TOPICS OF THE DAY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 2627, 25 August 1876, Page 3

TOPICS OF THE DAY.

(Spectator, June 17.) The Convention of the Bepublioan party in the Unitod States met ab Oinoinnation Wednesday to ohoose their oandidato for the Presidency. Thoro were 766 members, and they adopted a platform deolaring that the United States form a nation, and not a league; that areturn to spooie paymonts is advisable ; that Capacity should be the passport to offioe ; that grants of money to seotarian sohools should bo prohibited by the Constitution; that Congress should inquire into tho moral and politioal offeot) iof Chinese immigration ; that women's olaims to the suffrage should be respeotfully considered ; that polygamy ought to be suppressed ; tbat the Democratic party is unohangod in its, worthless oharaotor and spirit, and that President Grant has deserved well of the peoplo. There was no division, exoept on tho subjeot of Chineso immigration, tho olause about this being denounced as contrary to the Declaration of Indopondenoo. It was, howevor, rotainod by a voto of 532 to-,215.

The Commissioners appointed to report on tho international law affecting tho roooption of fugitivo slaves on board the vessels of the Queen, have reported that thoro iB no fixed international rule as to the treatmont of fugitive slaves by tho Commanders of ships of war. Portugal and Holland would surrendor a slave taking refuge on ono of thoir ships within the , territorial waters of a foreign State ; Germany md Ifcoly hold a ship of war to bo a floating part of tho national torritory ; and fche Italian Government holds that any fugitivo slavo, would bo enfranchised by touohing'the'difok of an Italian ship of war. TKo United States db not give up slaves. Russia and 1 <Ht&n6& leave a discretion to their offioers. The Report— whioh wo hove nofc yet saou w AUffetoOT-apperirslo lay down no rule of this nature for our guidance, but advises

that the Commanders of our ships ehould exercise thoir disoretion whether to reoeive fugitive alavea or not j and that uaually, in territorial waters, there should be some reason beyond the mere desire of the slave to escape from 'slavory, to justify his retention. Sir George Campbell dissents, and gives it as his opinion that any slave onoe reoeived on board a flhip of tho Queen's should be regarded ac free, and retained. On the high seas fugitive slaves ahould always, whero it is possible, be reoeived find sot freo. In territorial waters, they should not bo roooived, as a goneral rule, without pressing reasons of humanity, but if rooeivod, should oo kept as freo men. Tho report is evidently a oomproxniso, and is interesting only as stating formally what was pretty well J» >wn boforo— that we may make our own rule, and that howover favourable it is to the slave, it will not go beyond the praotioo of other great Naval Powera. The House, having nothing to do, has boen amusing itsolf with anothor faroaoh of privilege case. Mr Ripley, mombor for Bradford, is so very weak-kneed a Liberal that tho Politioal Committee of the Reform Club have invited his consideration to his votes, and threatened him with expulsion. Sir W. Frasor, considering this a broach of privilege, moved on Monday that Mr Lewis Morris, who signed tho letter, should be brought to the Bar of the House. Tho Speaker hinted that tho letter was hardly a threat to bo taken suoh notioo of, hut the worthy baronet persisted, Mr Ripley made a solemn declaration that he did not oaro for the Political Oommitteo of the Reform Club, and SirG. Bowyer, who had received a similar letter, angrily protested against the diotation of Whig whips. Mr Disraeli, howevor, had burnt his fingers with privilege last ydar, and so he gently sat upon Sir W. Fraser, telling him quite intelligibly that although the Roform Club had committed an indisoretion, he was a goose- for making a fuss about it { and Lord Hartington, though ho had no intention of defending the Olub, said a politioal olub was veify useful, and might somotimos bo oompelled to defend the prinoiplo of its constitution. The mombor for Kidderminster, he remarked, soomed inoHnod to imitate Mr Lewis, who had last year raised a quostion of the kind, from whioh the Houso did not emerge with orodit. Aftor a few snappish words from Mr. Lewie, who objooted. $o betyg Lord Hartington's " butt," the disoussion ondod, loaving outsiders in doubt whether, if a lady " out V a member in oonsoquenoe of a voto on < female suffrage, she would or would not be summoned to the Bar. The mombor for Kiddorminster and Londonderry should hunt up suoh oases, and take the sense of the House upon them. They would amusO the House and tho country, and as to boooming a little ridiculous,— 'What is that, in tbe path of duty P Tho National Zeitung states definitely that negotiations are in progress for tho cession of Heligoland to Germany. The statement has not tho slightost foundation, thoi subjeot never having beon mooted } but it has oxoited somo apprehension in the littlo island, where the inhabitants do not want to be governed to death, or made liable to tho naval oonsoription, or be taxed for the support of the Gorman Empiro, as well as thoi* own Government. They are very good frionds to Groat , Britain, and quite aware that Germany would not restore the only thing that could compensate them for the transfor— tho gamingtable, that paid, all taxes. The debate on tho Po.rpiissivo Bill on Wednesday waß not at all thorough- going. The usual things wove said on both sidos about tho tyranny of the majority, and tho rights of the majority, and only Earl Peroy, who opposed tho Bill, but admitted that ho thought something ought to bo done to prevent its being tho interest of the publican to throw temptation in the way of the poor, took any: new lino in tbe debate That sontonoo of Earl Percy's hints, we suppose, at soiling liquor through agents who are paid fixed salaries, and not by tho amount they sell,— tho only mode, wo suppose, in whioh it oan bo anything but tho interost of tho vondor to make the buyer buy as muoh as his means wpuld pay for. Sir Wilfrid Lawson was, as usual, amusing. He quoted Mr Disraeli, — oalling him a good Radical from tho beginning, and ono who would remain so to the end,— to tho effect 4hat " permissive legislation" was tho characteristic of a free people, and remarked that his (Sir Wilfrid's) Bill was completely on tho pattorn of the: Agricultural Holdings Bill, exoept that ho made it permissive to oontraot yourself into. his Bill, while Mr Disraeli made it permissive' to oontraot yourself out of his. The presont law wae not pormissive. The only persons! who oould sell liquor wore the porsons lioensed by the Benoh,— and tho Bench, said Sir Wilfrid, seemod to some of the County Membors, like Sir W. Barttelot to bo " a benevo-. lent dospotism, tempered by Mr Peter Taylor." Sir Wilfrid was defeated by 299 votes against 81,— majority, 218. Lord Eloho, on Tuesday, moved two resolu- f tions in favour of dealing with the government of London immediately, and by a sohomo whioh should unito the whole metropolis. His main arguments were the dofoots in the supply of gas and water, and in the management of tho streots, and in the waste involved in the multiplication of offioials. Mr Lowo supported him, in a spoooh whioh was, ouriously enough, in favour of domooraoy, he oontonding that the 3,600,000 inhabitants of London were "trampled on in tho most ignominious mannor, boeauso thoy had no organisation through whioh to assort their rights." Thoy ought to have some one at their hoad to advise in oaso of trouble or danger, and to control gas companies who gave thorn worse gas evory yoar, and wator oompanies who mado thorn drink tho sewage of a million of othor people. Mr Oross quito admitted that neither the gas, wator, nor sewago system was porfoot, but doubted whether London waa roally a town or a provinco oovorod with houses j questioned whothor any one had looal cxporionoo of tho wholo of ifcj felt afraid of making the government of Loiidon politioal ; quoted tho opinion of a Oommitteo, whioh had roporfcod that a government of London would not bo a municipality in tho ordinary sonso ; and doolinod, on tho part of the i Govornmont, to promise ony Bill. Tho demand for this groat ohango is as yot so fooblo, and tho risks involved in any ohango Oro bo groat, thtjt no Government or member unprovidod with ja definite plan eopablo ot being considered ought to propose it. If Lord Eloho wslnis tp do real good, let him oompol tho Oity to.do somo more work for its monoy, by inoluding within its boundaries a good heavy slioo Qf East London. Whon it had digested that, it would bo time to fct> a littlo furthor. ■ Tho movoment against tho pruotioe of 'Vivisection is by no moans limited to England, Tho Pennsylvania Sooioty , for Prevention of Cruelty to Animate send- us tho history o|f thoir Bill " For tho Profbritib'h of Oruol and Unnecessary Experiments upon Animals,!' whioh was introduced itito- tibo Sonato on Fob. 23 of tho ourront year, and eventually lost -at tho third reading (in oonscquonco of the oppo-

sition of the College of Physicians) by a majority of 25 to IS. The Sooiety, we learn, highly approves bf Lord Carnarvon's Bill now beforo the British Parliament, though they are of opinion that its provisions are scarcely sufficiently atringent. Wo truat they wiU sucooed as they desire in passing & similar measure in Pennsylvania, extending the exemption clause to horses, asses, and mules.