New-York tribune., 1891-08-30
: THE NEWS OF EUROPE.
gI,prNpING CHANGES IN TIE BRITISH
MINISTRY.
-, sy1rsI's PROBABLE RETIREMENT TO THE
,oRps-oAND1DATEs FOR THE LEADERSHIP
oy THE coMMoNs-TKE POSTMASTER
GENRRALsHP-LoRD r. CHURCH
La. AMONG THE LIBERAL
PRopHETs-THE Pho
NoGRkPH.
,nr CABLE TO THE TRrBuSE.T
Ia, ,,a, ss n. Tribune A.,onaaon


,nY oArtg TO THE rRrBuYE.1
o,syr,gat, lssl. BIZ The Tribune ~''0e'a"'n
-.naon Aug. 20.-Mr. w. H. Smith rs
N"-,aarns az Walmer Castle and has begged
,n M s-,.n6s IN show him a last kindness by not
s.1.;no s1 !, nm his repose and by not inquiring
- h;s health. II is officially reported tnat nc
= ~,.nding but the process is painfully Slow ana
,hsrs are grave doubts whether II Will ever N
- far comnleted as TO fS him for renewed co'"o'
s,,th the stormy life of the House OF oo'nnionS'
No ono seeing him on the Treasury behch' s''~AS
:. Julv weather with q travelling rug wrappce
,ound his knees could fail to be struck Win us
r.,lous state He should have retired t"o !e'i'
aso Had he, at the close OF the laso SeT''o"'
haunted 10 the serener atmosphere OF 'ie ii0"''
of Lords. all might have been wen ou' uu'9 "
his Queen and country, 10 quote MS Pe' pn'"0',
the recurrence of which always SENDS Hppic Vi
laughter through the House Of Commons ch"ilieu
sim 70 his post The pitcher has gone 700 o,'en
20 the we'll and now has met with the pieu'e'ineU
fate Of such persistency. His eoilens"'9 ~, ~
the Ministry still assume that ne VIZ ~,
rome back with the new session. Perhaps ho WIN,
II he is dragged: but grave responsibility "ou'u
rest with any individual or body oil men Wi'o weie
instrumental in influencing him In 'ilae ui,eo'ion
Nothing has yet been definitely setueu III Che n''-
ter and probably nothing will be done tiIi octooer'
when the Cabinet Councils meet again. ana thc
business of the new session is roush-he"n' ""'
the strong probabilities are that Mr' onl'ns eleVa-
,,or n the House of Lords will then be definitely
settled and that the Ministry Will ne iacea py Vhe
dia1culty of selecting new leader in the House
Of Commons.
The difficulty is twofold. 1t is Mr. Goschen
and Mr. &lfour. Whatever chances Mr.. Goschen
NAV have had at the beginning of the last session
vanished toward its close Mr.. Smiths temporary
withdrawal provided him with an opportunity Of
showing what he could do as Leader, and he used
IL TO demonstrate his utter incapacty for the post
He blundered ana bungled in half-lozen of those
little things upon which the House naturally looks
for guidance to its leader. Not TO go through a
long list il will suffice to mention his management
of what the Continental papers call PAfaire
Atkinson. The hare Drained Member for Boston.
having grievousy insulted the Speaker, Mr..
Goschen soleinnly moved that he be suspended
for the remainder OF the session. There followed
nearly two hours of debate, encroaching on valu-
able time, and at the end Mr.. Goschen had to take
back his motion, accepting one limiting the
suspension 10 a week. This was matter of
comparatively small Importance, but it was just
the kind Of thing that brings discredit on one
in the position of Leader. The Conservatives have
never liked Mr.. Goschen, though they were glad
enough to obtain his services when Lord Randolph
Churchill abruptly turned on his heel and left
the Ministry. As an eminent member of the
front Opposition bench has observed in the freedom
OF prirate eesyersation, the Conservative party
can never take jobbed as their leader.
That Is a hard saying, but it puts with brutal
force an essential objection TO Mr.. Goschens pro-
motion. 1t might, perhaps, have been got over
had he proved success while there in the Chan
celorship of the Exchequer or as temporary
Leader Of the House. lie has been failure in
both capacities, and jobbed cannot afford
70 make a failure
The difficulty about Mr.. Balfour is that he
seems indispensable at the Irish Office. Next
session is set apart for passing the Irish Local Gov
ernment Bill task difficult under the most favor
able circumstances but the difficulty is tenfold
increased 10y the undsguised hostility with which
the measure is regarded by influential sections
Of the Ministerial party. Only Mr. Balfour could
carry il, and IL is said that even Mr. Balfour
would he crushed under the treble burden OF the
Of the House, the Government of Ire
land and the plotting through Parliament of an
Irish Local Government bill. There is much
force in this argument, but there is one conspic-
uous example to prove that such task is not
beyond mortal strength. Mr.. Gladstone was the
Leader of the House of Commons, when he brought
In and carried almost singlehanded his Irish Land
bills and his Irish Church bill. What Mr.. Glad
stone has accomplished Mr. Balfour is not the
man to shrink from attempting, and unless Alr.
Smith makes a sudden recovery we shall probably
'ee him next session leading the House of Commons
and forcing through his Irish Local Government
bill.
The death Of Mr.. >Raikes places an important
Ministerial Office at tie disposal of the Premier.
Sir John Gorst is popularity named for the sue
cession TO the Postmaster Gencralship, but that
does not necessarily mean that he will he ap-
pointed The outside public, and, even with
stronger conviction, the House of Commons have
always regarded Sir John Gorst as inexphcably
belittled in Ministerial ranks The House, an
keen and unbiased Judge of character
recognizes in him one of the three ableSt men on
the Treasury Bench, but lse has never been
persona grata with the Premier, who possibly does
not forget that he was at one time an active
member of the Fourth party. Sir John Gorst has
been Systematically neglected when promotions
were possible, and last session showed some signs
OF restiveness Perhaps these may operate in his
FAVOR at the present crisis He would be an un-
commonly uncomfortable neighbor to the Treasury
Bench If he were driven back TO his old position
below the gangway.
Another Minister who would make an admirable
Postmaster-General is Mr.. jackson, Financial Sec
retary to the Treasury, the Minister who is charged
with the general direction of Government busi-
ness In the House of Commons But MIR. jack
Son, Ike Mr. Balfour is handicapped in the race
Tor promotion by the circumstance that he has
made himself almost indispensable in the Office
be chances TO occupy
Mr.. Raikes's death has called forth an unex-
'ectedly wide outburst of regret The most sur
prising manifestation comes from the rank and
lie OF the POstoiice, who dispatched special
nissaries TO lay wreath Of flowers on his coffin
ne had many tussle with the innumerabe army
ihder his command, and notably at the time of
ne strike showed himself inHcxible in withstand
hS and subsequently Furnishing insubordination
'nt he was, as his personal friends know a kind
ieartpd man Of a sensitive mont tI,at