Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-07-25
Conservative Great britain.


Conservative Great Britain.
Instead of all being elected on the
same day. as our Congressman are, the
election of members OF Parliament con-.
tnues in Great Britain for a fortnight.
The whole number of members in Par
lament Is go. OF this number the re-
turns have already been made for $50
seats, OF which the Conservatives have
captured 302 and their Unionist allies
"a, The Liberals have so far elected 115
members, and their McCarthyite and
Parnellite allies, respectively, 80 and z
members. There remain 140 seats yet to
be filled. II will be seen that of the mem
bers so far elected, the supporters of
Lord Salisbury's government have more
than two to one. Indeed the Conserva.
tives and Unionists have already elected
clear majority of AZ of the whole
membership of Parliament. At the close
of the poll, it will surprise no one if the
governments majority foots up 150.
These parliamentary elections amount
to political revolution in Great Britain,
aud that revolution is symptomatic of a
state of mind at the close of the century
very different from tho state of mind IN
the world hundred years ago. Not
only in Great Britain, but doubtless all
over the world to-day, the tendency and
drift of human purpose is to preserve
what we have that is good, rather than
to turn and overturn everything in test.
ing revolutionary theories. Atthe close
OF the eighteenth century the radical
spirit was abroad. Now, at the close of
the nineteenth, the conservative temper
is prevailing.
The Liberal party in Great Britain
has run counter to some great currents
of the period. Its home rule policy for
Ireland was contrary to the modern ten
dency towards concentration. 1t looked
like break in the United Kingdom,
separation of the Empire into pieces.
The whole tendency of the times is
towards bringing pieces together and
making larger wholes. Business has COM
blned twenty little stores into one big
one. Industry has wiped out the little
workshops and brought artisans together
in great mills. Transportation has
grouped together scores of railroads into
one system, Moreover all Of the big mills
in one line of work show the same ten.
deney by getting together for "trust;n
and the railroad systems do tie same
sort of thing in a "pool."
The tendency towards union, instead
Of separation, has been plainly marked
in government as we'll as in business
The attempted Confederacy of Southern
States failed. Canadian provinces were
united into the Dominion of Canada.
German Kingdoms and municipalities
united and formed the German Empire,
ltaly's fragments got together under one
king.
Gladstone and Parnell's policy for
separating ireland aud England ran
head on against this tendency of the
times. The genius of those two incom.
parable leaders gave the cause an
impetus; but upon their withdrawal the
steady sweep Of the current which
moves towards concentration and union,
has carried the party advocating some.
thing which looked like dismember-
ment, helplessly, and now almost hope.
lessly, down the stream.
The general radicalism of the Liberal
party has been as much as its home.rule
policy against the present current. The
world has gone through Il period of
marvellous agitation for all kinds of
changes and reforms. 1t has been more
or less interested in all of them. 1t has
tried tentatively good many of them.
Some of them it has adopted outright
and with fair results.
But there seems TO be no end 10 them.
and people are growing aweary, The civil
LIKED world is consequently settling back
into a conservative attitude, in which il
is unwilling to consider radical suggcs.
tons.
In such a mood, Great Britain has
naturally SAID mo to the proposition
to wipe out her ancient House OF Lords;
mo" to the proposition to shut off beer
drinking by local option; and mo" to il
host OF radical schemes which had
found shelter under the Liberal partys
wings. Great Britain proposes to be
ruled for a while in the old.fashioned
way.
Americans have sympathized deeply
with Irish aspirations and they have
greatly admired Gladstone. Accordingly
they are moved to some sympathetic
and sentimental regret because the party
of homo ru'e and of Gladstone goes
down beneath the Hood. But it is fact,
nevertheless, that among English public