Year: 1869

have been rare We have. in fact, no par
allel but that of 1912 In the case Of the
first Reform bill the Lords really were stub
born. The crisis which is now probable did
then actually occur. Parliament was dis
solved. A fresh appeal was made to
the country. The country, as was to
be expected, went with the Commons.
The Lords still proved refractory. A
threat to create new peers ultimately made
the Lords give way. 1t is barely possible that
the tory party, backed by the majority In the
Lords, may push matters to this extremity. In
such case the Lords will send the bill back
to the Commons in its amended form. The
Ministry may resign and appeal to the country
on this particular question. In the new House
of Commons Mr.. Gladstone will fiud himself
stronger than he is in the present. new
bill, similar to its predecessor, will be manu-
factured and sent to the Lords. II the Lords
refuse to pass it Mr.. Gladstone will advise
her Majesty to create as many new peers as
shall be necessary to carry the bill through
the Upper House The Lords may fight the
fight to the last and die game; or, as in the
case of the first Reform bill, they may admit
that discretion is the better part Of valor, and
absent themselves in sufficient numbers to
allow the bill to pass.


View the case as we may, therefore, it is
manifest that the Lords must in the long run
yield or submit to defeat. Considering the
temper of the Lords, as manifested on the oc-
casion of the third reading Of the bill. it is not
our opinion that they will push matters so far
as to make a dissolution of Parliament neces
sary. If they do the times will be stirring all
over Great Britain during the autumnal recess
Lords and honorable gentlemen will be COM
PEELED to attend to their constituents and make
speeches, rather than go to their shooting
quarters and merchants and well-fed alder
men will grumble because of the stupidity OF
the Lords and the stagnation of business. The
presumption is that the Lords will yield with
out further struggle. They know that it is
better to stoop to conquer than to resist and
be defeated. Graceful concession is always
wise when defeat is inevitable. In Great Bri-
tain, as in the United States, the D0r popuh
commands aud must be obeyed.


The French Cable and the United states


Government.


Mr. Secretary Fish is making great and
needless fuss about the landing of the French
cable. In fact, he assumes too much, and an
tcipates the action of Congress in the matter.
The form of the bill which he sent to the British
and French ministers and which he says passed
the Senate, is not law, for it did not pass the
House, and may never become law. But
whether Congress, on reassembling, should
pass this bill or any other, the country and
government in the meantime are not likely to
suffer, and, indeed, would not suffer any in
convenience if no law at all were passed. The
laying of the French cable is private enter
prise, though encouraged for the sake Of COM
merce by the French government, and it is Of
no consequence to the public or government
| whether the stock be held in France or Eng
land. The only thing we care about is to have
rivalry in cable telegraphing, and as much Of II
as possible, in order that the rate OF charges
may be reduced and that this important agent
of intelligence may not be used for the benefit
of monopolists Therefore, we say, the more
cables the better, and we hope our American
capitalists will have ere long the enterprise
and public spirit to lay cable to Europe, and
thus add to the number AS to the govern
ment of the United States having the same
privileges with cables landed on American ter
ritory as that of France or England may have
when cables start from French or British soil,
that is all right and should be claimed. But
who supposes that France or England, or any
company, would object to this? Of course the
same privileges would be conceded, for the
reason that this government has the power to
enforce them, if for no other reason. We
ought not to require more than that. The lay
ing of these cables, as was said, are private
enterprises, and the greatest facilities should
be given TO them, as is given to the transmits
sion of intelligence by other means and tc
commerce. To impose unnecessary restric
tons or conditions is contrary to the spirit o
the age and the public good. We should bt
sorry to think the government is acting in thu
interest of or influenced by any existing mo-
nopoly. and we hope it will act in a large ant
liberal spirit in this matter all through.


The WAR IN PAgAGUAY.-By way Of Lon
don. and through the Atlantic cable we have
advices from Rio Janiero, dated on the Goth o
June. in complete confirmation of the defeat o
President Lopez by the Brazilans and thei
allies. Ia the decisive battle the Paraguay





wounded aud lost three hundred pris
oners and twelve guns A provisional govern
ment had been established in Paraguay unde