New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-04-13
ENGLISH POLITICS.
r sryEN WEEKS sEsS1ON-A REvO-
,,,r1ONARY EDUCATIONAL BILL.

rho adjournment OF Parliament Tor the Easter
..uaovs brings to an end seven weeks Of desu-
w. discussion during which little progress has
49,, made with the real legislative business Of
~. session. The Irish Land bill has not yet
~ nresented; the Education bill has been
,.,roduced at the last moment by Sir John
co-.t IN a luminous, II not brilliant. speech ana
ser:es of small measures has been brought
...vard in one House or the other The Naval
u.orks bill has been passed, and the preliminary
.,sncial votes have been taken; but this Is a
-s.gre record for Government with an over
vhelming majority behind II in the Commons
The bores have been more fluent than ever be-
.ore and they have taken the place Of the old
.,re obstructionsts. Business has dragged, al
Enough the closure has been frequently applied.
and the debate on the Queens speech was I'M
usually short. There are many complaints from
the Government side that Mr. Balfcur does not
,row his own mind. and that the House is not
we'll led.
The Liberal Opposition certainly have not
been responsible for legislative blocks. They
nave challenged divisions infrequenty and
brought on only one set debate on vote OF
..rsure Apart from the 3oudan question.
vhich involved direct reversal OF the Liberal
no,,cy OF 1888, there has been no contentious
.ub,ect Of real Importance under discussion.
The Liberal leaders have been shrewd enough
"a avoid unnecessary display Of the weakness
a, the Opposition in voting strength. They have
been preoccupied, moreover. with internal Ques-
lions OF reorganization. Nominaly there has
been q feud between rival groups OF wre-pullers
and tacticians. In reality. important changes
are going on under the surface The leadership
!. not In dispute. although Lord Rosebery seems
xx,lth htrh no
.neaks and the belated ardor with which he
repels charges relating to the last batch Of
I,h,ral peerages The HuddersAeld meeting Of
IN. liberal Federation has reaffirmed allegiance
"a him: but he alone can vindicate his claim
10 the titular leadership. and he can do this
IN only one way That is by recognizing the
urgent necessity Of party reorganization on
democratic lines with simpler and more prac-
tical programme than the one formulated at
Newcastle. Lord Rosebery has shown himself
10 be a philosopher. and an optimist In the
crisis OF Liberal fortunes; but that is hardly
enough An organizer is needed. rather than
. humorist, or fluent after-dinneT speaker.
rnere is a code Of principles to be recast and
greatly abridged: there is a demoralized party
10 he reconstructed and invigorated with new
life.
Not a single reputation has been made dur
ing the seven weeks Of wearisome discussion
In the Commons, and only one has been ma
terally improved. Mr.. Curzon. as Under Sec
retary for Foreign Affairs, has been constantly
under fire. and he has astonished the House py
his GOODNESS and excellent judgment, extortihs
a tribute Of admiration from Mr.. Lapouchere'
who has not succeeded either In irritating or
confusing him. Mr.. Balfour has disappointed
his friends as leader He speaks well, but ne
lacks the talent of arranging and ordering the
business Of the House by timely compromises.
Mr.. Chamberlain is easily the best debater on
the Government side, speaking with ciearness
and nuency, and displaying extraordinary men
tai elasticity. There Is only one man on the
Liberal side who is fair match FOR MIN. In'S
Is Sir William Harcourt. The marvellous QUICK
ness with which. in the Soudan deoate' ne per
ceived the one weak point In the armor OF the
Unionst Achilles and concentrated upon IL the
resources Of his logic and irony. was worthy
Of the best intellectual traditions OF the Com
mons. Sir William Harcourt Is the most as-
rressive leader on the Liberal side. and he
best Parliamentary hand. He Is not always
Joking. and ne has a statelness Of manner In
teeping with the dignity Of polite Al authority.
In smile of the common English disposition TO
disparage him. II would be natural to forecast
Lis ultimate success sion to the leadership II he
had thoroughly good health.
What the Opposition has needed more than
ANYTHING else is a new point OF concentration.
ana this has not been offered In the debates on
foreign complications and naval preparations
which have engrossed the attention OF Parlia-
ment The Education bill has been awaited with
eagerness on that side of the House because 1t
has been rashly assumed that the Government
would share the fate Of the Gladstone Ministry
which was nearly wrecked in 1870 on the rocks
OF religious bIgotry Now that 1t Is fairly be-
fore the country II seems probable that 1t VIII
weaken rather than strengthen the Govern
ment II is a many sided compromise measure
In which good and bad tendencies are curfously
balanced and readjusted There Is hardly a
candid critic who cannot find excellent features
IN II; and on the other hand. there is not an
outspoken supporter OF the Government who Is
satisasd With IT,
AN ADMINISTRATIVE REVOLUTION.
The most important change effected by this
OH vii be process Of decentralization ny
which the functions Of the Education Depart
ment In Whitehall will be paralyzed ana the
authority Of the School Boards seriously I'M
paired. There will be transfer Of con-
lol from trained experts in the Educa"o"
Department and the School Boards to COM
mittees OF the County Councils. These commit
tees' one for each county, will be empowered
10 inspect the schools supervise the sanitary
arrangements. revise the course OF instruction
apporton the grants from the Imperial Treas
ury ana expend the money set apart from the
rates FOR educational purposes The bill pro-
poses revolution In ad illustrative system
IL establishes separate educational depart
ment for each county. In every county and
county borough there will be Statutory Com
mittee. nominated by the Council and It will
De the sole channel through which public money
VIII reach the schools Ii will not only have al
most unlimited powers over the elementary
SCHOOLS but 1t will also administer the funds
applicable 10 secondary technical industrial