Tue proceedings in the House of Commons sven to chiefly interest the papers hi the Yarra, The scene of Lenniel's cartoon in Punch, The Coming of Arthur," isin the suse of Conmons. Mr, Balfour isuddressing the House, with two well-known alodes standing behind him. Shade of Pam. A'm! A little young for the part,—don't Had to wait for ie a gond ninny years!—Bat on think? Shade of Dizzy. Well, yes! We
think he'll dot!" Phe actual proceedings in the House, however, are notably tame and half-hearted, for the members are evidently under the spell of the coming general and the question of when the to take place is obviously more important to them than any other, All signs point to an early dissolution, The government hus pledged itself to try and carry one or two Iuportant measures that are bitterly opposed by the Liberals and 1 regarded with any enthusiasm by their own supporters, and it would not be surprising to see Mr. Balfour accepting defeat, such as he nearly incurred on Mr. Sexton's amendment, There is more th tone precedent for the leader of the House announcing x dissolution suddenly after it had been understood that the session was to be allowed to run ite full course. The Authoritative statement made by the Stud-ard favours equally an eatly and n fate dissolution It will interest the more eager and im-Bitely been greatly exercising their minds tient spirits of the Op; riy who have
to the date of the Dissolution of the ing Parliament, to be told authoritatively that the Government have no intention of artificially accelerating the electoral contest but at the sume time, are quite prepared to go to the country us soon as either the state Of public business permits, or the tactics of their opp nents compel them to do so. Cabinet and the Opposition are not quite in the same position in regard to the moment for an appeal to the Constituencies. The Government have some serious work to get through, which they have entered into an genient with the nation to do their best to bring to successful issue, The Opposition huve no engagements of any kind, unless we are to regard as such the loose promises and conveniently vague pledges of the Newcastle Programme. The Government, lie under a grave and heavy responsibility to the Crown, to thy English people, and to Foreign Powers for the consistent, continuous, and proper conduct of affairs. The Op-Position, in this respect again, are so differently situated from the Government that, with the heterogeneous Leadership under which they at present move and oscillate, they have liberated themselves even from that minor sense of responsibility which Op-Bat. these broad and conspicuous lines of tions hitherto huve invariably recognised. distinction between the two, which it is necessary to indicate and recall, do not in the smallest degree differentiate the Government from the ion in respect of willing and even of eagerness, to learn what the cou try thinks of the Legislation the domestic a ministration, and the Foreign policy of the Inst. six years, We will even go so far as to satisfy the curiosity of our opponents by assuring them that, if the Ministry were as irresponsible as themselves, they could have Dissolution to-morrow, and would be heartily welcome to it. But Statemanship has its duties, and the task of administering the affairs of a great Empire is not to be treated as a piece of child's play.
The Daily Nercs is inclined to adopt Mr. Stausfeld's opinion—and Mr. Stansfeld is getting to be an old parliamentary hand— that the dissolution: will be sprung upon the House, Ie sys Mr. Stansfeld, who has sat for more than thirty years in Parliament, and knows the House of Commons as well as any one, believes that the General Election is very near indeed. The Tory hips are most active and in'elligent men. Int they cannot keep their party together, and the moral atmosphere of the House is excessively torpid. It is very much what it was in February, 1880, when Lord Hartington vainly pressed Sir Stafford Northcote to say at what date the Government would dissolve, Although Sir Stafford said nothing on the Sth of February, he said a good deal on the 9th of March. "He then aunounced the approaching dissolution, and on the 24th of March Parliament was dissolved Easter was early that year, and this year it is late, Moreover, the House was then some months older than'it is now. But on the other land there had been in 1880 substantial diminution of the Conservative majority, and the most recent of the by-elecious had been rather favourable to the Gov. otherwise. Me. Si rate either the significance of the issues about to be decided or the suddenness with which they 1 A single division might any day or any hour plunge the country into the fierce excitement of the nuest momentous politia! struggle this generation has seen. If London is conseil from its apathy, it may effectually tarn the scale, and give Mr. Gladstone a majority which the Tories will not dare to obstruc nor the House of Lords to resist. London is certainly not Conservative in the pa ty sense of the term, In 1885 and i886 the new metropolitan constituencies had scarcely realised their identity, and could not be excited to enthusiasm.' During the last six years the business of organisation has been thoroughly and industriously accomplished almost every metropolitan borough, There is one reason which ought to weigh with every Londoner, and it is this, Whatever may be the result of the County Council elections " Tory House of Commons will not confer upon the Council any power it does not now possess. If Hume Rule for Ireland has made more progress than Home Bule for London it is simply Uecause the majority of Irish members are rialists, und the dare to treat the County Ritchie has treated it. The ative will be, as Mr. Stansfeld says, between Liberal and Tory. There are only two lobbies inthe House of Commons, and two parties in the nation, unt it is quite time for a dissolution is evident, it if is only to put an end to the scandal of Mi Chamberlain sitting on the front Opps bench, and using his place the centre of the Liberal camp as a vantage from which, in JohnMorley's ounce and assail Liberal principles, Liberal measures, and his own Liberal colleagues." The return of an increased majority of Progressists to the London County Council ix another indica-ion of the way the tide has turned, and it is quite intelligible that Lord Salis: bury is not ina burry to give up the reins of power, but if he is as certain as he assures shearers that he is, that a Liberal govern-would be wrecked nguin in a few ths on the Home Rule rocks, he might think it well to get the inevitable interreguum over as soon as possible, It is how foreign state stone to office, not being willing to allow to themselves that our Foreign Policy re-continuously the same, whether Lord lisbury or Lord Rosebery holds the port-Returning tw Punch for " moment, we note with satisfaction that the story of Podbury and Culchard is ended at last, the tw companions returning home alike unfettered. We cannot help being a little wry for Podbary.
The Booth Demonstration in Hyde Parks as might. be expected. written about with much disgust in most of the London papers, The Times says Many persons will ask why railway tr vellers, passengers by cab and "omnibus, drivers, carters, and policemen are all to be subjected to inconvenience and annoyance in order that "General" Booth and his army may obtain a good advertisement. The question is not altogether easy to answer. The Salvationists no doubt enjoyed themselves. But the number of the persons whose move: ments they interfered with seems greatly to have exceeded that of all the "*General's battalions. They were about their lawful business in the public streets, Why should they have been compelled to make way for Mr. Booth's procession? If a small crowd obstructs the traitic the police move it on, Ifa "demonstration " does the same thing, the traffic has to give way to the demonstra. tion, Yeta demonstration is only a big crowd more or less organised. Processions are not {Roth and it must be assumed that other peculiar to the communion directed by Mr. Churches are entitled to the same privileges as his, Yet it will be generally admitted that " universal permission to conduct such ceremonies in the public parks and streets, under the protection of the police if weted upon, would become an intolerable public nuisance. The "General" is reported to have indulged in something very like a threat in his speech at Southampton that if the law at, Eastbourne was not altered to suit him he would defy it, He is stated to have said that, if the local Act to which he objects were not repealed, "it would not, be for the pence, and quiet of: Eastbourne."" Possibly he might meet any attempts to restrain his operations elsewhere ina similar spirit, but he is too shrewd a man not to know in his heart that bluster of that kind does not pay, The people of Kngland are i eminently law-abiding, and they will be slow to believe in the worth of a ereed which, under any pretext, bids them assume an attitude of di obedience and defiance to the powers that be, Tt will be natived that one of the arguments used by the Times is equally applica able to all processions, including the Lord Show, or the Queen's going to pen Parliament; and meanwhile itis fair to give on the other side some remarks of eral Booth ce " recent interviewer "Nothing amuses me more than to note how Land my methods are most reproved b; those who ought most to give me praise. have no polities, it is true; but the Salvation Army stands for discipline and authority as gainst the forces of Anarchy and Socialism, And if we bad any Government in this coun: try—but we have not—its first concern would, be to help me in establishing men to work upon the land at home; and its second to end me £25,000 after £25,000 to plant working colonies over-sea. But we have no Government as long as those who are called the governed are left to wallow in their misery, Ab, wy dear sir, believe me, they need not be so left. Tdo not mind Low mich peoplecriticise me and abuse me. But what Isay is, let them Vou heve heard the old story of the Quikor, produce some alternative and better. plan
who busied him in raising a small fund for some poor woman who had lost her cow. He asked some surly fellow to help and was Knocked down, with a bloody face, for hi pains. He got up smiling, wiped his face, and said, 'All right, that's for me, and now' holding out his hand—' what are you gon to do for the poor woman?' That's what say. Let the critics 'Huxley' me to their heart's content; but what are they going to do for jhe submerged It is sometimes said that Germany isa poor country, and that it is in a dangerous condition owing to the poverty of the working classes, and it is therefore reassuring to road the following extract from the Over land Mavi As in England and several other countries of Europe, writes a correspondent, there is 1 constant exodus of population from the villages into the towns and cities:—* Yet no can travel and live in Germany as the iter hus done for the last twenty years without observing in town and country a vast increase of material prosperity and of educa tional progress following upon the national unity of 1870-1. The increase of Germany is going on by leaps and bounds; that of France is practically at a standstill. The increase in 1981-6 was 545,855 5 that in 1886-01 is only
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.