Year: 1872




Fears are entertained that the illness of the
English Prime Minister may have serious
results, and considerable uneasiness is felt
lest fatal results should ensue, in polit-
Gladstone at this juncture would be an ire
parable loss to the liberal party in England
No man in Parliament could take his place in
carrying out the peaceful, progressive, policy
that has marked his administration. Although
not great or an original thinker, he has the
quality of adopting the popular ideas of the
hour and making himself their exponent and
defender. Beginning life as Tory Mr.. Glad
stone has risen to power in advocating
doctrines that his old conservative allies have
been accustomed to denounce as revolutionary.
It is to his credit, however, that the constant
change Of his opinions is due to nature that
combines strangely sympathy and sternness.
1t would not be, perhaps, just to blame too
severely the mental organization which adopts
the ideas Of the moment as the
expression of popular will which it
is the duty Of statesmen to obey.
This habit of thought has the advantage of
recognizing the people as superior to the Par
lament, and is tacit recognition that oil
power lies with the people. It is by his efforts
to apply the liberal theories to the benefit of
the masses and to reverse the oppressive Eng
lish policy in Ireland that Mr.. Gladstone will
principally be remembered in the future. He
undoubtedly recognizes that the reign of class
rule is at an end and his aim has been to edu-
cate the people to the use of the liberties he
saw could not long be withheld from them
without incurring the danger Of revolution.
Like all changes at critical period it is not
possible yet to judge whether he has not in
creased instead of lessening the danger he
sought to avert It is pretty generally con-
ceded among political thinkers that the
present system Of government in England
must undergo radical change, and it remains
to be seen whether the masses will be content
to wait the issue of Gladstone's slow process,
or, feeling their strength, will attempt to seize
by violence the power that lies within their
grasp. In either case the present government
of the aristocratic classes is doomed and will
owe its overthrow to no one more directly
than to that same William Ewart Gladstone,
whom years ago Macaulay described as 'the
hope Of the stern and unbending Tories





THE RouaHs AND RowDHs AT BosroH-
AS the eagle scents his prey from afar so do
the professional thieves see in the misfortunes
which great disaster brings upon the honest
and thrifty their field for spoliation. They
do not lack in the enterprise requisite for
gathering the harvest which the confagration
prepares for their ready fingers. Before honest
men found the ruins Of their warehouses cool
enough to permit the search for the chance
savings from the fury of the flames, roughs,
rowdies and thieves from New York, Phila-
delphia and other cities had made long rail
way journeys to bs on hand to steal from those
whom the fire had .despoiled. Only by the
utmost frmness of military discipline can
they be properly repressed in their fendish
attempts for plumber. General Sheridan
last year at Chicago found it necessary to use
arbitrary measures. He baffed the thieves
and earned the gratitude Of the Chicago
sufferers. Boston's authorities should not
hesitate for trifes in fencing out the roughs of
their own city with their reinforcements from
every quarter. Public sentiment will bear
them out in using whatever force may be
found necessary to protect the rights Of her
suffering merchants.