Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-08-06
English Party Designations.
Baltimore Times.


English Party Designations.
Baltimore Times
The different names applied to po-
htlcal parties in England have puzzled
a good many readers. They dersire
to know what distinctive differences
there are between Wings and Liberals
Tories and conservatives and Radicals.
The names of ''Whig" and Tory" in
Englis politics date back to tae fierce
and bitter discussions in 1879 over the
bill to exclude James, Duke OF York,
from the succession to the throne of
England on the death of Charles III.
Lit IS we'll known to readers of English !
history that the bill passed the House
of Commons, bat was rejected by the
House of Lords, and that in 1885 the
Duke of York assembled the throne as
James IL, bat ia 1858 was driven out
of England by William, Prince of
Orange, and that in 1890, in an at
tempt to recover his throne, he suffer
ed decisive defeat at the Battle of
Boyne. 1t was between the years
1878 and 1859 that the Wings and
Tories We're consolidated into distinct
and antagonistic political parties.
Both Wing and Tory were originally
terms of reproach the adherents of
each party applied to one another
the word Wing being a contratlon
of whiggamore, denoting q drover,
and was applied after raid made up
on Edin burg by party of Covenant
ers IN 1913, while that Of Tory is said
to have been derived from an IRISH
term signifying robber, and applied
10 the wild Irish" whom the Duke
of York showed himself disposed to
favor, 1t was at the instance Of the
Wings that William of Orange was
invited over and became King consort
by right of his wife. This brought
and kept the Wings in power for
period Of nearly sixty years, after
which the Tories obtained control of
the Government and held it for more
than so years. The distinction in
modern times between Wing and Tory
is this: The Wings have sought to
break through the old traditions of
England and have generally adhered
to progressive principles, while the
Tories, being strongly conservative in
sentiment, have yielded slowly to the
changes that were from time to time
urged in Parliament by the Wings.
OF late years the Wings have changed
their distinctive title for the more
popular one of Liberals, while the
Tories now call themselvet Censerva-
tives. It thus happens that Wing and
Liberal on the one side and Tory and
Conservative on the other, have be-
come convertible terms, and each par
ty is spoken of indiferently by either
title. But since they assumed the
name of Liberals, the Wings have
been gradually taking advanced
ground, until recently, under the
Gladstone Ministery, they have stood
at the verge of radicalism, and by as
Stunning this position have drawn the
radical members of Parliament and
the faction they represent in the coun-
try to their support. The ultimate
object of the Radicals is to break down
the distinction of King, Lords and
Commons, and to establish a republic
can form of government, but it may
be many years before they will be
able to attain the end If we were to
define the two parties roughly, we
should say that the Conservatives
were the party of the country and the
Liberals the parties of the cities-thats
the Conservative party is made UP of :
the land holding interest, of farmers
and farm laborers dependent more or
less on that interest, and of the we'll
TODD classes generally. The support
ers Of the Liberals are tie inhabitants
of the great cities chiefly, including
the smaller tradesmen and the great,
body of artisans, but at the back of
them are many members of the old
Whig families possessing wealth, sta
ton, and influence, and clinging to
the Liberal principles they inherited
from the statesmen of the days OF
William Ill, Queen Anne and the
early Hanoverian Georges.