New-York tribune., 1908-06-20
a, american Scholar on the Coz
ernment of England.


an allusion in this book it is obvious
.be author has been a close observer and
"a. s.,+ Of British governmental institutions for
=. twenty years. He has been absorbed in
e,,r,ect 10 extraordinarily good purpose. pro-
i,c now work that must rank amongst the
-. additions made by American scholarship TO
iss literature Of political science. Other con-
I.;ons have been made in his field OF
-, some of them highly important but Mr.
-, differs from all his predecessors in one
lending particular. His book is more am
x,.,o,,s in design and scope than any that has
,.,a--o been published. II is intended TO be
-. comprehensive and inclusive. beginning
.s.h .he crown and passing down the scale TO
,s-ish councils, which are the smallest and
- iranor-ant Of any of the numerous local
-e-rtnE bodies in England directly elected by
-. reorle While the book is mainly confined
- england the author has to some extent, es-
...ie1lv in his exposition Of the central govern
,s,1 noted the differences with regard TO Scot
,.,5 and Ireland. No other book covers so
.,o-i+atively and in such detail. the whole
re NJ English governmental and political
.,,.i-1 Furthermore. Mr. Lowell treats at
18th Of the history, organization and functions
q -s-1ies and Of all the diverse factors and in
ersnces which go TO the making Of English po-
,,.,,el life Here and there he refers to himself
foreigner. The fact would not otherwise
;. noticed for in every chapter there evil
sences Of remarkable insight into English char
cte- Of the fullest appreciation Of those charac-
,o-ie-3rs which mark the townsrnen and the
,o,n-rv dwelier differentiating the men in trade
- sndustrv from the landed aristocracy or the
Official classes.
Mr. Iowells understanding Of the English
rsonle is especially effective when he leaves Lon
-s emf he
~ -re state observation-disclosures concerns him
sslf with electoral activities and the relations
syis-irc between members Of the House of Com
-,ons and their constituents. 1t is shown when
he is dealing with the local party organizations
end with the national organizations into which
.bev are federated. He goes in some detail into
the history OF the organizations OF the Conserva-
.ires and Liberal -Unionists, of the Liberals and
Radicals from the time when the Reform Act
of 1892 brought into existence associations for
the pra-notion Of the registration of voters. He
shows how and why organization had usually
beer. more complete with the Conservative party
Than with the Liberals This is chiefly because
the Conservatives have always commanded
-,ore money and have. moreover. made greater
IKE IF social prestige-of the patronage OF the
middle and working classes by the landed aris-
tocraCy-than has been possible with the Liberal
Marty or in keeping with Liberal ideas There
:s no lack Of books on this phase Of Mr.. Lowers s
subject but his survey Of il is exceptionally thor
Ough Political organizations are all active in
the interest Of the parties with which they are
associated. but their activity is chiefly that OF
electioneering bodies, concerned more or less di-
rectly with the selection Of candidates and their
success at the polls In the moulding Of public
opinion their part is not large. In fact, MI
Lowell states that as organs for the popular
NJ f1a ~ in
uulstion OF opinion and for the effective ex-
-,ession of the wishes Of the rank and hle these
od5es are a mere pretence. Both the National
Liberal Federation and the National Union OF
Conservative Associations he adds, have been
sources Of anxiety TO the party leaders; but
for the time al least both have been made
harmless Both are shams; but with this dif-
ference. that the Conservative organization Is q
transparent and the Liberal opaque sham"
In book where the level Of the chapters is
uniformly high il is difficult single out this
one OF that for special commendation Two at
least, however must be mentioned. There
has never been better exposition Of the state
DEPARTMENTS and the Civil Service Of England
than the one Nr Lowell has written in no
other book which covers the whole Of the gov
eminent Of Eugland-central and municipal-is
there { more detailed description Of the meth
ods ny which the TWO houses Of Parliament dis
charge their legislative functions Between the
Two great 20. .-ical parties the author r1des on
fairly even keel But now and then, as, for eK-
ample. when he is estimating the position and
usefulness of 1he House Of Lords, his leanings
are seemingly toward the progressive party
His attitude throughout is that OF a student VINO
has come TO admire English institutions and the
spirit in which they are worked The expression
Of his admiration is dignified and restrained
but we frequently recognize peculiarly warm
feeling for the adartability Of English institu-
tons 70 the work that falls 70 them and TO po-
Itical. economic and social change We have
already spoken Of the insight into English char
scter and conditions which gives such distinc-
ton 10 Nj I,1vell's book lifting it far above the
level Of works ling only with the mechanism
Of government He is SO seldom wrong in ms
conclusiors that il seems invidious to point out
cne or tRo statements concerning the attitude
Of the people toward their political institutions
that are really open TO question 1t is mis-
take 10 speak Of the weavers of Lancashire as
OF the whole. Conservative. Manchester after
the split in the Liberal party in 1886, ana untli
TIE general election in 1906 was Conservative
But there are comparatively few weaVers IN
Gancheste- and the Parliamentary poll DOCKS
FOR the period between 1885 and 1906 furnish no
evidence that the cotton operatives in the other
lancashire constituencies were seherdHg ni'0o
with the Conservative party
Another statement open TO question is that the
.cion Of 2 noble family even when he has no
landed interest behind him, is usually strong
Parliamentary candidate in a working class con-
stituencv. The extension of the FRANCHISE
says Mr Lowell, has thus rather increased
than diminished the influence Of the nool!lty-
This was true enough until the end OF the iiiie-
teenth century. The development OF CLASS CON
tcousness among the industrial classes III INC
midlands and the North Of England was rnucH