Wichita eagle., 1888-02-17
A WEEK OF PARLIAMENT AND
NOTHING DONE.
The Irish Leaders Firmly and Res
olutely Clinging to Every
Thread of Hope.
Parnell. Thorough Specimen Of Sticktoit
iveness. Undaunted by the Destroying
Antics Of English Members.
Much Excitement in the Reichstag Lobby
Over the Bill to Transfer the Re-
geney to Prince William.

LONDON, Feb. ia week of session
nearly gone, and where do we all stand?
Pretty much in the same position as be-
fore. Neither side shows any signs of
yielding. Gladstone is still hopeful, but
no longer confident Parnell is used to
fighting up hill, and takes each days work
as it comes with an impassive countenance.
Thus far he has been present each sitting,
watching everything closely, and having
his own way until the fatal division bells
ring; then to be driven back, only to begin
again as if nothing had happened. If
any politician desires to find
the model of a cool, patient.
as inflexible as the dark fates, they can do
no better than study Parnell. Generally
there is no sign of wavering in the minis
terial ranks. Look at the first division,
ninety five majority in the house moder-
ately filled This tells the tale. The sec
Ond division would have led stranger to
believe the millennium had arrived Glad
stone and Smith. Parnell and Balfour, the
whole body of Conservatives and Parnell-
ties, ali went in the same lobby and voted
the same way. The police must have
trembled to see SO many combustible ele-
ments brought together, yet all came out
alive.
The question at issue was only whether
we should recognize Ash Wednesday by
meeting two hours later than usual. Par
nell sUalked silently and gloomily through
the Conservatives lobby, Gladstone chat
ted cheerfully with Smith, and the con-
tending armies rested for a few minutes
under a flag of truce. But soon they were
at it again as hard as ever, Colonel Saund-
erson, the rollicking Tory Irishman, bang
ing away at GladstOneans, breaking a head
wherever he could see one, and giving the
discussion true flavor of DOnnybrook
fair When Saunderson has once started
away he goes like another Harry LORE
quer, upsetting everybody, and yet leav-
ing his victims with smile on their
faces Parnellites don't like his on
slaughts, but forgive him, for is he not an
Irishman after all, and good landlord
Yet. all this cut and slash business brings
us mo forrarder."
1t was observed several weeks ago that
the local government bill would prove the
cruX of the session, and so it will but
later developments now shows that Glad
stone and Parnell may be mistaken in
supposing that the government will be up
set or seriously shaken on this measure
Leading Liberal Unionists have al
its main provisions and they
agree with them subject to
minor notifications. This, also, must be
remembered, if anybody desires to grasp
the whole situation, namely that if the
government is beaten, the Unionists
would merely be driven to their second line
of defense Another government could
and would be formed by Harrington and
Chamberlain uniting their party with the
Conservatives. Not until that was beaten
would Gladstone have his chance. Such
are the facts before us. The bill will, per-
haps, array certain powerful interests
against the ministry. Liquor licenses are
to be transferred to the new elective gov
erning the body, an arrangement not likely
to satisfy either the temperance party or the
publicanS. The existing license will be
menaced, but some believe the bill insures
that drinking houses shall not be closed
without compensation to the owners. Ii
there are three in the street and two are
CLOSED the value of the third will be pro-
portionately increased The one left will
be better off than before. Pubiicans will
weigh the consideration. They have over.
turned strong governments before today,
and Gladstonians generally are rather re-
lying on them to capSiZe Salisbury. They
have been sounded, however, through the
leading brewers, and it is thought they
can be made content.
HIS Is blle STedJ question HOW advancing
upon parliament. 1t is apparent how it
stands today, but there may be many pos
SATELLITES of danger not yet discovered.
Gladstone regards this bill as the rock on
which the government will be wrecked,
and does not credit that any Tory measure
for read justing local and country rule can
be satisfactory to anybody calling himself
a Lberalist. If Chamberlain took his view
all would be over with the measure, but
even then the government might with
draw it and decline to resign.
Gladstone was strongly advised to take
that course with the home rule bill If he
had done SO he might have been power
today, having introduced and carried
modified measure. The fact remains that
both Gladstone and Parnell firmly believe
they will be able to turn out the ministry
on it's local government bill. Therefore
the new measure will have exceptional i'm
portance unto all who are deeply inter
ested in the Irish question.