1 . /
6 Cbe Conservative *
THE BRITISH GEMEUlTj ELECTION.
Mr. Henry W. Lucy , the well-kuowu
"Toby , M. P. , " of Punch , describes ,
for the readers of the October
Foram , the modus opcrandi ' of a
British general election. At the beginning -
ginning of his article he points oat car-
tain general differences between our
presidential election and the general
election in Great Britain. One primary
distinction lies in the fact that the for
mer is largely a matter of personal pre
ference , while the latter is a conflict of
principles. It is true that while Disraeli
and Gladstone were yet alive and con
fronted each other in the political arena ,
the fight raged as closely and distinctly
around a name and a personality as is
the custom at presidential elections.
In 1874 and in 1880 the elec
tors throughout the kingdom did not
profess to vote either a ? Liberals or
Tories. They voted for Gladstone
or Disraeli.
Contrasted With a Presidential Campaign.
"With the passing away of those col
ossal figures , the British general elec
tion has reverted to its former manner.
Lord Salisbury is a statesman who , even
beyond the limits of the party pale , is
held in the highest esteem. But his is
not a name to conjure with at the polls.
On the other side , Mr. Gladstone has
left no successor. Accordingly , the
forthcoming general election will be
fought , as far as Ministerialists can con
trol it , on the question of the war in
South Africa , while opposition candid
ates will endeavor to concentrate the at
tention and judgment of the electors on
the shortcomings of the administration
in respect to the conduct of the war , and
on the pins of omission and commission
committed by the government during
their more than five years' term of of
fice. Another fundamental difference
between the two electoral campaigns
appears in their inception and direction.
A presidential election is a more or less
well ordered battle , every movement
being directed by the commander-in-
chief on either side. A British general
election is a series of independent skir
mishes , taking place all over the coun
try , each under local command , owning
no supreme general , observing no com
mon plan of battle. The British voter
knows nothing of delegatesconventions ,
or party managers. Ha walks into tha
polling-booth and votes directly for the
man of his choice. It is true that both
the Conservative ( now the Unionist )
and the Liberal parties have a paid offi
cial who is supposed to undertake gen
eral supervision of party interests in the
electorate throughout the kingdom. He
is generally consulted by constituencies
in the selection of a candidate. What
he tenders in response is advice , not in
struction. "
Money for Campaign Purposes.
"A graat gulf , wide as the Atlantic ,
separates the party manager of the
presidential election campaign from the
chief agent of the Liberal or the Union
ist party in England. While one basal-
most an unlimited supply of money at
his command , and is not too grievously
hampered in disposing of it for cam
paign purposes , the other has but a mea
ger subscription list , and is bound baud
and foot by the corrupt practices act.
It is that legislation which has crippled
the political party agent in Great Bri
tain. The election agant is bound by
law , under heavy penalties , to keep
strict account and make full disclosure
of every penny spent. "
Duration of Parliaments.
Although the British House of Com
mons is elected for a period of seven
years , it has never availed itself of its
full opportunity of life , as a rule it ac
cepts dissolution at its sixth session.
"The present parliament , which as
sembled for a short session on August
12 , 1895 , was a few days short of attain
ing its fifth year when it was prorogued.
There is , therefore , no statutory reason
why it should not sit through another
session , the dissolution being postponed
till January perhaps , on the whole , the
most widely convenient month of the
year for a general election.
"Experience testifies to the sufficiency
of a five-year term. Since Queen Vic *
toria came to the throne she has sum
moned fourteen Parliaments. Of those ,
only six have exceeded the term of five
years. One , memorabla for its accom
plished work , exceeded the date by the
narrow margin of one month and six
teen days. This was the great parlia
ment of 1868 , in which Mr. Gladstone
commenced hit ) colossal labor of legisla
tive reform. Meeting on December 10 ,
1868 , it was dissolved on January 26 ,
1874. The second Parliament of the
Queen's reign , summoned in 1841 , lasted
five years , eleven months and six days.
In the century only three Parliaments
have timidly entered upon their septen
nial year. The first Parliament of
George IV trenched by one month and
nine days upon its seventh year. The
Parliament of 1859 lived for six years
and two months. The Parliament of
1874 , which first saw Disraeli in power ,
as well as in office , enjoyed for twenty
days its septennial piivilege.
"The duty of advising the sovereign
as to the proper date for dismissing the
sitting parliament is not , as is common
ly assumed , a cabinet matter. It is a
fact that when , early in 1874 , Mr. Glad
stone decided to dissolve parliament ,
some of his colleagues in the cabinet
were first made acquainted with his de
cision on opening their morning paper ? .
The sole arbiter in the case is the prime
minister. In the time of the Georges
the sovereign had a good deal to say in
the business. In some royal moods the
fact that the premier desired to bring
about an immediate dissolution led the
king to conclude that he would keep
Parliament sitting a little longer : In
these times the will of the first minister
of the Crown is not disputed. But it is
the sovereign who summons'my'faith
ful commons' to repair to Westminister.
Parliament dissolved , there is promul
gated an order from the Qaeen in coun
cil , addressed to the Lords High Chan
cellors of Great Britain and Ireland , ' *
commanding them to cause writs to be
issued for the election of' knights , citi
zens and burgesses to serve in Parlia
ment. At least thirty-five days must
elapse between the date of this mandate
and the meeting of the Parliament. "
In 1900 , the decision to dissolve Par
liament was taken at a cabinet council
held on September 17 , when the Queen
signed the necessary proclamation. On
September 25 the writs were issued sum
moning the new Parliament for Novem
ber 1. The entire campaign , therefore ,
occupied a period of only six weeks.
Review of Reviews.
MAX MUI ER'S BUS * LIFE ENDED.
The world's greatest philologist , Fred
erick K. Maximilian Muller , generally
called Max Muller , who died at his home
in Oxford , England , last Sunday , was
regarded as one of the most illustrious
scholars of the century. While the
serious business of his life was teaching ,
he barely missed becoming a musician ,
and he had a remarkably wide range of
experiences outside his work as an
orientalist and as professor of compara
tive philology in Oxford university.
Few men outside of royalty have as
many titles as had this brilliant oriental
and classical scholar. Born in Dessau ,
the capital of the duchy Anhalt-Dessan ,
in 1823 , his life spanned three-quarters
of a century , and the pursuit of his
vocation made him as much at home in
England as in his native Germany. The
extraordinary range of his experiences
and his acquaintance with interest
ing persons was due partly to the for
tunate circumstances of his birth , train
ing and education , partly to his homemaking -
making ties in two countries , but mainly
to the catholicity and warmth of his
sympathies and to the variety of his ac
quirements and accomplishments.
Only a year or so ago Max Muller
published his reminiscences in a volume
of some 300 pages , entitled "AnldLang
Syne. " This book is divided into four
parts , the first of which is devoted to
musical recollections , the second to
literary recollections , the third to
recollections of royalties and the fourth
by a humorous transition to "beggars. "
The breadth of these general divisions
show the remarkable range of his ex
periences. He was not only a great
scholar , familiar with the literatures of
mediavel and modern Europe ; he was a
musician , a connisseur in pictorial and
classic art , and a man of the world , nay
a courtier. That he was an extremely