Year: 1870

the three kingdoms are full Of excitement.
The London season IL fairly begun, and, busy
and ray as is the world Of fashion, interest
centres in the House Of Commons. On Mon
day night Prime Minister Gladstone moved
the second reading Of his Irish Land Tenure
BILL II was noteworthy circumstance on the
occasion that the galleries were unusually
empty. There was no crowd and but little
excitement. 1t seems already to be foregone
conclusion that the bill must pass. There is


really no opposition-at least no opposition


worthy OF the name. Mr.. Disraeli, 90 grand


and SO popular, has ceased to command any


attention in the House. After Q somewhat


serious illness he is allowed to come In and


take his seat almost unnoticed and as If un-


known. How changed since two winters


ago. How, during the Reform bill period, his


tory following cheered and fattered him Then


his great rival, Gladstone, was In the shade.


Now Gladstone basks In the sunshine Of popu-


larity, and, though aging rapidly from unceas-
ing toll, seems to enjoy the position OF the
idol Of the hour. And why should he not
Did not Disraeli kill Peeli Was not Glad
stone Peel's favorite disciple9 Did he not to
certain extent inherit his great masters
wrongs? Politically 1t has been his to
avenge the wrongs Of one Of the greatest OF
English commoners, and all the world must


admit that he has done his work well.


1t was Disraeli's good fortune to convince


the tory gentry Of Great Britain that he alone
could save them, and that such Reform bill
| US he had proposed was the first and most i'm
portant step toward such salvation. For q
time Disraeli reaped the benefit and carried
off the honors. As the honors, however, were
not altogether honorably won, Mr.. Disraeli's
crown Of glory has soon faded away. Mr..


Gladstone saw that the Reform bill which he


could not carry and which his rival did carry
| opened up the field for sweeping and radical
changes in the government and institutions OF
| the three kingdoms. His Irish Church Discs
tablishment bill was a success such as had never
been experienced in the parliamentary history Of
England. In one session that powerful Church,
which had sucked up the resources of Ireland
for centuries and cast its dark shadow over


the length and breadth Of the little kingdom,


was demolished and laid low in the dust. The
measure was so just In ITSELF was SO carefully
prepared was so skilfully managed in all the


stages Of its progress, and commended itself


so entirely, to the Irish people that it was
impossible for Disraei and those who followed


his lead to get up anything like . show Of


opposition. His success in the matter of the


Irish Church has encouraged him to take
another and even bolder step in the matter
Of reform. Ireland is still the subject of his
song. tits his fixed determination that Ireland
shall no longer be reproach to the British
government. He has removed from Ireland


one wrong, not perhaps the most radical, but


the most patent and the most universally
known and condemned. He now grapples
with another wrong, and there is no longer
any reason 10 doubt that the land tenure of
Ireland shall be established on firm and


enduring basis of equiy-a basis which, while


it will do justice to the tenant farmer and small


leaseholder, will do no wrong to the proprietor
| of the soil. It will no longer be possible for
| landlord to evict at will and to trample on
all principles of justice and fair play 1t will
no longer be possible for tenant to justify


life of inglorious ease on the ground that every


penny spent upon his farm is so much his own


loss and SO much his landlords gain. The bill


has been got up with even more care than


that which made an end of the Irish Church


Establishment. 1t is complete in all it's details


and satisfactory in all its arrangements, and


there can be no doubt that its triumphant
passage through both Houses of Parliament
is certain. The Irish members, we notice,
haze shown some opposition, some Of them
making ominous allusion to the tenant exile
| to America and its probable consequences
| in the event of . war between England


and the United States; but this is not


unnatural, nor can it be said to be unwise
No one knows so well as Mr.. Gladstone that
the most carefully prepared bill is capable
| of improvement In some particulars the
| bill may be modified, but in its essential
features it will assuredly remain unchanged.
When the bill shall have passed into law the


Irish people in Ireland will have good reason
! to be, if they are not, contented. This new
measure of justice to Ireland does honor to


Mr.. Gladstone and his colleagues. 1t does


more 1t does honor to the British Parliament


and people generally, and it has q right to be


regarded as one Of the progressive triumphs OF


the age.


1t is impossible however, to close our eyes


to the fact that even this measure, great and
! good and just as it is, is not 6nality. In


one sense it is another stage reached in the
work OF destruction; in another sense it is


another stage reached in the work Of construc-


ton. But whether we regard it in the light


Of pulling down or of building up, this latest
measure Of reform but creates the necessity
for still another. And so the work must 90
on II the British empire is to be saved, or
i T., - ~ n