New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-13


ERSMENr-" THE VOTE Is AT
THE BOTTOM OF IT.,
lnY CABLE TO ruR rRIBcxE:
c.,,yisst, 1881 By TIE Tribune Assoc,auon
,ordon. Dec. l2.-The New Policy has ad.
..,c.d stage. There was a variety programme
:. newcastle In London on Thursday variety
'.,.rtainment was given in aid Of the variety
s-.rramme The meeting Of rural delegates at
v.morial Hall. and the breakfast Of the rural
s.,.sates next morning at the Holborn restaurant
or Mr.. Gladstone for dessert. constitute the two
a., serious efforts of the Glsdstonian party toward
new political movement. The omnipotent Mr.
s.bnadhorst was stage manager of both. The
ava, conference in Farringdon-st. was caucus
IA Mr.. Schadhorst's skill in manipulating
.,psus is admittedly superior to that Of any other
r,s,;sh practitioner. Newcastle gave proof Of
=. ability in one direction. But at Newcastle he
"a. thought TO have strained the bow too tight
qas caucus was then allowed to do no more than
,..,ist.r the decisions taken in Mr. Schnadhorst's
bsck Office in Parliamentst. Neither amendment
,or discussion was tolerated. The programme had
a be bolted whole. husks and all There were
nrrotests. but they were not needed. and the feel
mrs Of one artisan were so volcanic that they
IA him 10 style the whole thing "a blooming
seu,., That is slang, but ineligible here, and
hone it may be Ineligible in America.
TIE object at Newcastle was to construct a
,,,tform with plank for every interest and every
,rotchet likely TO catch votes. The object at the
Memorial Hall was TO persuade the rural voters
that they were the arbiters of their own fate; or
would be- if they cast in their lot with the Glad
sonisn party Hence the difference in procedure
Great pains were taken to collect from all parts
n England delegates who should seem to be of the
soil They were first chosen by the local caucuses
then submitted TO Mr.. Schnadhorst, who accepted
ar rejected them as he thought fit. Their only
credentials were tickets from Mr.. Schnadhorst
In no other way than by possession of such
ticket could any son of toll find his way into the
Memorial Hall When they had assembled, it was
seen that the sitting had been cleverly done There
were many genuine agricultural laborers. Some
n them vouched for their own authenticity by
appeared in smocl,- frocks. They came from
counties the most remote, and the dialects they
spoke were not less widely asunder The majority
81 this motley company, seem, nevertheless, to have
been composed of what are called village lawyers
7fey. were local busybodies. long since familiar
with the arts Of agitation. They were ALL of
course, Gladstonians. The caucus was purely
party caucus. DR.. Spence Watson leading party
hack, presided. some MempeIs oi IdiIidncn.
we're present. Mr. Schnadhorst. from back
,sat on the platform, surveyed his work and pro-
nOunced it good.
The proceedings consisted chiefly OF speeches,
ai the speeches were limited to five minutes each.
The same note ran through them all. The same
complaint was heard from each rustic orator
Each had grievance against the squire and
reysnce against the parson. IL you read all
thee fve-minute discourses you will end by
tsltvng that what Hodge really wants is to
abolish the squire and TO abolish the parson lDen
be would be happy. They are the source from
zbieh all evils flow. There is, however, an eX-
rlanation Of this unanimity. These delegates are
iladstonians to man, and the squire is only 700
Int 10 be Tory They are Nonconformsts WIFI
hardly an exception, and the parson Is clergy
man of the Church of England. In such CIR
,nmstances friction is to be expected. Inc
,,~eches abound with delightful passages when IL
would be privilege TO quote But must ho''
must content myself with giving results
The results embodied themselves 10 some eAWh'
IN a resolution. the only resolution passed. me
meeting resolved that IT was nearby sai'n."
ID know that the Liberal party-that is still the
name officially used-is earnestly addressing tseli
"a. the amelioration and improvement of the con-
more would the willy Mr. Schnadhorst allow TINS
conference to pledge itself to There have been
,oo many specifc pledges already; pledges winch
1. NAV be extremely inconvenient to redeem at
maturity. The policy of to-day is therefore
policy Of glittering generalities.
II Hodge. in his present Gladstonan develop'
pent has a wish besides the wish to eXtingulsh
the squire and the parson. IT appears 10 DC io 'io
alotments and for Village Councils 10 hahase
village affairs. >Alotments are ALREADY coinin'h'
The legislation which enables the IaDorer W o'-
tain them is Tory legislation. The act was
brought in and passed by Tory Government
The VILLAGE Councils can be, at the best, only
an extension of the principle OF local governments
which again is the work of Tory Government
the nresent Governments which has established
County Councils all over England ana Scotlahu'
md stands pledged TO establish them in ireland
also. District Councils are the coroliaries u
County Councils. The extent to which local ao-
illustrations shall be subdvided is purely ques-
ton of expediency.
All this is perfectly familiar to every student
Of English politics, but it is not what was dweie
upon in a caucus, the first and last obJect OF
which was TO turn out the Government WHICH
has conferred these benefits on the people.
The keynote of the meeting was struck with
only too much frankness by that veteran agi-
tator Mr.. Joseph Arch,-a frankness that seems
10 have sent cold chill down Mr.. Schnadhofsts
back THE VOTE" cries Mr.. Arch, is at the
bottom Of the whole thing" The Gladstonlans
want the rural vote, and that is why they have
summoned Hodge into council. know what II
Asars,7 continued Mr. Arch. IF you have a
smoking concert the vote is at the bottom OF II.
II you have a threeppnny tea the vote Is at the
lotion OF it. The vote is at the bottom Oh TINS
neeting' Never was truer word spoken. Inc
votes which the Gladstonians despair of getting
With the Home Rule cry they hope to win
@ friends TO the laborer. But the terrible Mr
Arch told them with terrible plainness that they
had waited long before discovering how interested
fle... n. l. ntrrx