New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-05-19
NOTES FROM LONDON.
pp,uposFs AND PoLITICS-THE CAUCUS
pFFORM-Pa PERSONALITIES.

people, If masquerade OF DANES az"
the last quarter Of the Nineteenth century 9o0"o
an anachronlsm, they none the less conu
make il serve a eraetieal purpose LORD hanooipn
T,hnroh;II doclared ON Saturday at the banquet OF
Che Jeaoue that its branches ali over the country
wore 90 many bands of electioneerng agents. Inc
Iagno ia the Tory Caucus not the only one elther'
II was laughed at By the Liberals. but IL mas
lived down the laugh. 1t Is only two years oiu,
but its members are counted by the Thousand anu
in spite of every kind of ridieule and crluclsh'
saws Lord Randolph in his lyrical way IL n"o
grown. and grown, and grown. III mas gro"n W
bio In fact that this sanguine young man Is reAuS
10 hack it against the Liberal machine.
One thing tn. League certainly does: 1t Keeps
The memory of Lord Beacousfed green-or perhaps
should say yellow. Tie dingy streets OF LONDON
Saturday and Sunday were enlivened oy proiuSo
display of the primrose, and Tor that at ieas''
everybody who has to walk through them may DO
rrateful. Tho moment one, moreover wneh
Inrd RESPONSIBILITY admirers are disposed to ad-
mire him more than over. Lord Randolph Churchhi
Thought It a sufficient eulogy on the leader wholn
he strives to initiate to depounce the proceedings
of the present Prime Muster. His journey 10
India has not softened his habits OF speech. Is IL
not. ask you is it not CHASTITY mockeryI Is IL not
infatuated imb ,cityf is it not dwelling idiotcyr
ETC., etc. This is quite in the old manner
The Seats Bill was finally got through Com
mttee on Tuesday night. consuming less time than
yvas OK ,ected after Easter. When the Parnelhtes
refnsed to allow it to pass before the recess, long
conflict was anticipated No other critical stage
remains: none on which any further pr0tracted
debate Is likely to arise in the House OF Commons,
and none Is expected IN the House of Lords Ice
measure leaves Committee substantially
as 1t entered Spite of some restivehesS
among the hotter Torres, both parties have
Loyalty carried out the compact in pursuance
of which the bill was originally framed Not
during this Parliament has any measure beeu car
ned which demanded more delicate handling. Inc
supremacy of party aud the interests OF Individual
mombers slike at stake; not 10 speak OF iocai
preJudices and the strong feelings OF ancient
boroughs ruthlessly disfranchIsed. Its passage Is
one more Parliamentary triumph for Sir Charles
Dixie who has been seen at bis best In the conduct
of the measure throulh Committee Sir Stafford
Northcote paid him a d served compliment; ex-
pressing his sense of the ability, tact and good
humor which he had shown throughout This IS
one of those inod ants, still not nfreque0t when
prove how mao good feeling there is between
members on both sides of the House. and
how we'll the game OF party politics
may he played without resorting to personal hos
tilities.
This view. / admit. is not universal Two very
distinguished members of the House oil Commons
on opposite SIDES might be named who, for con-
siderable period. had not been on speaking terms
Friends interviewed, and the matter was arranged.
Not long after this conversation occurred between
one of the two and thIr1 frieud
'You and - are all right again, hearT
eyes we ara on rs good terms as ever. But, do
Won know. 1 almost doubt whether we ought to
be-
"Whyfr
"Weil. it's more difficult to say what one really
thinks aud consider it for the public interest that
one should be at liberty to hit as hard as over one
can, and without gloves. too"
Nor ,s no alone in regarding the House of Com
mons at times as q kind of superior prize-ring.
One effect of the Seats Bill will be the remodel
ling OF the existing cancus system Nowhere can
the proce,s be better soon than at where
this bcnsfcent Institution had its origin and It's
most complete development. The political ousi-
ness of the Liberal party in Birmingham has OF
late years been managed by a body known as the
Eight Hundred. They nominated Candidates
passed resolutions devised plans OF campaign
pulled wires did everything Bat their power mas
vanished or Is about to vanish. The Eight Hun
dred will rule Birmingham no longer.
The Seats Bill gives the Mloiand
Capital seven members. esoh
bs elected by q separate district, and to that
end Birning nam is cut up INTO seven distinct
electoral divisions. One of the master minds rui-
ing over the Eight Hundred was disposed believe
TO think il poss BILE to preserve this BODY ana 10
nominate candidates for the seven districts. lie
was warned hs could not, and the first hint OF ms
purpose was received in q way which convinced
him 1t was impracticable.
But new Caucus takes the place OF the Old. or
rather instead of one old there are to be two new
Caucuses The word is prettier to speak IN
the plural than in its harmonious slngu-
lar Each of tho seven new DIVISIONS
is to have q Caucus OF its own; Three
Hundred strong Each Three Hundred will be su-
preme within ITS own boundaries. and nominate its
own candidate But Birmingham is still to have
collective voice. IL has been found 100 useful IN
tunes past TO be suffered to sink into silence now.
The seven Three Hundreds are to meet for certain
purposes in q General Caucus. | hear they prefer
10 call il a committee or council. comnlitee OF
Two Thousand One Hundred strong is large body
for consultative purposes, but Birmingham Is used
to doing things a large scale. This huge town
meeting Is to be cO1voked for advice
and remonstrance When a Cabinet stands In
need OF beag told what public opinion is, or when
a House OF Commons has to be warned that the
constituencies are not content, tho message or
menace is to come from this assembly Ii the Tories
believed they were going to reduce tbs Hnndfeds
to ihsignIicance by the scheme of sngle-member
districts, they will soon discover their mistake.
Men who WELD the power which Mr. Schnadhnrst
and a greater than Mr.. Schnadhorst has welded,
are not likely to rclinquisb it easily.
Ihave heard of another instance of the new
Civil Service Pefcm as practiSed by President
Cleveland. The present instance is the removal of
MIR James s. Crawford, Superintendent of Foreign
Mails in the Post Office at Washington. Mr.. Craw
ford has been a long time in the department. rising
steadily to the important post he last filled. lie
was lately sont abroad as representative of the
"A nj Int A a