DOI Heft:
January 24, 1874
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.16938#0039
January 24, 1874.]
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
31
A CLOSER.
Jones. “ Fox won’t come out here now, Squire !”
The Squire. “ No ; you ’ye Frightened him back too often.”
A NOD AND A WINK.
The return of a Conservative candidate for Stroud, you say, is
another proof of Conservative reaction. Is not what you call Con-
servative reaction, dear friends, really mere estrangement caused by
I unpopular measures ? Advanced Liberals are quite capable of
unpopular legislation. Those very Liberal gentlemen, the Puritan
Legislators of the Commonwealth, made laws which rendered them
very unpopular indeed. People hate rulers who curtail their
freedom, particularly in putting them under petty, vexatious,
irritating restrictions of personal liberty. Grinding economy, effect-
ing for the community at large relief from insensible taxation, and
beggaring numerous individuals, makes few and cold friends, but
many and ardent enemies. Sordid indifference or opposition, from
considerations of mere revenue, to the demands of popular sentiment,
is apt to breed contemptuous unpopularity. Mean, shabby, merciless
t reatment of a public servant in his hour of need engenders a mix-
t ure of scorn and execration.
No, dear friends, there is no Conservative reaction as yet. Liberals
may well enough vote for Opposition candidates. They have reason
to hope that, as for democracy, Mr. Disraeli will try to outbid Mr.
Gladstone. But it is just possible that a Conservative reaction to
all intents and purposes may very soon set in. There is some little
anger that it will set in immediately upon the opening of Parlia-
ment. Tour hope that it will not set in depends on the probability
t hat the Tories will he fools enough not to see, or not to act upon, a
policy by which they would he certain to get into power very soon, and
Gay there. If they were wise, dear friends, instead of being foolish,
they would act thus. In Parliament they would systematically take
up, and champion, the cause of any Government officials or labourers,
dockyard and other, suddenly dismissed from their employment and
turned adrift without compensation. For these victims of unsparing
parsimony, they would try to obtain redress. They would offer the
most strenuous opposition possible to all Bills, whether private or
public, for the enclosure of commons or open spaces, and to all
improvements ” proposed by Commissioners involving the destruc-
tion of public monuments and buildings. Not only would they
systematically oppose all new projects of restrictive legislation, such
as liquor laws of any kind, hut they would also move the repeal oi
all laws of that sort already existing, as many as annoy people.
They would resist all attempts to increase the extent to which the
Public have been subjected to the dictation of the Police, and would
use their best endeavours to get Policemen reduced to their limited
service of maintaining order, guarding property, and detecting and
taking up offenders. Finally, they would unite in doing their very
best to defeat all proposed enactments, which, except for money’s
certain worth, would add a new impost to local taxation, and lay
one more burden on the rate-payers.
But, dear friends, the Tories are no Jesuits. There is small fear
that tney will adopt the tactics above indicated. Yet think, if they
did, how dreadful the consequences would he ! They would obtain
a great majority at the next general election; they would succeed to
office, wherein they would maintain themselves by continuing to
play the same insidious game, and so keeping you in a fool’s
paradise, whilst they, on the sly, would be preserving and perpetuat-
ing our rotten institutions in Church and State.
Poetical Description.
Clara (readinq). “ The Goblin Page, omitting still
No opportunity of ill.”
Julia {laughing). The Gobbling Page! What a good name for our
Alphonzo ! And isn’t it just like him ? I’m sure he’s always
eating, or else breaking our old china!
TO SENSATIONALISTS.
Mr. Jean Lute, among other matters, has been charged with
bigamy. His history will be quite a romance, which might he
brought out, as the Sensational Novel of the Season, in fact as a
new edition of Elle et Luie.
PUNCH, OR THE LONDON CHARIVARI.
31
A CLOSER.
Jones. “ Fox won’t come out here now, Squire !”
The Squire. “ No ; you ’ye Frightened him back too often.”
A NOD AND A WINK.
The return of a Conservative candidate for Stroud, you say, is
another proof of Conservative reaction. Is not what you call Con-
servative reaction, dear friends, really mere estrangement caused by
I unpopular measures ? Advanced Liberals are quite capable of
unpopular legislation. Those very Liberal gentlemen, the Puritan
Legislators of the Commonwealth, made laws which rendered them
very unpopular indeed. People hate rulers who curtail their
freedom, particularly in putting them under petty, vexatious,
irritating restrictions of personal liberty. Grinding economy, effect-
ing for the community at large relief from insensible taxation, and
beggaring numerous individuals, makes few and cold friends, but
many and ardent enemies. Sordid indifference or opposition, from
considerations of mere revenue, to the demands of popular sentiment,
is apt to breed contemptuous unpopularity. Mean, shabby, merciless
t reatment of a public servant in his hour of need engenders a mix-
t ure of scorn and execration.
No, dear friends, there is no Conservative reaction as yet. Liberals
may well enough vote for Opposition candidates. They have reason
to hope that, as for democracy, Mr. Disraeli will try to outbid Mr.
Gladstone. But it is just possible that a Conservative reaction to
all intents and purposes may very soon set in. There is some little
anger that it will set in immediately upon the opening of Parlia-
ment. Tour hope that it will not set in depends on the probability
t hat the Tories will he fools enough not to see, or not to act upon, a
policy by which they would he certain to get into power very soon, and
Gay there. If they were wise, dear friends, instead of being foolish,
they would act thus. In Parliament they would systematically take
up, and champion, the cause of any Government officials or labourers,
dockyard and other, suddenly dismissed from their employment and
turned adrift without compensation. For these victims of unsparing
parsimony, they would try to obtain redress. They would offer the
most strenuous opposition possible to all Bills, whether private or
public, for the enclosure of commons or open spaces, and to all
improvements ” proposed by Commissioners involving the destruc-
tion of public monuments and buildings. Not only would they
systematically oppose all new projects of restrictive legislation, such
as liquor laws of any kind, hut they would also move the repeal oi
all laws of that sort already existing, as many as annoy people.
They would resist all attempts to increase the extent to which the
Public have been subjected to the dictation of the Police, and would
use their best endeavours to get Policemen reduced to their limited
service of maintaining order, guarding property, and detecting and
taking up offenders. Finally, they would unite in doing their very
best to defeat all proposed enactments, which, except for money’s
certain worth, would add a new impost to local taxation, and lay
one more burden on the rate-payers.
But, dear friends, the Tories are no Jesuits. There is small fear
that tney will adopt the tactics above indicated. Yet think, if they
did, how dreadful the consequences would he ! They would obtain
a great majority at the next general election; they would succeed to
office, wherein they would maintain themselves by continuing to
play the same insidious game, and so keeping you in a fool’s
paradise, whilst they, on the sly, would be preserving and perpetuat-
ing our rotten institutions in Church and State.
Poetical Description.
Clara (readinq). “ The Goblin Page, omitting still
No opportunity of ill.”
Julia {laughing). The Gobbling Page! What a good name for our
Alphonzo ! And isn’t it just like him ? I’m sure he’s always
eating, or else breaking our old china!
TO SENSATIONALISTS.
Mr. Jean Lute, among other matters, has been charged with
bigamy. His history will be quite a romance, which might he
brought out, as the Sensational Novel of the Season, in fact as a
new edition of Elle et Luie.