The Toledo chronicle. [volume] (Toledo, Tama County, Iowa) 1873-1924, 1873-03-06
public opinion, and he could not have

public opinion, and he could not have
chosen better place. He came to
us as man credited with al! the
qualities that make up our ideal Of
the scholarly historian; but when We
heard him, we were forced to con (.
clude that he was no historian, but
an advocate, a brilliant writer OF
party phamphlcts, one constitution
ally unable to lit himself into the
impartially OF Judge. It was an
Englishman's defense OF England
that we beard. Some wele surpris
ed tat he should have chosen TO
come over hero To discuss the local
politics Of Great Britain; but on the
| whole it was the most inevitable Of
all selections he could make, because
as an Englishman who had gained
the ear Of the world, the Irish ques.
tion was the first that should sug.
gest itself. The honor Of his. land
was wrapt up in the course OF Eng.
land toward Ireland, aud it needed
an explanation. In the late Euro
pean contest France represented on
the chess board OF Europe, ideas,
the vanguard OF democratic tenden-
cies, the inspiration and leader in tho
effort to lift man above accident
Prussia was not nation but an
army anc a camp dragging Europe
back two hundred years TO the ton
dial system-a great abnormal mill.
tary outgrowth of the nineteenth
century. When she crossed swords
with France it was two civilizations
contending, pregnant with disastrous
results. Where was England? She
also represented democratic tenden.
cies. Why did she not rally in such
a momentous crisis? Not because
she was not in the habit of doing 80.
Sh has been the great intermeddler
Of the century. 1t a quarrel came up in
tho remotest nook OF the glooe she
was sure to be there; every leaf in
the laurels OF Palmerston was won
by putting his hand into others
quarrels. Why then did she re-
main dumb now? She dared not. Tor
she knew that ~ soon as she drew
her sword or p oin,ed a musket, Ire.
land was ready to stab her in the
back [Applause. Mr.. Froude
had said mo matter how long
God waits, the injury of one genera
ton IS punished by the wickedness
OF Its successors.' England looks
back on 500 years of injustice; it is
natural that thoughtful man, see
ing her checkma,eJ and reduced to
a third rate power Ito day her jour
naiists are explaining why she is So
they concede the tacD should long to
explain why this all happened. Mr..
Froude comes here TO explain how
the dissracetul relations between
Ireland and England are not due to
want OF vigor, or want of capacity,
or brains, but that Irish nature was
SO imperfect that no human wisdom
could make a respectable nation out
OF it. Frosde says that Till within
thirty years the attempt to give a
government to ireland has been a
failure, and he comes here to show
that it was not the fault Of the policy
but because God intended tho Irish
man as kind OF half-made up hu
man being to run through the gener-
ations under tho care of a guardian
in the probate court. England was
therefore a mercitul despot placed in
the heart Of Europe with the special
mission to make the best out of a
bad race. Mr. Froule came her
with the argument that a lnerciful
despotism is necessity. But, un-
fortunately tor him, in 1916 certain
gentlemen on this continent had dc
clared solcmnly that all despotisms.
merciful or unmerciful. were nuisan-
ce, and therefore the American pco-
pie would have had to tear that de
claration in pieces before they could
listen to his plea.
But the great defect in Froude's
presentation of his argument lay low
or still. He is generous soul. de-
sires to do tho fairest possible thing,
strains every nerve to be just, and to
see an Irishman correctly and fairly
But he WAS an Englishman, and he
couldn't do it. [Applauss.] He
tried hard to be man, aud he could |
not succeed. The English race is
constitutlonally incapable OF looking