Year: 1868

would agree to either course Whenever 1t might suit
Her Ministers


If what the Duke Of Richmond said were true
then the Queen had put into tle hands of Mr. Dis
raeli such a weapon as no Prime Minister had ever
held before She had given him continuing power
of dissolution She had enabled him to OveTawe
Parliament by perpetual menace, TO legslate with
out a majority, and to govern by the help of the
Crown in defiance Of the Commons. The old struggle
for the representative liberties of the people seemed
about to begin over again. When the House met on
Tuesday Mr. Gladstone rose at once to ask Mr.. Dis
raeli whether the language of the Duke of Richmond
was adopted by the Ministry as signifying the
relations in which they stand to the House of
Commons and the position In which they would
ask the House of Commons to continue
to discharge its functions in the execution of
the legislative business of the country 1t almost
incredible that Mr.. Disraeli should have evaded this
momentous question, but evade it he did, by conin-
ing his answer to another and wholly subsidiary
point raised by Mr.. Gladstone. lie was on the point
of sitting down, when Mr. Bright again called his
attention to the question and demanded an answer
Unable to escape wholly, the nimble Minister an
swered this time half the question: or hall answered
half of it. He simply reiterated his statement OF
Monday night, that he had recommended her
Majesty TO dissolve Parliament as soon as the state
of public business would permit, and that she had
acceded 10 bis recommendation AS to the Duke OF
Richmonds speech he said he had not read 1t; and
he thought if anybody was TO be asked TO explain
that speech it should be the Duke himself


But the House grew tired of being trifled with In
this fashion. dozen members rose one after an
other and in language moro peremptory than is often
heard in that body. required of the Prime Minister
that he should avow his position. Mr.. Cardwell told
l. Il, tho
put off by clever phrases and ingenious evaslons-
that we are entitled to be told in what character


we are about TO egisate during the short remainder
of the session, and whether we are the free repre-
sentatives of those who sent us here, or only hoid
our places at the Will and pleasure OF the right non
orable gentleman" Mr. Bernal Osborne charged IL
upon the Prime Minister that for the first time the
mama of the Sovereign had been besmirched in the
arena of political conflict. The Duke of Richmond
has nothing but-"It would almost seem to me
listening to the enunciations made IN another
place, not by noble duke, but by man
who uses the purest English and never Is mistaken
in his meaning, that there is a power behind the
throne which tenders its unconstitutional advice and
which not content with being the presiding genius
of the Government strives to control the rights and
privileges of this House. Mr.. HOrsmau restated
categorically the points which the House desired
to be informed, and concluded by saying I'VE must
know whether or not there are powers which the
Government processes to exercise, because The ohdrdc
ter. independence and dignity Of this House are
iprolred in the dnarern Still Mr.. DSraell
sat silent, wearing what Mr.. Bright de-
sCribed as his "no-meaning, nothinR-ntendlng
countenance.' Finally rose Mr. Lowe, and IN tone
different from the bitter satire which he commonly
launches against Mr. Disrael entreated of the Min
isry out of regard for their character out of
regard for the august name which has been dragged
into this debate out of regard for the character OF
this house and what will be thought of us i'll the
country not to have it said that simple straight
forward question has been put TO the Government,
and that tie Government has avoided answering 1T;
and Mr.. Lowe, for the third and last time of ask
ing" once moe read the words of the Duke of Rich
mond exclaimng - ask the right honorable gen
tleman, are thest words the words Of the Govern
ment-Aye or Nor


Then at last, compelled to choose between throw


ing over his colleague and an open conflict with the
House, which might result in vote of expulsion,
Mr. Disraeli squarely dsayOwed the words of the
Duke of Richmond. His advice TO the Queen in re-
spect of dissolution, and the consent of the Queen
to dissolution, related he said, solely to the Irish
Church ISSUE and if any othG difficulty should arise
in the conduct Of affairs it would be the duty OF
Ministers again to consult The Queen. All that the
Duke of Richmond had clamed-the right to dis
solve at any moment on any adverse vote-Mr. Dis
raeli distinctly renounced.


Thus passed away what threatened to be mo-
mentous crisis in Parliamentary history. But there
remains the QueStion-Did he Duke of Richmond
give the true version of tic compact between the
Oueen and her Prime Minister 1t is not a violens
suppostiOn that the Queen nay have been caoled by
Minister whom she probably considers too honest
into a
is very possible that Mr. DIsraeli brought away
from Osborne the power which the Duke of Rich
mond saws he brought. OF curse he would have kept
it hidden from the Hous' till occasion arose to
use it but if he reveded the secret to his
Cabinet, what more naturalthan that blnndering
Duke should have stated honestly what his chief
now brands as a clumsy mistake 7 In that case Mr.


Disraei must still explain the Queen how he came
to advise her to do an act which would have set the
Crown and the Commons atvariance. That viii not
be hard task to Minlstg who has succeeded Ill
mystifying the House and TIE whole country as to


the facts of the interview between himself and the
Queen. g. W. g.


THE DEFEATED OYERNAENT-MINISTERIALE EX-


PLANTATIONS AND INTENTIONS.


On the evening of the 4th of May the House
Of Commons crowded In every part, the Prince Of
Wales and large number ofpeers being present


Mr.. Disrae rose to state he course the Government
proposed after the ddson Of last Thursday Pre-
facing by long retrospeotJf the circumstances under
which this Government took 'ce, and tho transactions
OF year. he argued from item that this Parliament
had been elected under th influence Of his political
opponents Lord Derby milt constiutonally have dis
solved when he in, and after the Reform Bill
Of last year had been carried but that both occasions
he had waived that right And 10 show that there had
been nothing In the genera conduct Of affairs by the
present Government TO forfeit that right, ho re-
viewed at length the Administration OF the Home For
egn and Irish departments taking particular credit for
the result OF the AbyssyniaI Expedition. Under these
circumstances, when so startling change a. the discs
tabishnent OF the Irish Church was proposed Mt few
nnvaI he he ma mt