Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1893-02-02
TEST OF PARTY POWER.
Queen Victoria Prepares the Way for
q Bitter Strupple

Queen Victoria Prepares the Way for
Bitter Struggle.
LONDON, Jan. 30.-As finally drafted
in cabinet council, and as formally sane
toned by the privy council, the Queens
speech, to be read before Parliament.
will present such mass of legislative
proposals as would tax q septennial
parliament to get through with.
1t is generally conceded that at
the utmost the life of Mr..
Gladstone's government will not last
longer than two years, and there
are not lacking those who predict it will
not be longer than six months. There
fore, if it passes any one of the great
measures that will be announced in the
Queens speech, it will distinguish it
self. The text of the speech will be
communicated as usual to those pres
ent at the ministerial dinners tonight
and to the leaders of the Conservative
and Liberal Union opposition.
Besides promising the introduction of
the Irish legislative bill, an electoral
registration reform bill, and as county
council reform measure, the speech will
intimate that a licensing reform meas
ure, a local option scheme, bill deal
ing with the election of county magis-
trates, and proposals affecting the Es-
tablished Church of Scotland and the
church in Wales, will be offered for the
consideration of Parliament. Next, leg
islation will be promised to extend the
powers OF the London County Council,
and Board of Trade measure ex-
panding the functions of the
present Labor Bureau. Reference
will be made to the newly
formed royal commission on poor law
relief, which is to deal with the old age
pension question. to the Indian cur
rency commission as about to present a
report to Parliament and allusion made
to royal commission to inquire into
the land question in Wales. The atten-
ton of the House will be asked to the
report of the Irish evicted tenants COM
mission and the governments proposals
regarding agitation for the release of
the dynamite convicts and Irish politi-
cal prisoners, except in guarded ref
erence to general measures which aim
at permanent peace in Ireland.
Referring to international matters,
the speech will hopefully remark on
the Behring Sea arbitration about to
open in Paris, to the timely settlement
of the recent ministerial crisis In Cairo
and the restoration of harmony with
the Khedive and to the none
tary conference at Brussels, as
assisting the governments repre-
others views regarding the condi-
ton of home and foreign trade, the
speech is understood to be more opti-
mistic than might have been expected.
The relations of Her Majesty's govern
ment with all foreign powers will be
declared satisfactory, and hopeful refer
ence made to the future of commerce
between the United Kingdom and the
colonies.
Bland as the phrasing of the speech
is, not an announcement in it but means
a challenge to the opposition. Lord
Salisbury and his late colleagues have
been in conference, and have deter:
mined, in conjunction with the Duke of
Devonshire and Mr.. Chamberlain,
to open war a outrance upon
the government without delay.
Both the Ministerialists and the
opposition take the government
programme not so much as an in
vltation to actual work in Parliament as
an electoral platform for the next ap-
peal to the country. So the Unionists
have determined that even at the risk
OF forcing dissolution which they
would regard as inopportune, they must
combat the government at every point.
The debate on the address will bristle
with amendments. Mr.. Chamberlain
will raise at once the home rule ques-
ton by an amendment denying the ad-
visibility of separate Irish legislature.
Mr.. Labouchere threatens amendments
on the retention of Uganda and the con-
tinued occupation of Egypt. John
Redmond has his motion as
to Irish prisoners and James
Lowther an amendment regard
ing destitute aliens. Mr.. Kier-
hardie wants to condemn the gov
eminent as overlooking the claims of
the labor party, and the publicans'
friends in the House, still powerful
section, will prepare an amendment
protesting against interference with
their vested rights. Unless the House
grows fierce with impotence it will
have some three weeks palaver to go
through with before Mr.. Gladstone can
get an opportunity of introducing his
home rule bill.
Messrs. Mccarthy, Sexton and Dillon
have, IN Restraining way, approved the
clause in the home rule bill reserving
the control Of the land question to the
Imperial Parliament for a fixed number
of years. But they differ with Mr..
Gladstone as to the period during
which the Irish legislature has to wait.
Mr.. Gladstone proposes ten years. The
Irish leaders think five too long, and
demand three, with further advances
from the imperial exchequer under
the land act, 80 as to reconcile their
constituents to any delay whatever.
It is doubtful whether Mr.. Gladstone
will be able to get the bulk of his sup
DOrters in the House to assent to any
further grant, and the Irish members
will reject the clause without Its fnan-
cial appendix. 1t will thus be seen that
while the proposal may not absolutely
wreck the bill. it will add further peril
to it's passage.
OFFICER SHOT BY "A CLERK.