New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-05

ana the country will be asked to decide against
the very principle of Home Rule.
This Ministry is carrying on business under
system of payments by instancnts. Last week
the Welsh received certain sum on account
ms week it is the turn of the temperance people
mat eminent champion of temperance reform,
the Chancellor of the ENchcquer, has embodied
| the principle of local option in bill Sir Will
lam liarcourt is the eminent champion Of this
he is of any other cause which comes within the
| range of practical politics. The temperance peo-
ple like the Welsh, like the laboring people, like
various other factions have learned the lesson
which the Irish have taught them. They make
| themselves a nuisance. They agitatc: they Or
ganize: they collect and control certain number
of votes, first outside, then inside Parliament
Then they approach the Prime Minister and say
to him Here are so many votes. They can
be had at such price" If the price is not too
high, the bargain is struck
1t is not very high in the present case. If
you do not too much about mere principle
and look only at practical results. the bill which
Sir William IIarcourt has introduced commits
the Government to the principle of local option,
but is not meant, or at any rate is not expected
to pass. 1t is somewhat carclessy and very
crudey drawn. That of itself indicates pretty
plainly its probable fate. lis aim is to enable
the rate-payers of specified municipal areas, some
times the parish. sometimes a whole borough, to
say for themselves whether drink shall or shall
not bc sold within that area. Onc-tcnth OF the
electors may start the question and demand
poll. If majority of two-thrds of those voting
vote against licensing, license shall he granted
or renewed during the next three years. This.
however. applies only or mainly TO pubic houses
where the selling of liquor is the main business
J,.s la ahat
ance. is a bill against tippling. Railway re-
freshmcnt rooms, hotels. inns, and caiing-houses
rcmain untouched: so apparently do wine
merchants but no groccrs are to be licensed TO
sell wines and spirits The exceptions are large
and the bulk of the population will not have TO
20 thirsty The publican is TO he the Nictih'
He is the object Of the temperance fanatics I'M
apreasablc hatred He pays for the rest HIS
business NAV be ruined, and he Is to have no
compensation II is at his expense that 'hc
community. the masses that is, are 10 he made
virtuous and sober.
II is a bill well calculated TO put down drunken
ness where il does not exist. Where 1t docs
exist on great scale. as. for example. IN IN"
poorer districts of London and IN th" great manu-
featuring towns. no two-thiros majority can "'
cypcctcd 1t has. however. attained ITS r'ai "p-
;oot Il has wo, the approval of Sir Wiirid
"A
cvc, moro eminent than Sir william llarcourt
and certainly moro fanatical. Sit william Il not
70 hc suspected of fanaticism for ANYTHING nnt
ma ioriti,s or for a Little England. Sir Wilirll
hos bestowed his blessing the bantlinG IL"
thinks th, hill "a grand thing and the greatest
measure submitted 10 Parliament since the aooll-
,on of the slave trade Their" YOU nave "''
measure Of Sir Wilfrid Lawson's temperance Oh
| the temperance question.
The week has witnessed two or three scenes
in Parliament, whereof the most lively occurred
in committee The new Chairman, Mr.. McHor'
cayc q new ruling which may have been right
or wrong. but which surprised tic lieusn nnh ied
| 10 discussion Mr. Sexton seized the opportunity
70 accuse the Opposition of "a combined a''chpt
| 10 embarrass and intimidate the new Chairman
an act which TO the Irish mind, with It's passion
for decorum and courtesy in the House, is one OF
| irconceivable iniauity The impression in the
| IJousc was that no such attempt. whether com
| bined or otherwise, was necessary. MI M"hor
| showed no great clcarness and no great hrnneSs'
| lie allowed his ruling to be wrangled over lor
nearly an hour. Mr. Courtney. whom Mr. Glad
stone displaced, would not have suffered II Tor
five seconds He was by universal admission an
| ideal Chairman, clcar-hcadcd, strongwilleh,
master Of business and of men. and absolutely
|
or TO be more accurate, did not allow his re-
| election. His successor may in time learn the
rules of committee, but the ability To govern ii
| stormy assembly is not a thing to be acquired.
| Mr. Gladstone has received a dcputation from
| the Miners Federation, who want an clght-houfS
bill, and has made them speech. He says in
substance to them what he says to everybody
| on every question: "Nou must be unanimous
| or at least there must be a majority, before you
| can expect me 10 do anything The notion that
a leader is TO lead, that statesman should try
| 10 guide or have a policy of his own, is now con
| fined to Home Rule. 1t is an attitude which
NAV be described democracy reduced to All
absurdity His organ puts it in more popular
language: "The question was tickllsh before; II
| remains ticklsh still"
| The debate in the House on bimctauism was
chiefly remarkable for the unexpected DRAWING
| Of party lines 1t is hard to sec what bimctalllsm
| has to do with party politics. Cnionists ana "hd
| stonians were equally surprised There are mono
metallist and bimctallists on both sides of the
House Mr. Gladstone protested against the re-
assembling Of the Brussels Conference, which Sir
Henry Thompson's motion proposed, and the mo-
tion was defeated by 81 majority The Brussels
| Conference was dead before and is now buried
| you remember, perhaps. the remarks OF "Thc
Daily News. last week on President HARRISON
on his incapacity, his hopeless inability to grasp
the situation, his likeness to Nero fddling, and
50 on. You will he pleased to know that from
and after to-day America has President exactly
suitcd to the Glatstonian mind If no abuse was
TOO reckless for Republican chief magistrate no
eulocy is too high for Democrat or Tor Mr.
| Cleveland. personally and officially IT Is
satisfaction" to the Gladstonian organ. 10 know
that there is no American statesman now IN en-
istence who could more safely oc rns'eo 10
meet any difficulties that may come IN MS way
If you think that an ambiguous sc,,en"' no'