The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1892-07-25


nothing that has been done In Louisiana but refuse
to complete in this sste any part Of the transaction
which remains unfinished" :
As the late Chief Judge CHURCH senten-
tiously remarked In a leading case on the
attempted enforcement OF illegal exccutory
! contracts. THE sentiment OF honor among
thieves cannot be enforced in courts Of JUS
tice" He might have added that the senti-
ment is chiefly imaginary.
Tory Talk About Defying Gladstone.
The desperation to which tho British
| Tories have been reduced by their defeat at
| the ballot box was betrayed on Friday in
| London newspaper published by one OF
Lord SALIsBURY's most vehement support
ers. Why. asked the writer OF this article.
should her Majesty's Government resign.
even II vote OF want OF confidence should
be passed by mob OF opponents who agree
in nothing but an eagerncss to share the
spoils Of Office? This means that in their
anger at Mr.. GLADsToNE's success. some
men ut least In the Tory party are willing
to subject the British Constitution to o tre-
mendous strain. which. perhaps, might re-
suit in wrecking the very institutions
which Conservatives hold most dear.
There is indeed precedent-it dates from
nearly fifty years ago-for defying the will
OF tho popular branch OF the legislature.
expressed through a vote Of want Of conf
dence. Curiously. too. this precedent was
furnished by a statesman who. 80 long as
he lived. had in Mr.. GLADSTONE a jealous
and unwavering adherent. 1t was Sir Rob-
ERT PEEL who in 1884 chung to Office In the
teeth OF an adverse majority OF seven in the
| IN
disregard the mandate OF dismissal subse-
quently conveyed by still larger maiorities
upon Cabinet questions. and yielded only
when the House OF Commons. resorting to its
power over the purse. threatened to with
hold appropriations The example offered.
however. on that occasion has been since
repudiated by all political parties. includ-
ng consplcuously the organization to
which PEEL belonged. for ono OF Lord
DERBY's Ministries resigned In consequence
Of being beaten by majority OF one. At
present. II there Is any feature OF the
unwritten British Constitution which Is
deemed indestructible. it Is the duty Of a
Government to retire in view Of an an
uouucement that it no longer possesses the
confidence Of the peoples representatives.
This duty has been emphasized not only by
the unvarying practice OF successive Minis
tries since 1884, but by the immense expan-
sion of tho electorate by the Reform bills
Of 1868 and 1885. 1t may be said with much
more truth to-day than it could fifty years
ago. that the voice OF the House OF Com
mons utters the will OF the British nation.
1t is said. indeed. that Lord SALISBURY
would be justified. under the present cir
cumstances. in departing from constitu-
tional usage. for the reason that Great
Britain has returned majority OF Union
lists. and that Mr.. GLADsToNEs preponder-
ance depends on the aid OF Irish National
lists. who should not be counted ut q crisis
In which the unity Of the nation is at stake.
1t does not lie in the mouths Of Unionists
to put forth this argument. They are
estopped from using it by their repeated
| declarations that since the Act OF Union the
Irish constituents have precisely the same
| right as the English to deal with every con-
ceivable question that can come before the
House Of Commons. No Unionist has ever
disputed tho right OF the Irish Nationalist
members to vote on the bill prescribing
form Of local self-government for
England and Wales: no one has de-
MED their right to share in debates
and divisions on tho bill defining the
powers OF the London County Council.
How preposterious. then. Is the pretence
that Irishmen. who have been permitted
Il regulate tho local concerns OF English
me- are not entitled to regulate their own
Una. while with regard to every other
questioL of imperial or sectional interest
they haVe'ul powers OF deliberation and
decision yet,n the one question which is
to them OF supame and vital moment. the
local self-govern"ent OF Ireland their
votes must BIO unco,nted and their voice
unheard! moro in1uitous proposition
was never engendcred l., poIitical malico
and race hatred. and it wo.ld seem necul.
iary shameless in the meth Of Lord
SALISBURY. who. in the spring u 1885 nc.
ceptcd office at the hands OF Mr.. f>RSE11.
without whose aid the Tories woulu have
been VIGOROUSLY unable to beat the iib-
erals in tho House OF Commons.
We have no doubt that Queen VICTORIA
whose dislike OF Mr.. GLADSTONE. OF the
English Radicals. and OF the Irish Home
Rulers is. unluckily for her. well known.
would back Lord SALISBURY In attempting
tho high-handed and inccndiary course
recommended by the London Morning Post
We believe. however. that Lord SALISBURY
|
pertinent which would shake the British
Constitution to its foundation, which would
cause the masses to SEQ only the bull
warks of class privilege in the pcerage
tho altar. and the throne. and which
would tend to transform tho mere
rivalry OF parties into a social revo
luton. Not oven the passionate desire to
secure delay on almost any terms. in tho
unavowed hope that Mr.. GLADSTONE may
soon vanish from the public stage. will
tempt the Tory leader to sacrifice the con-
ciliatory work done by Lord BEAcoNsFIELD
and by himself during the last sixteen
years. He knows that tho constituents OF
the present Democratic-C Conservative party
arc very different from those OF tho Tory
party managed by Sir ROBERT PEEL half q
century ago. and that he would violate the
fundamental principles OF the now organi-
| vntinD IN hn rafuSnd tn ho,y ly