NEWS OF THE WEEK.
LORD George Bentinck's Irish railway scheme has come to its anticipated end, and the "Country party" has mustered its LORD George Bentinck's Irish railway scheme has come to its anticipated end, and the "Country party" has mustered its forces only to display its weakness. The bill was thrown out at the second reading, after three nights' debate on that stage, by nearly three to one. In the mean time it had caused Ministers a good deal of trouble. Unworkable as the scheme proved to be upon examination, it was imposing from the tangible nature of its objects and the largeness of its financial incidents. It seemed to come thundering down upon the Cabinet with all the noise and weight of a railway train, dashing into their station; and their defences looked pitiably unsubstantial for the collision. But the collision was saved by the breaking-down of the train.
It was made out that the advance of sixteen millions by the Go- vernment would be very advantageous to railway shareholders,— nay, experience on that head thrust itself forward by anticipa- tion, for Irish shares rose in value on the mere promulgation of the measure : no one doubts that railways would benefit Ireland : but the proof that was needed, and was not forthcoming, was, that the sixteen millions, or the bulk of it, would go to the desti- tute poor in the shape of wages. A large portion of railway ex- penditure is appropriated to the cost of labour ; but there are two kinds of labour, skilled and unskilled : skilled labour is not ill paid in Ireland, even now ; the destitution presses on the unskil- led labourer ; and the proportion of outlay devoted to unskilled labour is stated by Ministers, on probable grounds, at only 25 per cent of the gross outlay. Government, therefore, would be spending four millions a year ill order to give one million of wages to the really poor, and one million to the artisans of Ire- land, who do not need such interposition; the rest going to share- holders, landowners, those who profit by Parliamentary expenses, and such classes, by no means to be reckoned among the destitute Trish. Sir Robert Peel, who supplied the omissions of the Mi- nisters, further showed that similar interposition to encourage enterprise in Ireland has totally failed ; and that the present scheme would enormously derange the national finances, already enough strained by the exigencies of the juncture. The scheme blew up. But Lord George Bentinck had no reason to be daunted. The Irish Members, many of them landowners, promised sup- port ; even those who disliked the project voting for it, in the blind wish for any expenditure in Ireland. The Whigs had shown a marked and indulgent encouragement of Lord John Russell's "noble friend" Lord George ; as if some lurking remains of fear on the score of Peel induced them to foster his sworn enemy. They had to pay for this by no small amount of trouble ; which would have been saved if they had treated Lord George in a more summary way. The upshot is, that the "Coun- try party," composed of all the extreme Old Tories and the mere dis- contented waifs of the Conservative party, reinforced by the alien cohorts of " the United Irishmen," could not muster more than a hundred and twenty strong ; and Lord George falls back into his proper place, as a country gentleman and sportsman—of great energy and little scruple, with a memory for figures but no logic, much worldly shrewdness, but wanting in the higher qualities and acquirements essential to a real statesman or leader.
The question of Ireland and her prospects remains just where it was when the railway debates began. Nobody professes to see any rational ground for expecting that the state of that country will be rendered better or safer, or less burdensome to this coun- try, in 1848 than it is in 1847.
The Destitute Persons Bill has occasioned some interesting dis- cussion in the House of Lords, on the general subject of Irish _
Poor-laws. Lord Lansdowne positively declared that the intended Poor-law is not to confer a right to out-door relief for the able- bodied. As that statement appears to be irreconcileable with the actual terms of the bill as it stands, it is to be inferred that Min- isters see fit to draw back from their original position: of course their reasons for doing so will be distinctly stated,—unless, in- deed, the express opinion of the Roman Catholic clergy in Ireland shall induce them again to change their mind and to revoke the concession which they now seem to have promised to the land- owners. In any event, two important points to which Lord Stan- ley drew attention merit serious consideration. At present the Boards of Guardians may themselves be proximate paupers ; and he suggested that the English allowance of ex officio Guardians should be extended to Ireland. And he made the House observe how dangerous it would be if the more extended relief were ac- corded to the class of persona holding land. There may be hard- ships in obliging the occupant of land to relinquish his, tenancy as a preliminary to the enjoyment of poor-relief; but to permit a combination of the two social capacities, pauper and farmer, would be attended with the utmost hazard in Ireland ; and on the other hand, anything which diminishes the number of mere nominal landholders, or accustoms the people to dissociate the idea of sub- sistence from the mere grasp on the land, must be very advanta- geous. Lord Stanley's practical counsel in this behalf should not be neglected.
Mr. Smith O'Brien made a false move in undertaking to lecture Ministers for the practice of suspending public works on which outrages have been committed. No doubt, the penalty on the suffering people must be severe. But society cannot shake off its responsibility for the conduct of its individual members. The recognition of this fact is a fundamental principle in English polity, traditionally imputed to the wisdom of Alfred the Great : the want of that recognition is as much as anything connected with the insecurity for person and property which acts so power- fully in keeping Ireland poor. The rule of which Mr. O'Brien complains is a great practical and intelligible lesson ; and it has proved effectual. Mr. O'Brien found no one to second his com- plaint, but many Irish Members to contradict it.
The Ten-hours Bill has all but passed its second reading, and the prospect of its being carried out is great. Ministers contemplate .changing it into an Eleven-hours Bill, on the idle and unreason- ing " in medio tutissimus" principle. We think the measure hazardous ; but while the hazard of it will not be much diminished, the alteration will supply its advocates with a just argument that their proposition is not fairly tried. Virtually, the restriction to ten hours is more discreet and safe than the restriction to eleven hours, because it will sooner bring the whole question to a settle- ment, and the sooner lead to a retracing of legislative steps, if that prove necessary.
Lord Brougham has once more directed attention to the sub- ject of juvenile offenders, with a prospect that a beginning will at last be made in the task of altering the law from one of rude retribution to a process of effective discipline. Lord' Brougham promises to move for inquiry ; and the promise has drawn from Lord Grey the announcement that Government are actually
about to introduce a bill on the subject of reformation for youth- ful delinquents. It is to be hoped that they . have entered into that task, where they are encountered by no immediate political or sectarian difficulties, with a judicious boldness.
The fate of the Count BOMEM and the captive insurgents
seized at Torres Vedras, and now threatened with exile to the mortal climate of Angola, has elicited a few words of timely re- gret from several of the Peers, including the President of the Council. Ministers will not actively interfere, but they will ad- vise. Lord Ellenborough points out the way for making the counsel imperative—by withdrawing from the Tagus that fleet which lends to the Queen and her immediate adherents so great a sense of safety and refuge. If She insurgent leaders, driven into their position by grossly "-unconstitutional" rigours on their dismissal from power, are to be left to their fate, let those who follow victory with persecution also be left to their fate.
