English parties are doing their best to improve the holidays
by blackening each other. At Berwick-upon-Tweed a local as- seolation is bringing out in great force the methods pursued by the " two great parties in the State," to preserve their Parlia- mentary strength. According to the account given by this vo- lunteer tribune of the people, the Liberals, by their local Whig Member, and the Tories by a remaining Tory Member, have partitioned the representation between them. The con- stituency bad previously been monopolized by the Tory party, but with so flagrant an exercise of bribery that the Liberals had an opportunity
t Neatening an exposure and claiming to share the purchase alit constituency. This is the story ; the sting of the tale be, ft.,: - at the Treasury under both the great parties aforesaid has been cognisant of the whole affair. It, must be remembere‘however, that thus far we have entirely an'ex parte statement, dit is possible that although the facts may be es- tablished against certain persons, the sweeping conclusions against ull may be by no means borne out. Still the ease is only one ex- ample of a sweeping abuse which, last session, Parliament was too busy to expose for the thousandth time.
Mr. Palk has been disclosing at Ashburton, not only the fact that the present Ministry is in office through Parliamentary cor- ruption, but that it is supported by a minority of the people ; also that it is by no means successful in Parliamentary Reform, in foreign policy, and other branches of statesmanship which, according to Mr. Palk, belong exclusively to his own party. This is a new aspect of British politics which deserves the at- tention of Mr. Wingrove Cook. Mr. Palk wound up his expo- sure by suggesting that the present Government should be driven from power under a " no confidence. vdte,—next session : he placing his trust for the Conservative :cause on the fact that at elections " the Conservative candidate has usually the greatest nulber of hands held up in his favour ! ',' We might almost infer from Mr. Palk's speech that the cry of the Conservatives next session would tv "universal suffrage !" At the same meeting, however, Mr. Kekewich demurred to the policy of a no-confidence vote, and certainly the Conservative party is not at present in a condition to take up any decisive policy, still less to answer for its proceedings "next session."
This is seen at once from-.the very different tone at the Devizes Conservative meeting, where, amid a few caveats against minor faults, one of the speakers avowed his belief that the present Go- vernment must give such a Reform Bill, neither more nor less, as would satisfy the political requirement of the day. From .these random hints we might infer that the Tory party has for- gotten its old missions,—first, the vindication of " divine right " authority, and next, t?ie resistance to Reform in Parliament or economy,—;and has not yet hit upon a new mission, though one lies straight before h.
