Nashville union and dispatch. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1866-1868, 1868-05-06
GLADSTONE AND DISRAELI.

/ The Defeat OF the British Ministry.
The cable brings the following details
of the defeat of the British ministry on
the Irish Church question, briefly reported
yesterday;
"At rather late hour, in the presence
| of full House, there being an unusual at
tendance of members of both parties in ex
pectation of a division, Mr.. Gladstone rose
/ and was loudly eheered. He commenced
by saying that he could not complain Of the
result of this long debate. These eleven
nights of discussion had fully demonstrated
that the Irish Church Establishment never
did, and never coull, fulfil the end of its
creation. 1t WAS not the church Of the
nation; it was not the church of the poor,
nor. was it a missionary church. 1t existed
only for the purpose of sustaining political
supremacy in a form most hateful TO the
people upon which it was imposed. This
was uncomfortable. No Minister dared to
say that it should continue to exist. Now
was the time TO apply the remedy. The
Ministers had raised the question, and had
preached a policy in regard to it upon
which they subsequently, failed to agree.
He would say nothing concerning the dis
posal of the Church property in Ireland;
for more and better information was needed
on a question involving interests so exten-
sive. Our duty was now to accord Justice
to Ireland.
Mr.. Gladstone then, abiding to the
personal attacks which had been made up
on him, denied in the most explicit man
ner that he had any connection with, or
interest in, the policy or plans of either the
Ritualists on the one hand or the Roman
Catholics on the other. Discussing the
arguments made against his propositions,
he said two leading objections had been
made to his plan for the disestablishment
of the Irish Church. One was that it i'm
perilled the existence of the Established
Church of England the other objection
was that the time was inopportune. Ten
years ago, said Mr.. Gladstone, the people
of Great Britain were Indifferent, and then
the introduction of great reform would
have been untimely; now the people were
aroused, and the opportunity presented
itself for an early and sound settlement of
the question. The strength of the Church
of England lay in her own merits and in
the voluntary zeal of her votaries far more
than in her connection with the State. He
expressed the belief that the Church of
England would lose none of her strength,
even if parted from the State. She had
more to fear from her partisans than from
her foes, and the reform of the Irish Es-
tablished Church would strengthen the
Church Of England.
"Mr. Disrael then rose, amid the ex-
cited cheers of the House, to reply to Mr..
Gladstone and close the debate. He de-
plored the act of injustice contemplated by
these resolves. 1t was an act that involved
wide confscation of property, and menaced
the rights of every corporation and every
person in the United Kingdom. 1t newt
ably must predispose the public mind for
similar attack upon the Church of Eng
land, and it undoubtedly was intended 10
have such influence. But in spite of the
virulence of the press, and the pressure
brought TO bear by the advocates of change,
he firmly believed the English people
would never sanction the sacrifice of sacred
things to party necessities, leading, as it
was sure to lead, to results only TO be de-
scribed as revolutionary.
"At 2:30A. NJ. this morning the House
divided on the first of Mr. Gladstone's re-
solves, and the cOunt stood as follows:
Against the resolVe.-. ..............
.........65
"The announcement of the result was re-
ceiVed with loud and prolonged cheering
from the Liberal benches.
"Mr. Disraeli then rose, and, amid the
nnost nrofound siIenca said fbis decision AZ