PARLIAMENT appears to Autumn Session with an but circumstances have rendered it impos: ble to confine the business to the two Bill the Employers' Liability Bill, which safely passed both Houses, and the Pai Councils Bill, whi in suspense, though its principle lias been accepted by both parties. In reference to the programme with which the Session was opened, the Standard says Mr. Gladsione's statement last night with respect to the understanding upon which the work of the Autumn Session is to be carried out was remarkably free from either ambigaity or obscurity. Pasliament, he tells us, been called together in November for the of passing two Bills, the Parish Councils Bill and the Employers' Liability Bill. To these two measures the whole time of the House will be devoted, and for these alone the Government make themselves responsible. Anything else that can be edged in of a noncontentious character will take its chance. But the main purpose of the Government is to pass the two measures we have named, and they think that when this result has been accomplished they will have kept faith both with the Conservatives and with their own supporters. There will be no private mem, bers' nights, and the Government are to have at least a clear five weeks before them for carrying out their Autumn programme. The Opposition have nothing to gain by taking exception to this arrangement, for their knowledge of which it is pretty clear that the Leaders of the Party were not indebted exclusively to Mr, Gladstone's statement. We may presume that the Government will do all that is necessary to see that the ur-rangement is carried out, and that Mr. Morley's answer to Mr. Sexton with regard to the Evicted Tenants' Bill came rather from his heart than from his head, and was dictated by the impulse of the moment.
The chief point of dispute between the two parties in the House as to the Parish Councils Bill seems to be the question of the retention of the present Poor Law im, a8 to which the Manchester Guardian says Great pressure has been put upon the Government to drop the Poor Law pr-posals of the Bill. Mr. Acland, among others, las declared that they will do nothing of the kind, and it is needless to say that all Liberals are heartily with them on that point. All the elaborate anti-democratic machinery of the ex officio guardians and the plural vote is doomed, The working man lis no love for loafers and shirkers, and we do not fear too indiscriminate outdoor relief. Butthat whence has the power he will draw a stronger line between the aged deserving poor and the loafers than the Boards of Guardians draw'at present is not only probable but certain, and much the better. The only doubtful point is whether the Bill should not give the Parish Councils some powers as regards the Poor Taw, instead of leaving everything to the District Councils. They might at all events have powers of recommendation for outdoor relief—powers which would rest on the closest Jocal knowledge, and which, granted adequate publicity and responsibility, would. certainly not be abused. Itis true that the Bill, though good one, would be all the better for amendment. But it should be amendment such as will still farther democratise and strengthen it. Amendment of the other kinds is abso-lately. inadmissible, and the Government should sacrifice their Bill; if necessary, rather than accept it.
The Times is very indignant with Mr. Gladstone for his statement that (heGovernment are perfectly satisfied as to the adequacy and capacity of the British Navy to perform all the purposes for which it exists but it ought not to have been s0 indignant, xs Mr, Gladstone's statemnont is a high compliment to Lord Salisbury's Government, from whom the present Guvernment have only lately taken over the Navy, It will be necessary," snys the Times, for the public to correct the views of the Prime Minister on this point, and if the reputation of the Government damaged in the process, it cannot helped." It was the Times whose lettera from Toulon started the present scare, which hws been widely spread, as the following, alarmist note from the Graphic shows The wild cry which has been raised in France for the expulsion of the Anglo-Saxon aliens" from the Mediterranean is a very natural-and logical consequence of the Franco-Russian fetes at Toulon, The demand is too hysterical and premature to serve any imme: diately practical purpose, except, perhaps, to act as a warning to this country; but it more than justifies the fears expressed by not a fey students of public affairs a fortnight ago that Great Britain had more to dread from the Toulon entente than either Germany or Austria, The idea of M. Deloncle and his brother hotheads seems to be that, while on land the Franco-Russian alliance shall act as 'a counterpoise to the Triple alliance, its role at sea shall be to servo as a nucleus for a further international combination, in which Turkey and Spain shall figure, with the object of putting an end to the naval supremacy so long enjoyed by Great Britain in the Mediterranean,—It is a sort of ery of ' Home Rule forthe Mediterranean Thereare two sinister features in this agitation. In the first place, there seems to be good ground for the belief that, if our naval supremacy in the Mediterranean is not altogether gone, it is, at any rate, on the wane, our relative superiority to'Frange having much diminished of Into years. Inthe second place the dispute between Spain and Morocco affords France an opportunity just now of promoting a plan fon. the Moorish' coust facing Gibraltar for strengthening anti-British which we may have some difficulty in thw ing. Our daty is, of course, clear. The interests at stake are too momentous to be made the subject of treaties with other Powers, even if it were the policy of this country to entangle itself with alliances. The Mediterranean is the high road of our Empire, and it once we lose the hegemony of it t-e days of our widespread dominion are nuindered, Our forces in that sea must be kept up to a degree of efficiency and strength largely superior to any possible combination that could be organised against us, That is our only course, Nor should any time belest
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.