Barre evening telegram. (Barre, Vt.) 1898-19??, 1899-02-06
CHURCH AND POLITICS.
THEY'RE Curiously Mixed Up Just Now
In Great Britain.
QUARREL OVER RITUAL1SM'
rnu,apd,. Big Business Boom Keeps
p..e with Ours-sOcicty Eve"'S
Across. the Water-Other new"
of the British Capit"i.

landau. Feb. 6.-British politlcs ""
49,, ovo of the reassembling Of parlia-
ment show that the old war cry "
mo popery," so long silent, mas SUI
denly usurped first place. II Is over
riding party programmes ana 1orcIne
the leaders who prefer to divorce the
church from parliamentary STRIFE 10 oe-
clare themselves.
The movement was started last SUM-
,ner nv then, unknown bookseller
pomed John Kensit, whom Englishmeh
rated as Americans did Coxey. IL gath-
ered momentum through the 10"
churchists agitation until it now DOM
mates public attention. The neWspa-
ners are swamped with communlca-
tions, mass meetings are being organic
ed everywhere, and the voters are III
sisting that their representatives III
nounce their views.
How fiercely the people are wrought
I'D was hardly realized until MI. a. -
Ralfour, the government leader III tne
house of commons and first lord OF the
treasury. perhaps personally the most
non1lar publcist, addressing his con-
stituents at Manchester on Monday
last. endeavored to ignore ritualism ana
rethrash the stock themes of politics.
He was fairly howled down. His audi
tors would not be silenced, when, IN MS
suave, diplomatic manner, ne attempted
to slide around the subject by remark
ing that no violations OF churcn Ia"
had come to his attention. the auol-
ence insisted that he should declare
himself, and the meeting broke up IN
manner very Ike state OF anarchy
Calling on BulfOur.
On Wednesday an influential delesa-
ton called on Mr.. Balfour and arralgn-
ed him for advocating the establish
ment of a Catholic university in Ire
land He replied that the scheme did
not represent the party, but only per-
sonal views, and said:
ut is a matter of Indifference to me
whether I remain in public life. 1t Is
not a matter of indifference if l am pre-
vented from expressing, even against
my own interests, the views con-
scientiously hold"
The mass meeting of Wednesday,
which was not representative save in
the numbers attending, hooted the
names of Lord Salisbury, the archblsh-
Cd of Canterbury and the bishop OF
London and demanded that ritualistic
clergymen be driven from the church.
A curiously leading part in the agi-
tation is borne by the nonconformists,
and it is also noted that party lines DO
no, hold, though the majority of the
antirltualsts are Liberals. The high
church Conservatives have issued a
blacklist of 60 parliamentarians, ap-
pealing to the voters to oppose them II
they support antiritualistic legislation.
The bishops bill recently framed at
Lambeth palace. for over 600 years the
London residence of the archbishops OF
Canterbury, and the Irish university
proposal furnish the bones of conten-
ton. The latter had the misfortune to
be brought forward when the religious
strife was most heated and is likely to
have a hard road to travel.
The recent speech of General Stewart
L. Woodford, former United States
minister to Spain, before the Army and
Navy club in New York city has been
applauded by all Englishmen and has
provoked divers comments. The moral
most of them draw is that 1t helps the
friendly understanding between the two
countries.