Year: 1867

'N


PARTY REFORM LEA DERS And THE PEOPLE.
The announcement made in Cable dispatch
two weeks ago that Mr. Gladstone had writ
ten letter virtually resigning the leadership
of the Liberal party in the House OF Commons,
appears TO have been somewhat premature.
The letter in question was addressed by MIR.
Gladstone to the Reform Association of Guild
ford thanking them for their expression of
confidence in him, and was written few hours
after the Opposition had been defeated on his
amendment to the Government Reform
bill. 1t is from the following pas
sage in it that the inference has been
drawn of Mr.. Gadstone's relinquisl-
ment of his chieftainship 60 You will have OBJ


"served tho division of last night, and it will
"probably lead you to an altered estimate of
"any power possessed by me to improve the Re-
form bill of the Government" Some of the
London journals interpreted these words as
conveying an intimatiOn of the writer's inten-
tion to retire from the lead of his party; but


we observe that such leading Liberal organs as
The Daily News and The Morning Star totally
reject this construction of Mr.. Glad
stones language. They admit that
he has committed mistakes i'll dealing
with the question Of Reform, and they
freely express their regret that he should
have yielded TO the malcOntents whose dcfcc-


ton has so seriously impaired the strength and
prestige of the party but they deprecate the
idea of his abdicating the high position which
by common consent was assigned him OF Com
mander-in- Chief of the Liberal forces and they
say they do not believe he has any such inten-
ton. They seem disposed to make every al
lowahce for errors and Observation-Disclosures, the
effects of which, they think, may yet be re-
paired, and they are confident that, with collr
age and patience on the part of the Reformers,
victory will ultimately crown their banners
under Mr.. Gladstone's leadership.


This is what the newspapers say; and if we
are to judge from the resolutions proposed and
the speeches made at the numerous Reform
meetings which are still being held in every
part of England. we must conclude that the
great bulk of the people are disposed to extend
to Mr.. Gladstone the consideration and the
confidence for which the journals plead on his
behalf Mr. Gladstone has one great advantage
over his political opponents, an advantage
which perhaps no public man in England, ex-
cept John Bright, shares with him to an equal
extent the people believe cordially in his hon
esty and sincerity of purpose. They regard
him rs q true friend of Reform, and they cheer
fully acknowledge the great service he has
rendered TO the cause OF progress. very
different il the estimate they have formed
of his distinguished rival-Lord Derby's
Chancellor of the Exchequer AT the Reform
meetings, while Gladstone is invariably spoken
of. even by those for whose tastes he IL much
too conservative. with the greatest respect.
Disucl is handled by the different speakers
with but scant ceremony, and his management
of the Reform question during the present ses-
sion Of Parliament, unquestionably clever, Is
set down by them as just so much political
jugglery Ii is thus one of the speakers,
working man, at % meeting recently held III
Trafalgar square. describes Disracli and his
performances "Since the Wizard of the North
performed in st. James's Hail. there had not
"been in London such performance rs that
"enacted by Benjamin Disraeli in st. Stephens.
"It was a delightful piece Of necromancy to
"drive John Bright, Lord Canbome, Horsman,
and Lowe into tho same lobby but able
necromancer as Mr.. Benjamin Disraeli was, nc
could not mesmc giZC the working classes OF his
Country, who saw clearly through his trans
"parent lodges, who would take from him
P" anything that was worth taking, and reject
whatever was useless" While the people,
then, have no faith in Disraeli, they believe in
Gladstone, around whom they would rally from
one end of the kingdom to the other, could he
only break loose from the ties of party and
act upon the convictions of his own mind.


But whatever may DO Mr.. Gadstone's inten
tions, it will matter little now to the great
bulk of the true Reformets Of England whether
he retains the leadership Of the Liberal party,
or retires from that post. For the people seem
to be fast losing all confidence in Parliament
ary parties; and not without good and su6ici-
ent reason, we think. The principal anxiety of
the great majority, both on the side of the Gov
ernment and the Opposition, seems to be, not to
do the right thing by meeting the just demands
of the people, but to save themselves ana
their order-to prevent democratic inroads
upon the domains of caste and privilege
to perpetuate institutions and usages
alien to the spirit of the age, and inimcal to
the claims of humanity--in short, to uphold and
strengthen the aristocracy of birth and land.
The question of Reform, we are persuaded, will
never be satisfactorily settled by parties
in Parliament without very much stronger
popular pressure than has yet been brought to
bear upon that aristocratic body. The people
are beginning to see this, and they are pre-
pairing for further fight in way which ind-
Gates that there may be some extremely warm
work in England before this Reform battle is
over.


The Trenton Gasette gravely errs in Its as
sumption that we "have commenced an ex-
'planation of tho authorship of certain ar