New-York tribune., 1894-04-15

Redmond that his hour had not struck took mat
ters lightly and amused and charmed the House.
his opponents included. by speech OF easy
banter and good-natured raillery. The Radicals
eat with white faces in white sheets. Two or
three OF them and notably the redoubtable Mr..
Dalziel who had a lance in rest against the
Lords and had to lower it. climLed up on STOOLS
and made public profession Ct repentance for
their menaces Of mutiny. Mr. Redmond, OF
course. made none He was not OILY unrepent-
ant. but peremptory, with an ominous note OF
wrath the, came ringing out In almost every
sentence Of his speech. He demanded an as
surance of precedence for the Evicted Tenants
bill as the price of his support 1t fell TO Mr..
John Morley, .hose bed Is not exactly OF roses,
to refuse this demand. which he would have
been only too glad to gran: Sir Charles Dixie.
the partner If not the accomplice OF Mr.. La
bouchere. sat 6 lent.
Mr. Chamberlain. more serious than Mr. Bal
four. and perhaps tCo serious. pro.cst'd against
what he described as the New Ministry doc
trine. that the time of the House belongs TO
party majority. He did. however. one service in
which he had the cooperation Of Mr.. Redmond.
He said plainly that the so-called privileges OF
private members might we'll come 10 an end,
that the discussions they raised were OF no pub
lie utility. and that the greatest bore generally
got the first place. How true 1t is. Yet 1t
shocked the House. The House always requires
time TO accept ide. and never likes 1t to
be presented bluntly.
Well. this danger over. the question arises,
What next? The Government is the stronger for
Its victory. yet too strong II is felt that its
escape was narrow. 1t is not shaken nor DIS
credited rather the contrary: but nobody feels
sure what the morrow may bring forth. The
chapter Of accidents is still open. The real dan
ger lies there. Give them time and they will
pull themselves and their followers together,
coerce the Radicals. and keep sort Of
majority together. But no man in the House OF
Commons ever knows when or how or how
suddenly, a question may arise which the
Ministry may have to stake its existence with
out preparation and With no time to send out
whips or muster forces.
The present calculation Of the Opposition is on
the unforeseen. Their minds are full Of the idea
OF dissolution. They are preparing in every con-
stituency for a near election. They believe that
a general election would restore them to power
or at least would so weaken the Ministry to
make any long tenure Of office impossible. Per-
haps they forget one thing. that new election
which certainly means Parliament. might
also mean a new Cabinet in part. and possibly
a new policy in part. Lord Rosebery at present
lament. the Cabinet. and the policy Of his prede
cessor. II the country gives him a majority 1t
will then be for him to determine what use he
will make of it. That he will be perfectly loyal
to his party and to the ideas for which his party
exists, Is certain. But he will be master in
sense In which he Is not now and he will be felt
TO be master. IT, on the other hand. there be
Unionist majority the Liberal party will have
time to mediate in opposition things in gen.
eral, and especially on the urgent need for its
own reconstruction. Many of tho soundesi and
best Liberals believe that not otherwise can the
party regain its ascendancy. or agree on a policy
which the Nation will ultimately accept.
The precedence given to the so-caed ReGistra-
tiSn BILL which Mr.. Morley introduced on Fri
day. is easily explicabe. There votes in it.
votes reckoned by the hundred thousand by
sanguine Liberal calcuators. II Is a Reform
bill. 1t enfranchises larger numbers Of Liberal
electors mainly workngmen. by reducing the
period Of residence required as a qualification.
1t dlsfranchses large numbers Of Unionst
electors by abolishng. nearly abolishing
plural voting. The formula. zone man. one vote
Is to be stereotyped into law. The formula is
sound. The omission to accompany the appli-
cation Of il by some scheme of redistribution
leaves the electoral system still unequal and un-
just. ELt zone man. one vote will help the
Liberals and the Liberals propose it, "One vote.
one value" would help the Unonists. and is there
fore excluded. The Cnionists when their turn
comes. may be trusted to restore the balance
The bill 1t stands is not free from the
picion Of political bias but it had the advantage
of being introduced and expounded by Mr. John
Morley. whose speech has rather enhanced his
parliamentary reputation.
1t is understood that the Irish were induced to
that in their interests II best that
this Reform bill should precede the Evicted
Tenants bill. If passed 1t may alter the result
Of the next general election, and alter II In their
favor
Uganda Is a serious question, which has a less
serious side 1t presented Lord Rosebery in the
attitude of a schoolmaster with Sir William
Harcourt for a pupil The lesson set this very
mature scholar is a lesson in Imperialism. He
learned u we'll enough To say II off in the House
Of Commons Thursday without mistake
There never has been much doubt, II any that
Lord Rosebery would establish a protectorate
over Uganda. The lamented Sir Gerald Portal
was sent there to report foregone conclusion.
It was known what Lord Roseberys policy was
and II was known what Sir Gerald's views were.
His very able and conclusive report with its
curious collection OF alternative schemes meant
to be set aside. has been In the hands or the
Government some four months. This is supposed
to represent the period required for Sir Williams
conversion 1t became his pleasant duty to an
nounce 1t TO the House. and the House cheered
pleasantly. One important point. whether there