New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-09-11

Va" must dissolve Parliame mt and come
., 9th a clear mandate from the people to
-, the Lords would YIELD or the Lords them
49,, must be got out OF the way. They knew
.. tho Government. on the very end of
through which they had lived from hand
o,,h and just peaceful six months lay
,r. .hem would not dissolve and that the re-
-. would be very doubtful II they did. They
.u.,ore summoned the Ministry to take up
49, mandate of the Leeds Conference, for want
:, a better and open f.e on the Upper House.
"A they themselves by way Of beginning. or
..,haps signal. suddenly blazed out against
~. clerks Of the Upper House, whose salaries
.,sv came within nine votes of inducing the
x,ouse OF Commons to refuse. Between the un
,.,ny clerks and their Irish tormentors stood the
xno,,try but the Irish guns belched forth flame
.,a smoke just the same. and even let fly shell
:, mo which burst over the heads Of the as
,,undel occupants Of the Treasury Bench and
On, them TO flight. They rallied. and the Irish
.,ased firing. but the second Irish revolt had
occurred and had produced deep impresson a
nhrase which may stand polite circumlocu-
ton for panic
Such were the circumstances in which Lord
poseberys Ministry began life. and such the
stances in which 1t able to prorogue
Parliament They might of themselves explain
a great part OF the diminution of authority
which Is thought to have occurred between the
,ro dates But there is a great deal more than
that Lord Rosebery is chief Of party do not
now include the Irish. who strictly are not men,
hers Of his party, but aes-which is composed
~ dozen different factions. AS party, II does
no, know its own mind. Each of It's factions is
ousrrelling for legislative precedence. Each
wants its own bill put first. and each tries TO ex
act from the Government pledge that at the
head OF the Government programme shall be In
stalled the particular measure most dear to each.
The Welsh have succeeded. Disestablishment Is
10 come first next session. The Labor men. who
want eight hours and many other things; the
machine men. who want vast caucus measure
carried; the temperance men. who want local
veto bill-these and many more or
less Disconnected. Do you think 1t a slight
matter 10 keep the peace between all these con-
tending sections? II you do. you may be sure
that Lord Rosebery does not. and that no Prime
Minister who ever lived would think So
Behind all else lies the same question which
the Irish pressed. the House OF Lords question.
and the general position is still more singular
than the particular one which most concerned
place. the Cabinet is VIGOROUSLY divided on the
method OF dealing with the question II not on
the question Itself Secondly. the most ardent sup
porters Of Lord Roseba.y in the Press. and to
some extent in The party are precisely those who
differ from him most widely. The matter Is dis
cussed here and also in America. as If 1t were a
simple problem Of politics; as II the Liberal party
had only to make up its mind In order to have
lte ME They know
that, II they once resolve to embark upon this
voyage a long and periious Journey lies before
them, with rocks and shadows at every turn.
and head winds and seas day and night. They
know very well that mistake at starting may
be fatal TO the adventure and may wreck them
and their ship.
The more ardent souls whose responsibility Is
less and whose knowledge is less. make light Of
all these dangers and difficulties. They are so
SURE Of success In enterprise OF which they
have never counted the cost nor determined the
course that they are almost ready 10 fly at the
throat OF the more prudent captain who knows
perfectly we'll that, II ne yields to their clamor
and makes a false move. they will equally fly at
his throat at the first check. He knows, and
they know, that the mandate he asked for from
the country has never been giver; and know how
hollow was the imposture Of the Leeds Confer
ence. which tried to pretend IL was the country
What the caucus-mongers really rely upon Is
the appeal to prejudice and passion and to party
interest and class interest which they mean 10
make II they can once force their leaders to take
this leap In the dark.
ANY American who has considered Lord Rose
bery's position In the light of these facts. must
have said 70 himself that il was natural II not
Inevitable that ne should fail to deal with them
all in a way to satisfy everybody. The facts. the
political situation. the rreconcilable antagonsms
By which he Is surrounded are quite enough
10 account for certain falling on In the en-
thuslasm which welcomed him TO Office. He fore
saw IT, and 4: is secret-at any rate II Is true
that ne took office with reluctance and not TIL
after more than one refusal had been overruled
No doubt a great statesman. man OF real politi-
cal genius with courage and good fortune. and
some Of the spirit Of Montrose. might have met
these difficulties In a mood and by methods diff
ferent from Lord Rosebery's: but only on one
condition l will illustrate what l mean by
hypothesis.
In America YOU all accept Mr.. Gladstone as
statesman and a Of real political genus
and neither there nor here was his courage ever
doubted Blu, let us suppose that Mr.. Gladstone
had been In the House Of Lords and not In the
House OF Commons. Let us suppose iur'her
that he had been compelled to confide the leader
ship Of his party In the Commons, the true centre
Of political authority in this country. SO far as
authority is governmental. to a defeated rival
Who remained candidate for the office he mad
missed and had behind him a considerable ana
an extremely bitter and INSCRIPTIONS personal
following What do you think would have be-
come Of Mr. Gladstone's authority In these cir
eumstances? Remember that by far the largest
part OF Mr. GIadstone's ascendency in his party
was due to his unrIvalled Parliamentary ability
due In other words TO his power OF managing
the House Of Commons-and that If he had been