New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-04-05

conformists, such but it had q curiosity TO hear
Mr. Mall, partly because of his eminence in his own
department.. partly because of his having been re-
turned after very hard contest without any effort
Of his He has been in the House before, but so
long since that few remembered him. With every
opportunity thus afforded HIM to succeed, he failed
absolutely. His delivery, by an unlucky chance is
like that of field preacher, with whining intona-
ton which annoyed everybody who heard him. Men
stayed little while from curiosity, then went away
and left him to talk to nearly empty benches
But there were two new men who made brilliant
speeches. both Irishmen, both lawyers, one Liberal,
the other Tory DR.. Ball is thought to have made
the best argument the Conservative side, next to
Mr.. Hardy, and ho quito captivated and carried
away his own side of the House by his fervid elO-
quence. Mr.. Sullivans speech of the same sort,
very Irish in its defamation, but OF that genuine
Irish quality which made Grattan famous as an
orator. Sullivan is the present Irish Attorney-Gen-
eral, rand his success was lucky hit for the
Government. Among all the Tories, Mr..
Claiborne Hardy, who closed the debate for the
opponents of the bill, was tho one who made the
most successful and impressive speech from politi-
cal and party point of view. He had over Mr. Dis
rae the advantage of believing what he said. There
is no comparison between the intellectual ability of
the two chiefs. Mr.. Hardy's popularity and emf
nence arc quite recent. He is one of the men who
developed almost unexpectedly in the House. When
others wavered, in the support of good old Tory
ideas, he came calamity to the front. With the
utmost officially was he induced to give any
sort Of support to household suffrage. 1t is he
more than any one man who has kept his
party in line on the present question, and
defeated Mr. Disraelfs known desire for a compro-
mise He has another advantage in speaking always
somewhere near the mental level of the great body
g tI,o pho p1vh no bV
cling inconsistencies Of their nominal leader 1t
seems as if the majority of them followed Mr. Disra-
eli more because they seel Mr. Hardy following him.
than because they have any clear notion where Inc
will lead them. They cheered TO the echo last night
vixen their late Home Secretary hurled out his de-
nunciations of the bill as q sacrlegious measure,
fraught with peril TO the country No doubt they
went into the lobby with fear and trembling lest the
vengeance of the Almighty, which Mr. Hardy an
ticipated. might como suddenly down upon them,
and overwhelm the righteous and the wicked to-
gether.
One good effect Mr. Hardy's speech had II woke
mp Mr. Gladstone, who is never good as when he
has to reply TO a vehement onslaught of this kind
His reply was very fine, and marked by brevity
and directness only too uncommon with him. He
resented with great indignation, Mr.. Hardy's picture
of Ireland as a country enjoying perfect system of
government, and where only the peryersity OF the
people created nm artificial discomfort. Mr.. HARDY
has done what Burke said he could not do-he had
drawn an indictment against nation, ana Win real
feeling Mr. Gladstone added that by leaving on
record his charges against tho people coupled with
his ylndication Of tho Government, Mr.. Hardy had
done oil that in him lay to drive that people to
DESPAIR And then came delicate touch. The right
honorable gentleman reminds MS that the Fenians
have not asked for the abolition Of the Church in
A.. 1. tf,to far hat UNa
the Fenians and tho right honorable gentleman are
exactly in the same position - There was great
humor in tho reply to DR.. Bali, but 1t is
too long to quote. ! attempt no sketch Of
the argument Of any of these speeches The
capacity of the human mind for receiving arguments
on the Irish Church Is limited and the value OF these
speeches admirable they were, did not consist In
tho production Of novel arguments There Is nothing
new in saying as Mr.. Hardy said. that tho bill COM
bnes gigantic system Of robbery with still worse
system of bribery but Mr.. Gladstonos answer was
good Those words gave him, he said, satisfaction
for two reasons. First, because, having been used
nothing worse could possibly DO said. and therefore
we know that we have touched bottom" Secondly
and better-"I It IS just the kind OF deneation
which. drawn by hostile hand, shows mo that we
have succeeded in the framing Of our measure
When nv right honorable friend says we have COM
mittcd robbery, what he means IL that we have been
faithful TO the principles Of disestablishment and
general abandonment which we announced last
year, and which we Iprofessed TO constituents ;
and when he says wo have committed bribery he
means that in the application of those principles we
have studied carefully and 10 the best Of our ability
that there should be every mitigation and every soft
ening which they could receive in their practical APP
plicatioD."i
The division showed an unexpected majority Not
moro than 40 had been counted on by the Liberal
whps Seldom il such majority now given for any
measure indeed. in contest there are few instances
in all Parliamentary history where a measure has
been carried by us majority. The Tories decided.
perhaps wisely to resist the second reading and go
10 a division with view TO the Conference and disci
pline of the party Mr. Hardy insisted that il would
never do 10 give up such question without strug-
gle. lie wanted, and succeeded in getting, deter
mined resistance at every stage of the measure
hence this four days debate. which for all practical
purposes are four days wasted. There was great
pressure TO speak, and the debate would have been
protracted but for tho approach Of Easter holidays
and Mr. Gadstone's irmness in requiring vote be-
fore the adjournment. The House was crowded to
repeton. and 622 members, including teilers, took
part in the divisionall but 80. The figures S6S
to go. Among the majority are six Tories, and
among the minority six Liberals including Sir Roun-
dell Palmer but no other OF eminence Lord Stanley.
who utterly refused to take any part in the debate
at last made up his mind 10 vote more against
his convictions and with his party.
The Easter vacation lasts till April l. fortnight
will be allowed for other business, and on the 18th
Mr. Gladstone proposes to go into Consrttee on the
bill When he will come out of it is quite another
oueston-not for six weeks, more, certainly. He
has said that the bill must not go up to the Lords
later than June and an effort will be made to send