Show THE APPROACHING FALL The scone in the House of Commons yesterday after the explanation by Mr Childersof his statement concerning the proposed tax on spirits was one of wild confusion The House and the country were in a temper to ask just such a question ques-tion as Sir Hicks Beach asked why it was necessary for a Liberal Government to increase the tax on spirits to meet an extraordinary expenditure of 100000000 It was but natural that such a question should have been greeted with loud and prolonged cheers from the Opposition No doubt Sir Michael denounced the proposed duty on spirits so fiercely as he did an account of the recent demonstrations demonstra-tions by workingmen in London against any increased duty The suggestion for an increase of duly on tea was a mere subterfuge to show that there was no opposition op-position to increasing the revenue I Had the Government proposed to raise or rather place a duty on tea it is quite possible that Sir Micheal would have cried for a higher duty on spirits Tea is drunk in England by the quiet sober class the class that does not tro to Trafalgar Square or Hyde Park to demonstrate demon-strate and protest while spirits are drunk by the workingman and the rough idle class the class that always prefers to do anything to working A proposed duty on tea would have been discussed in the papers and would never have been tho cause of any outdoor demonstration demonstra-tion The Premier explained that the proposed pro-posed duty was necessary to raise funds on account of the danger which threatened the Empire and stated that the method proposed was deemed the best When the vote was taken the Government lost by a majority of twelve The result greatly elated tho Tories and Parnellites to such a degree that Lord Randolph Churchill and Mr Parnefl jumped on their seats and waved their hats Lord Randolph and the Parnellites cannot always expect to be in such enthusiastic en-thusiastic accord in the future if the Gladstone Ministry shall be replaced by a Conservative one as they were yesterday yester-day on the defeat of the Government Mr Parnell can care nothing for the duty on spirits his sole desire being to further the interests of Ireland His ideas of the manner in which to further fur-ther those interests will differ very much from the ideas of the Tories The Tories have always favored coercion and a stringent crimes act in Ireland and the near expiration of the Coercion Act has almost brought about a division in the Cabinet the Radicals maintaining that the present satisfactory condition of Ireland Ire-land is owing to leniency while the more conservative portion has maintained that that act must be rescinded or else there will be a repetition of the crimes and outrages of three years ago Mr Foster resigned for this view and Earl Spencer is a strong advocate of the same view while the never ceasing blunder of the Ministry has been its endeavor to avoid harsh measures in Ireland where harsh measures alone could accomplish anything said the Opposition Mr Parnell will be a more implacable opponent to a Conservative Ministry than he has been to the Liberal Ministry The indications are that Mr Gladstone will resign but if he does it is safe to say that no Tory Ministry that may succeed him will go into office with the whole country so unanimously supporting sup-porting it us when the present Ministry succeeded the Earl of Beaconsfield It would be the irony of fate if Mr Gladstone Glad-stone should be driven from power in his old age as was Beaconsfield and like him die in disgrace |