An emeute among the Tories—at least upon paper ! The
strongest signs of a fresh mutiny against Mr. Disraeli have apr peared in some of the London Tory journals, but we observe that the movement has communicated itself also to Ireland, and is kept up in other parts of the country. The bill of indictment against the Tory leader in the Commons consists of charges that he has lade his attacks upon " points" of the enemy, instead of putting forward a consistent. line of policy on his own side. " Mr. IDisraeli is entitled to his own opinions on religious mattersi but the leader of it Christian and ProtestAnlvparty ought to be a zealous Christian and a Protestant."' Thi Standard, which utters this crushing dogma, " will say nothing more on this pain- ful subject, more especially as there is reason to believe that the Right Honourable Member for Bucks has come to a determina- tion to retire from- the leadership." The Tory party greatly otri,= number," the holders of the opinions of Lord Palmerston, &o., if these persons hold any definite opinions, which is more than doubtful." All they want is a leader and a policy ; and the Standard could name twenty leaders equal or superior to Mr. Disraeli. There is only one fact which makes us doubt this as--- swam:* on the part of our Tory contemporary—the fact that the leaders. are not forthcoming. For in the state of the party, if any man possessing_ Mr. Disraeli's capacity for work stood for- ward, he would be ipso facto the leader. The difficulty of the party evidently is to find out something to do.., As soon as Oa gentleman on that side discovers anything that would be practi- cable and beneficial to the public, and likely to obtai4 a general suffrage out of doors, he finds himself under the necessity of leaving his party, or of being left by it, and of falling in with some of the general wants of the day—such as public education. If it is true that Mr. Disraeli has, as former followers complain, never led the attack against Ministers without failing, and that in the attacks upon Ministers which have been successful the leaders of the Tory party have voted with the Government, the foot only proves that the Tories cannot devise a policy which any man of character at the present day will take up. Now there is many a " mission " vacant : there is the defence of the British constitution against encroachment ; there is the vindication of the national honour abroad, the rehabilitation of British influence on the Continent,—all enterprises which a genuine Tory could take up, if the Tories of the present day had not hampered them- selves with unnational despotisms abroad and unconstitutional crotchets at home. They have lost their natural influence in.. Parliament, because, with the one exception their half-repudiated leader, their men are too idle ; they rely too much upon the rou7 • tine of election-agency out of doors, and are known to the public only by opposing other men in doing what is popular and useti.
