St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-07-17
ENGLISH ELECTIONS.
They Are Discussed by a Min
neapolitan Who Under
stands Them.
Why He Thinks Gladstone's
Term Will Be a Long
One.
Republican Nominations for
County Offices Are Co :
ing Begging. :
What the New Directory Will
Show and Supposedly
Prove.

Just now the English elections are at?
tracing a good deal of attention in the
United States, although the people of
this country are OH the eve of cam
paig Probably no man in the North
west is so familiar with English politics
as Rev. William Wilkinson, of Mime
apoiis. Until within few years ne
was a resident of England, and took
tics there. He fell to talking English
politics yesterday, and,this. is what he
said:, 80 ~
There is III history. for a. man who
loves progress and who has wise and
just view of the past in its influence
upon the present, no one subject so full
of noble teaching, SO inspiring to. the
enthusiasm of the reformer, as a study
of the representation of the common
people in the halls of legislation in ,Eu-
rope aud America. Those who find it
an easy thing to speak, often with more
latitude than wisdom, do not know. or
are i'll danger of forgetting, at what a
price our heritage was bought. In the
Christian era 1900 years had
passed away before man as
1t was memorable day whed Edward.
l., in the year 1895. called together the
first parliament in England. 1t was in
that century, III France, in Germany
and in Sicily that the representation of
the common people began. 1t has been
long, hard fight. 1t was nearly GOO
years after before government by the
people became fact. Since then the
tide has been in the favor of the masses
in the main. and the first reform bill
which, in 1852, passed into law was a
promise and prophecy that in Britain
every man would, one day, have vote
for him in the nations lawmaking. IL
was a grim fight. Power, prejudice,
caste. class, church dignity and state
| officialism, all in turn stood in the way
| of the assertion OF the inalienable rights
| of man being made law. But sense and
| Justice prevailed. But then vast num-
| Der had no vote. and from that year to
| 1868 many OF the very best men, in
heart, III head, in all which goes to make
| Il man. strore hard to increase the num-
| Der of voters. Violent indeed was the
struggle in many places. and bitter the
contest all through the land. but In 1883
| victory finally crowned the banuer OF
reform.
81 wish it were true that in, all these
eventful years the church, as church,
! had stood by the plea of men who de-
| manded their rights. 1t did not; it sat
| idly by. True it is, many Individual
| members did heroic service for reform,
| but if it had depended upon priest or
| official, there would not have been, as
| there are today in the United Kingdom,
| 6,067, 1873 men Oh the registers to vote.
| In the fight for reform the Samaritan i'll
| the land had TO be taken account of.
Men like Bright, Golden, Ernest
| Jones, 49,.
| sGladssone, and a Mighty Host
| of men, some of whom haZarded their
lives, rendered service which will be
| held in everlasting remembrance, it the
history of England is not forgotten.
''There is not more significant lesson
to young, ambitious men, than that
which is supplied by the life of Mr..
Gladstone, who will be prime minister
in the next house of commons. Born as
he WAS in the midst of exclusive priv
| ileges, the pet for years of the arlStO-
cratic party, he could have led its hopes
| and been the hero of Its cOnqueStS; but
he has stood for an ever advancing lib
eralism in politics, and for liberty OF
the public press. Now, in the
| evening of life, when more than four
score years have passed over him, he
stands absolutely the freeSt man, and
the most important in all Europe. Nc
man would dare to silence him. AL
English-speaking people wait for his
| words as the dry earth for the rain.
Look over to Germany at Prince Bis
marck, a man who, with Moltke, did
more to consolidate the German empire
than any other ten men. But he did
not widen the doors of free speech or a
| free press. He did not try to make il
lawful for men to give their opinions OF
the powers that be, or he would today
hold no peer. He would have been
out of sight the most com
handing figure in the world. Fol
his word empires would have stood
in expectant ave. He could have beer
the decider of the history of half
Europe for the next fifty years. In
stead of being free to say what he wants
he has to say whatthe law will let him.
1t is not much, HE Sowed to the wind
he reaps the whirlwind." In Glad
stone we see a man who, every year
trusts the people more. and loves lib
erty with deeper love.
"ln the next parliament will be mer
who will fear no foe, strong in the fact
that the house of commons alone can
vote the money for governmental plans
of any kind. for no peer has any voice
in this money matter; strong i'll this
/ also. which the average newspaper does
new member in seat he never agar
will fill. and which he has spen
large sums in cash and years I'D time tt
gain, man will not cast a vote readily
against the government, when 1t may
cast him out into private life. The mar
| who says Mr.. Gladstone will not be il
Office many weeks ought to remember
ArteMus Wards Instructions
to prophets. The first is do not prophe
sy unless you know; second, it is wiser
to walt till after the event This new
Harcourt, Dixie, Joseph Arch, Burn;
and mighty following led by Glad
stone, will not only not be cast out in &
| day, but it will do much work while il
office.
| Il spake of Sir Charles Dixie. He is
not my style of man, but will not jOir
ina clamOr against one of the ableSl
men in England, when some of the
purest, and wjsest and most disinter
ested men have given over the case
and Say he ought to have been found
innocent, and when large constitu
ency has elected him.
Joseph Arch l knew well. He has
been twice a guest in my house.
have several times been chairman OF
his meetings. He is a man of native
power, a refOrmer, religious man.
He has done more than any man in all
England for farm laborers. He is a
ready speaker, who has studied CObbett
should say Mr.. Arch gives no quar-
ter to the classes ne aSSallS, and shows
no mercy to the things he attacks. 1t was
sure when the reform law was passed
which gave the farm laborer vote tina,
Mr.. Arch would have place in parlia,
ment. No man could, in words. III all
their class so well represent them as he
There is. however. another man who
could, in silence, have told more
moving story. 1t is the man in smock
frock, who never has been thirty miles
from home; who does not know 4O(
words; who has been left to work: who
cannot read; who cannot spell his
own name. much less write it. Such
Notwithstanding, wife, and home
loving men could plow a fuIroN
through fOrty-acre field straight
as an arrow. This man, whose honesty
is apparent, whose native ability il
manifest, if he once could be seen in the
L a. lao,