New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-08-21


A CABINET roRTFoLIo-HE Is EXPECTED
IN TELL SOME INTERESTING THINGS
IN TRUTH THIS WEEK.
cpY CABLE TO THE TRIBUNE,
ro,,y,oht. 1882: By The Tribune Assoctdtton.
Iondon. Aug. 2O.-Nr Labouchere has reached
height Of felicity undreamed of by him In those
far-of DAYS. about which he sometimes pleas
.ntlv fables. when he was an attachc OF the
ror.icn Office lie has become constitutional
Question. According to theory of the BRUSH
constitution II is the Sovereign who selects her
ministers and dismsees them at WILL lnat WAS
r.rv much the case the time or the Ueorses'
,vben powerful Minister, summoned 10 the
Vin.,s closet, was not only abruptly ordered to
i've I'D his seals of office, but instructed 10
convey to his adversary the command TO come
and take them up. At the beginning Oh the
Queens reign there was what is known as inc
"bcdchamber plot" where Sir Robert reel, COM
ing into Office, not only required the Ordinary
condition of clearing out of all his predecessor
male friends, But insisted that the staff OF the
Ouecn's bedchamber women should also be re-
constituted. After a stubborn fight he was
hea,rn on that ground but the stand made In
this extreme case did good service in establish
mo on broader and frmer ground the absolute
y;yht of the Prime Minister placed in power Dy
rho mandate Of the people to select his own COL
I.agucs with PRACTICAL freedom from the Royal
veto.
To this day the Queen insists with almost pa
,hetic energy in maintaining the shadow OF auto
,r,tc power in this matter. According to Inc
Gazette. and THE Court Circular" she is the
ole and absolute fountain of honor 1t is she, &C
,ording to these authorities who appoints Minis
ters and has now decided TO confer the honor OF
krghthood upon Mr. Ashmead-Bartlett and MI.
Blunden Maple. So punctilously Is euqueue
maintained in this respect that there have Deen
eases in modern days where, the appointment 10
a dignity having been announced in newspapers
before the proposal was submitted to the Queen,
Her Majesty has declined to confirm the nominal
bon of the Prime Minister and the haples OBJ
ect of his good mention has seen the cup dashed
from his lips Just as he was about gratefully to
drink. This is all very we'll it plcases the
Queen, and except-in the extreme case indicated,
does not hurt any one else but matters assume a
different aspect when a man is pointed out by
nnbc opinion as suitable for Ministerial ONCE,
when the Premier is willing and even desirous to
secure his collea gueship, and when the Sovereign
steps in and puts her veto on the suggestion
That this has been the case of Labouchere is
4 suspicion that has haunted the public mind
for q week past When next weeks number Of
Truth comes out il will he confirmed with
circumstance by Mr.. Iabouchere. He intends to
make a specific statement on the subject, which,
Il would seem, must necessarily call for some
rejoinder from Mr.. Gladstone. There yet three
DAYS before the publication of Truth" and doubt
less efforts, diligently made through this week,
to induce Labouchere to let the matter drop, Will
be renewed. But 1 fancy they will not sue
coed. He is not in wrathful mood on the con-
trary, with very good reason, he is exceedingly
jubiant, his skilfully devised and energetic game
having been played up TO from unexpected
quarters, with rare advantage to him. Writing
in this correspondence year ago on the ques-
ton of whether Labouchere would take office or
would decline it, /, with the advantage Of pretty
intimate personal acquaintance with his views.
came to the conclusion that he would not barter
his freedom for whatever mess OF pottagc might
be profered. know, to-day on the best posi-
bic authority, that that view was correct. La
boucherc would not have taken Office had 1t been
offered him but it withheld in specific cir
cumstances, which raise constitutional question
dear to the Radical heart, and he is not the
man to let slip such rare opportunity uneXpect-
edly dropped into his hand. As he puts IT In
the private discourse on the situation. which nc
is not unwilling to hold he is not going to have
the Minister'S portfolio; that he can do without
II. Dut, nc duus, am lot SoinS W lOiVSV 'hS
sweets of mart yrdom'
1t appears that somewhere about the time tho
article alluded 10 appeared in The Tribune, the
inner councils Of Mr.. Gladstone. forcsecing the
imminencc Of his return 10 power, began TO won
der what "Labby7 would want or whether, with
that Spartan indifference which sometimes char
acterizcs patriots, he would be content, having
done much TO turn out the Conservative Govern
nent, to let the spoils Of victory be divide"
amongst others. Labcuchcrc was waited upon
By gentleman commissioned so it will be asserted
in the eagerly looked for article in next weeks
Truth" by Gladstone 70 ascertain his views on
the matter Would he take office if it were
Offered 10 him? Now Labouchere is badger
exceedingly difficult 10 draw; he is almost the
last man in the world TO give himself away. IL
he said NO." the reply would he accepted az
final and he would be out of court if, hereafter.
he complained or permitted any OF his party 10
complain that he was overlooked when a Lib
eral Ministry was formed. If, on the other hand,
he bluntly said Yes he would descend from
his high pedestal as an independent member and
le liable at any time to be classed with Office
Seekers Accordingly, TO Use his own phrase he
didn't exactly say Yes - but the emssary
left him with the conviction that he was open 10
an offer.
Bearing this in mind, Gladstone when the duty
Of forming a new Government was imposed upon
him. took steps TO ascertain the Queen view on Tie
subject. How that was done, whether by himself OF
dscie euy at secondhand, is matter OF CONJECTURE
but IAbouchere will affirm and will boldly chai-
lenge contradiction of the statement, that her
Majesty intmated in the painest and most EN-
phatc terms that she would not In any circunl-
stances approve the nomination OF Laoouchere DIS
a Minister Of the Crown. On Monday last LaDou-
chere was visited by another emissary from "lao-
stone, personal frie2d, whose name do not give.
though have no doubt that the Editor of Truth
will be more communicative. lie made no disguise
Of the dficultv i'm which the Queen had placed the