The sun., 1910-01-09
THE ENGLISH ELECTION.


has almost certainly been turned In favor
Of the Liberals by the concession Of home
rule for Ireland. which will secure the
Irish vote. An Irish leader at once halls
home rule AZ virtually a repeal of the
Union. This comes with the building Of
Droadnoughts and the framing Of imperial
constitutions to grapple colonies across
the Atlantic or at the other side Of the
globe to the centre Of the empirei Such
is the spirit OF party. than which with its
faction fights it is to be hoped the future
has better forms Of government in store.
II a loyal Englishman who had been long
away from bis native land were now to
return to it. how could he in this medley
Of factions-hve Of them on one side Of
the House Of Commons and varying from
each other in their aims-make. up his
mind with which party to vote?
There is a depressing absence Of any
thing like commanding statesmanship
on either side. Above the vulgar clamor
which fills the country and the mutual
vituperation there Is heard no controlling
voice.
After all, the ultimate gamer by this
struggle may be tho Socialist. He will
not now poll a large vote, but the people
are becoming familiarised with his senti-
ments and actuated by his desires. The
budget was evidently an attack on the
estates OF the aristocracy as much as on
their political privilege, and It has practi-
cally raised the question Of property in
land at once, perhaps Of property in
general hereafter The tone Of Lloyd
Georges speeches is decidedly socialist.
Protectionism was probably started by
Chamberlain to bury the memory Of his
Boer war, which besides It's own char
acter must have been largely the source
OF the deficit. 1t does not seem that
Balfour, whom Chamberlain put into the
fory leadership as his lieutenant, takes
very kindly 20 the protectionist ticket.
He says at least that there are limits
TO the blessings Of protection. whereas
Chamberlain's policy requires IL TO be
believed that there is none.
In a reform Of the upper house Of Par
Lament any Liberal of the old school
would have gladly joined. Hereditary
legislation has long been glaringly obso-
lete and a stolid obstruction to needful
progress. The obstinacy Of the Lords
In resistance to the first Parliamentary
reform bill put the Constitution in serious
peril. IL has. moreover. been made clear
on the present occasion that a large
number. apparently a majority. OF the
members, do not attend to their legisla-
tive duties. Some did not even know
their way about the House. Nobody who
sees what the House Of Commons now is
and the influences 10 which IL is exposed
can doubt that its acts require revision
by less demagogic and more truly in
dependent assembly. It il alarming to
think Of the jeopardy in which not only
the United Kingdom but the whole empire
would be we're it put under the absolute
power Of a body such a. the House Of
Commons is now. still more a. it would
be with universal and female suffrage,
The Lords. il I do not misconstrue the
symptoms. are preparing to aoquiesce in
reform.
We are accustomed to think OF the
American Constitution as a democracy,
Of the British Constitution an monarchical
and ariStocratic. Yet the American
President has great though terminable
powers, while the King Of England has
none; and the Senate. a comparatively
conservative body. with a tenure longer
than that of the House Of Representa-
tives. has a greater il Guence in legisla-
ton than. generally speaking, has the
House Of Lords
Gladstone, whose centenary English
men have been celebrating. was a most
wonderful man. II was in finance. per-
haps. that as a statesman he most ex-
celled. As general politician his course
was somewhat variable and called some
times for somewhat oasuistical explana-
ton. as was notably the case with regard
TO the Irish question. But his aim was
always high. his courage was unfailing
He was not only statesman but n moral
power. As speaker he was very effective,
though not an orator Of the Demosthenic
or sensational kind. His powers Of work
were astonishing. He once sent for friend
to help him in settling the clauses Of a
bill which he was going 10 bring into the
House Of Commons and which was des-
tined to be strenuously opposed. He sat
down TO the task at 10 A. M. saying that
he had been up till in the morning over
the bill. With a short interval, while he
was attending Cabinet council. he worked
at the bill till dinner time. and he spoke
in the House OF Commons at 1 o'clock
TIC ncXt nOTnhnB- K1lh was an Oka8IlC ma
ture and his reverses were easily shaken
o6. Nonsense was talked and calum-
nies were afioat about his conduct with
reference to your civil war. He abhorred
war altogether. ard he privately avowed
his conviction that the right solution
would have been the severance OF the
free from the slave States and the union
Of the free States with Canada, but he
never in his public actions or utterances
departed from the strict neutrality which
was the policy Of the Government. That
he held Southern securities was a ridicu-
lous lie.
see, by the way, that a speaker at q
Canadian banquet in New York alludes
to me as an annexationist and the only
one in Canada. Annexation is a word
which l specially avoid. It suggests
compulsion and submission. That to
which IIbelieve in this case nature points
and which she win some day bring to
pass is voluntary and equal union for
mutual advantage and security, like that