Mr. Coningsby, who disgusted the working-men of London some years
ago by professing to despise an increase of the franchise, has made a rather ludicrous failure of an attempt to invite Mr. Reverdy Johnson to a dinner given by English working-men, and intended to express fraternal feelings towards America generally. Mr. Coningsby should have known that he was the last man to succeed in such an attempt,—even though he has been to America,—being rather more suspected of not adequately representing the opinions of his class, than is Mr. Reverdy Johnson of not adequately representing the views of his country. After the invitation was given and accepted, it unfor- tunately had to be withdrawn, and withdrawn on grounds very like an insult to the American Ambassador. The working-men had no occasion to give the dinner. But after the invitation had been given, no one who disapproved it should have thought of being present. And there would have been plenty who did not disapprove it, to go through the fraternizing ceremonial with proper cordiality. As it is, if a whole class could commit one of those awkward social blunders which men sometimes blush for much more than for crimes twenty years after they were committed,—the working-class, assisted by Mr. Coningsby, appear to have com- mitted it on this occasion.
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