Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1885-07-16
rnE nRIrIsH AnIsrooRAor.
The Possible Political Result OF sho
Recent Exuomures.


The New York Times says: The dis
cussion as to the motives and the methods
Of the Pail Nal Gdsettes exposures Of
vice in London has made most people
forget how serious and far-reaching the
consequences Of that exposure are likely
to be. The passage Of the amendment TO
the criminal law, which the publication
is avowedly meant to secure, is but a
trivial incidentamong these consequences.
Nearly all the persons whom the Gazette
is engaged ii showing up and indicating
without naming them belong to the titled
aristocracy. That aristocracy has very
small margin Of credit to trade upon.
Next year some two millions of new
voters, one of whose strongest sentiments
is an envious dislike of the aristocracy,
will be Represented in the house Of COM
mons. Only last year the threat to
abolish the house of lords had TO be made
in order to procure the acquiescence III
the admission of these new voters. The
opposition to all the privileges of the
aristocracy must be greatly strengthened
by showing that majority Of the young
peers and of the sons of peers are ire
claimable brutes and blackguards. That
is unfortunately the fact, in spite of
many and honorable exceptions to the
rule, as any well informed foreign resi-
dent in London knows. The French
aristocracy at the outbreak Of the French
revolution was not more uniformly cor
rupted than the younger generation of
the British nobility now is. And the
palliation for the iniquity Of the French
aristocrats which was furnished by their
greatest apologist cannot be made to
cover the iniquity Of the British aristo-
Gratis. In their hands vice by no means
loses half or any other fraction of its evil
by losing all its grossness, for it is as
gross, dull, and sodden as it is wicked.
These disclosures put into the hands OF
the Radical leaders powerful weapon
against the aristocracy, of which they
will doubtless make energetic use. The
destruction Of the political power of the
house Of lords is virtually accomplished
They are even now permitted to take
part in legislation only on condition Of
acquiescing In the action of the house Of
commons. But the popular impatienc,
with them which the publications of theil
vices will do so much to stimulate will b,
likely TO take from them the shadow o.
power, even though they do not try Il
regain the substance. Moreover, thos,
privileges which the blackguards among
them value much more highly than tn
privilege of sitting in parliament are il
danger. A Radical project of legislation
taking away the privileges of primogen
iture and entail, is very likely tu be in
troduced and to be enacted at day no
very distant. With these privileges taliel
away, the tenure of land changed and il
transfer simpliiied, the British nristocrac,
will plainly be doomed, even as social,
superior class. The idea that the mos
outrageous set of scoundrels in Englan,
are to enjoy peculiar privileges in spite o
their scoundrelism is likely TO be abhor
rent to the new constituencies and
| goodly proportion of the old. And th
effect of the disclosures now made is I
create the belief that the aristocracy ar
such n set of scoundrels.