrr dol
if rs an act of Justice. Mr.. Parne demanded IT
with pistol at Ministers heads It became known
that 10 reform bill which did not include Ireland
would bc.likely 10 pass. and Ireland was included.
If Mr. Chamberlain believed lie was acting with
Nh Parncll, or believed he was outgencrallng HIM,
lie is likely in either to learn that he has de-
ceivcd himself To-day's news is that Mr.. Parnel
means to oppose the bill unless the Government
give pledge which they could not fulfil II they
gave III that no measure of redistribution shall re-
dnce the overplus of seats Ireland now has TO which
abe has no right. q,
Mr. Chamberlain's Birmingham contribution 10
the Irish question is what might be expected from
O Munster who makes li'tio secret of his readiness
10 ,oalesce with Mr. Paruoil If II we're not says
the colleague Of Lord Spencer, " for the noisy CON
duct Of a small minority of Ulster Orangemcn who
break mp the political meetings of their opponents.
the country at this moment would he perfectly
tranquil" Perhaps the hest answer to such state
,nent as that may be found IN the action of Lord !
Spencer The Niceroy of Ireland has Just saved the
small minority of Ulster O angemen the trouble
az breaking up the proposed political meeting OF
their opponents near Londonderry by proclalnng
md prohibiting il himself IN the name Of the Queen.
MI Chambcrlans" small minority" is, as he would
acknowledge in his less mpnlsve moments, the
overwhelming majority of the loyal people of
Ulster Their political opponents are the men
who are invading that province, aud making war
on the Government of Great Britain and Ireland.
The invasion is none the less an invasion became
rifles are kept in the background rifles being sort
of weapon which Iri>men Of this sort prefer 20 use
from behind hedge. The war is none the less
war because iti- carried ON 10y insidi"us means, by
undcrhand methods and on treacherous prctexts.
Tie political opponents" of the UlStemen are
simply the Natlonallsts who train under MIR. Par
nell and whose real object IL the secession OF Ire
land and the breakup of the British Empire. They
syow II themselves.
Mr. Chamberlain, whose cxubcrant spirits Oc
easionallv run away with him. thought il consist
cut with good taste to indulge IN something that
reads very much like chaff of bis venerable col
league Mr. Bright said he in favor Of going
forward steadily and wisely. Nj. Chamberlain.
when his turn came. saw III 10 remark that he was
reminded Of a rCtnTt which was given Win
rcspect 10 an agricultural laborcr, concerning
whom his new master inquired of his old whether !
hr was "A steady man the wording Of this sentence
IS Mr. Chaiberlain's): Steady II he were only a
little ste3dieT he would stand still - This married
speech mainly devoted to Mr.. Chamberlains
sprcaltcs of last and the coming session
patents. bankrupt law and shipping; and which.
but for this and other passage was an admirable
speech.
Mr. Bright thought it worth his while to refer in
his first Birmingham speech 20 Lord Randolph
Churchill. lie said very truly that Tory speeches
had dealt a great deal in extravagant language and