The Sun.
London, England, 1868-11-09 00:00:00

SIR s, NORTHCOTE EXPLAINS HIMSELF.

Sir Stafford Northcote writes again to explain what he
said about the disestablishment of the Irish Church. He
gives the Hon. Mark Rolle along explanatory letter. " I
understand," says he, " that some of my friends in North
Devon are uneasy in consequence of my answer when I
was asked at Torrington whether I would pledge myself
never to consent to the disestablishment of the Irish
Church, and that they are also dissatisfied with the terms
in which I wrote to Mr. Gladstone respecting his speech
at Wigan. Ido not for a moment suppose that you, who
were present when I spoke at Torrington, misunderstood
the answer I gave ; but as it has been industri-
ously misrepresented by our opponents, and as the
misrepresentation has been endorsed by no less a person
than Mr. Gladstone, I think it right to ask you, as the
chairman of the Conservative committee for North
Devon, to allow me, through you, to assure our friends
that I am as heartily and sincerely desirous to maintain
the Church Establishment in Ireland as it is possible
for any man to be, and that no efforts of mine will be
wanting to preserve it. It is true that when I was
asked at Torrington to give what is called a pledge upon
the subject I declined to do so. I have never given
a pledge upon the hustings, and I never will do so,
either upon this or any other question. I consider that it
is the duty of a candidate to state his opinions, and this I
have never shrunk from doing. Upon the question of the
maintenance of the Irish Church Establishment, I have
in the course of the last few weeks stated mine at least a
dozen times. But I consider that it is equally a candidate's
duty to refuse to give pledges as to what he will do
under circumstances which be cannot foresee, and as I
should refuse to do so when honestly asked by a friend,
much more did I refuse at Torrington, where the demand
was made by an opponentq apparently with no
other object than that of entangling me. My reason for
writing as I did to Mr. Gladstone was, that in two sepa-
rate reports of his speech at Wigan (in the Times and in
the Standard), he was represented as having put into my
mouth words which I not only never used, but which were
as nearly as possible the direct contrary of those which I
did use ; and upon these, as it seemed, he founded an
argument which would have had some force if I had
really said what he was represented to have attributed
to me. Thinking that he had been misled by some
incorrect report, I wrote to set him right. He has since
informed me that he was misreported, and that he in
reality quoted my words correctly, namely, that I would
not pledge myself under all circumstances to resist dis-
establishment. Upon this foundation Mr. Gladstone
rests the charge, that it does not appear that the main-
taining of the Irish Church is really written in my
purposes, my understanding, and my heart. I confess
that while I am perfectly indifferent as to the abuse
of such authorities as Mr. Pynsent and the Western
Times, I am both surprised and pained to find a man like
Mr. Gladstone imputing to me lukewarmness, and even, as
I read his speech, insincerity, upon a question on which I
have never wavered for a moment, simply because I have
given an answer upon the subject of indefinite pledges,
such as I firmly believe Mr. Gladstone himself, or any
other experienced statesman, will admit to be constitu-
tional and right. I will only say, in conclusion, that I
adhere firmly to the opinions which I have expressed in
all my speeches during the canvass, that I regard the dis-
establishment of the Church in Ireland as an uncalled for,
unstatesmanlike, and dangerous measure, and that I shall
resist it to the best of my power. At the same time, I
equally adhere to my refusal to give a general pledge, upon
this or any other subject, as to what I will or will not do
at any future time under circumstances which it is impos-
sible for me to foresee.