BEACONSFIELD'S MAJORITIES.

Thames Star, Volume X, Issue 3220, 14 June 1879, Page 1

BEACONSFIELD'S MAJORITIES.

Lord Beaconsfield has commanded flucli ofer whelming majorities in the House of Commons during the last two years tfcai the rote on the Zulu war seems like j| reverse. When his Cabinet, came isto power in 1874 it had a working majority of 50> in a full House. Wbene?er ther^is a grate crisis' in foreign affairs, the party in power, invariably has the pressurefof public sentiment behind it. At such times the functions of, the Opposition are prac tically suspended, and unless the leads hare the same tact and discretion which ' Mr Disraeli hiunelf displayed during the Crimean war tj^ey have ;grekt difficulty in holding their party together. Baring the great debates a year ago the Liberals felt the ground gradually sinking underneath them. On test questions •uch as the call for the reserves,,,tha transfer of the Sepoys to Malta and the treaty-making prerogatives, the majority for the Government was double what it had been during the first session, and in a moment: of panic the minority dwindled to a beggarly array of 124 members. Last December, after a great hue and cry had been raised on the Afghan question.' tiie Ministry mustered a majority of 101 on the final division, in the face of the aggressive criticism of • several prominent Conservatives. This majority has now becu cut down to 60 at the close of the debate on the Zulu policy/ The Opposition has made its gaius mainly in the Irish rote. Since 1874 this contingent of the British Parliament has'- not held tho balance of power between the two great Continued in Fourth Page.

parties; but still it has been strong enough to .command consideration. Last year the Government took pains to eon-: ciliate it by the passage of, an intermediate education Act. This year the University; Bill, which had been vaguely promised,; has not been introduced, and the Irish members hare something like a real grievance. .-' ':'