New-York tribune., 1885-03-26
NOTES FROM LONDON.
WHY THE CABINET DID NOT RESIGN-THE
CAUCUS-RADICALS AND WHIGS-"T THE
NlTIONp ON CnpnON

One journal of Tory poltics, undertakes to name
the four Ministers who during that long sitting Oh
the Cabinet on Saturday la0t, from till half-paSt
@, urged uDn their colleagues the policy OF quit
ting office. The four Earl Spencer, the Earl OF
Derby, Sir William Harcourt, and Mr.. Chamberlain.
But believe the truth to be that nearly every Min
ister beginning with Mr.. Gladstone would have
rejoiced had Ii been possible to resign. Against
this general desire of the Cabinet, however had 10
be set first, constitutional usage and precedent.
then public interest. then the convenience OF ther
supporters IN Parliament, and, finally, the oDJec-
tion to pass the Seats Bill. and so complete the
work of Reform begun by the passage of the Fran
chise Act.
Mr. Gladstone was of opinion that no precedent
existed for the retirement OF a Government win
majority of fourteen in such circumstances as the
present. lie considers his real majority much
greater, or he would leave out of account the Irish
vote, since the ParneIlites voted first with sir
Stafford Northcote and then with Mr. John Nor
ley. They voted in other words, in two successive
divisions for two contradictory propositions. As
for public interest npprehend every Government
thinks il for the public interest that the alairS ol
the country should be administered by ltseil, ana
not by It's opponents. The convenience OF far-
lament is always a consideration OF great force
and never greater than now. II Lord Salisbury
had come u he would have been forced to dissolve.
No working Conservative majority could be got To-
gether for any purpose whatever III the present
House. Bus the new House would itself have had
les, than years life. since everybody agrees that
there must be- an appeal 10 the now constituencies
as soon as the new electoral law is complete; early
that is in 1886 This would have involved the IN
tocrabcb burden and expense of two elect'ns
within t,Seivemonth; one now and another neAt
January. Lastly to have the Seats Bill hung up
would be TO impcrl the compact entered into De-
tween Lord Salisbury ard Mr. Gladstone. and re-
nit the question TO a body OF unknown compost
tiou. Probably Mr. Gladstone felt also that II
woull leave the crownlug work OF ofhiSPariiamcn,Gry
life unfinished. The situation would have been
further complicated hy the return OF probably sew
enty rarnellitcs 10 the House enough to make
il doubtful whether any Ministry could be formed
which would be sure of stable majority; ana
whether any legislation whatever could be trans
acted except ~ the prco of surrcndcriug the
Crimes Act. The result of all these considerations
is that the Ministry unanimously aSsentcd 10 the
necessity of rctainiug Office, and that their resolve
is approved by supporters and opponents alike
asked a member Of the IIoasc why 90 many Lib
erals who were known 10 be opposed - the EgyP-
tan policy OF the Ministry supported The Ministry
by their votes Friday. "Oh," said he, YOU
know as well as do. II Is the caucus" And
mach ne" into English politics has made the rep
reseutatiye much more closely and directly rcspon-
scle TO his constituents or to the wrcpullers
than before. lie is becoming less q representative
and more a delegate, and it is only very strong
men who can venture to disregard the dciation OF
the Liberal Hundreds and vote on critical occa-
SION according to their cousciences. II would be
more accurate 10 say they are responsible to the
caucus ihan to their constituents but the effect on
the member of the supervision TO which the local
party manager subject him Is much the same. Mr.
Chamberlain unblushinRy ayowrd the Other day
that he saw no reason why men shoGld not make
politics pro icssion. They have done so already
undcr wi, lead and b. help OF his power ~ political
organization; not inferior. perhaps. 90 Twecfs or
Mr.. John Kelly's.
The two most conspicuous victims of the Biz
ngham machJne are MT. GOscheu and Mr.. Forster
Mr. Go,chen was punished for bis Independence by
tho vote Of the Edinburgh caucus rejecting his
propo.ed candidaturo for one Of the divisions oi
Edinburgh under the new electoral syssom. Ripon
which Mr. Goschen now representa-. ceases, under
the Franchise Act o'last year. 10 be entitled to sep
arate representation in Parliament. Edinburgh, tits
true. Is the Heart Of that Midlothian where one idea
at present seems to bo an unqucstonIng allegiance
10 MIR. Gladstone. Mr. Goschens refusal to commit
his conscience TO the Prime Minister'S keeping was
rewarded by vote of something like ten to one
against hm in caucus. This simply means that the
party screw had been put on, and that party
hack Is preferred TO Mr.. Goschon
The Bradford Four Hundred, In Mr.. Forster's
case have simply repeated the consure OF last year
Bradford seems willing again TO accept the dicta-
ton of Birmingham. When tho Four Hundred |
first passed a vote Of ccnsure on Mr.. Forster he
wrote letter in reply which. 1t was commonly
thought left the burden of consure on them and
INT learned "A
lesson. Tho long discussion which took |
place last night in this body turned not |
once on the merits Of the case The question !
TO their minds was not whether Mr. Forster had |
acted honorably and reasonably and from convic-
ton but whether he mad pleased the professional |
politicians of Bradford And the professional poll
tIcans of Bradford resolved unanimously that he had
not. OF course. Their trade would be ruined If men
were to be governed by such trivial considerations
as duty and principle. 1t will probably bo seen at
the next election as 1t has been seen before, that
Mr. Forster is stronger with the people of Bradford
than the professionals are But whether he be or |
not, these repeated attempts 10 dragon one of the
leading statesmen of England into subscrvience to
is a sign of the decadenoe of English poll
tics
ve hear much of Wings and Radicals and of their
opposition to each other on the Egyptian question.
But III fact II IL impossible 10 classify men III TINS
way this subject. The line of cleavage does not
correspond with tho position of these two political
strata. majority of the Radicals outside OF the
Cabinet are no doubt, in favor of the policy known
as scuttling But in the Cabinet itself the strong
est partisan of scuttling is Wing, Sir William
IIarcOurt, and two of the strongest advocates of
crushing tho Mahdi are Mr.. Chamberlain and Sir
Charles Dixie. Mr. Chamberlain is even supposed
to have weakened his hold on the party below the
gangway by what they wildly call bis Jngoism. His
most intimate friend in that group Mr.. John Nor