New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-02-01
GLADSTONE's RETIREMENT.
SOME OF IT'S CAUSES AND PROBABLE
EFFECTS.

| JFnoM THE REGULAR CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRTBusE.J
LONDON, Jan. 16-Altbough Mr. GladstOne's re-
tirement from the leadership of the Liberal party
has been expected the final authoritative announce
ment Of it has all the effect Of q sudden blow
His letter to my dear Granville and Lord Gran
ve's letter TO MY dear Gladstone" were pub
lished yesterday morning. IL see no public advan-
tage,D says Mr. Gladstone, I'm my continuing to act
as the leader Of the Liberal party" But that does
| not appear to be the decisive consideration with
| him. for he adds: "Ths retirement is dictated 10
| me by my personal views to the best method OF
spending the closing years OF my me-
| Upon the question of public advantage, argument
| might be possible, but upon Mr.. Gladstones per-
sonal views as to the best method Of spending the
closing years of his life, argument would hardly be
decent He must be allowed to be the best Judge OF
| that Hence, perhaps, the double motive assigned
for the step. His abandonment OF the leadership,
however is not to involve entire withdrawal froLl
Parliament He will continue to sit for Green wich,
and his conduct in Parliament will continue to DO
governed by the principles which be has hereto
| fore acted He will not lead, but he will give a
cordial support to whatever arrangements may
be made for the treatment Of general business and
! for the advantage or convenience OF the Liberal
| party.n Mr.. Gladstone seldom uses plain words
| where crcumlocutions can be made to answer. But
l appreheLd he means that he will serve 80 FAR as
he serves at all, under whatever new leader may be
selected by the party. 1t would be odd Indeed TO
see Mr.. Gladstone playing subordinate to some o.
| the men who are talked of as successors to him.
Lord Granyilles reply is very constrained. HIS
effort has been to say enough and not to too much
1t would not do to have it supposed that the party OF
any of its chiefs. consented without pang TO tue
| loss of their leader Lord Granville let's us know
that he profoundly regrets and deprecaes the reso-
| luton Mr. Gladstone has taken, and that bis col
leagues share these feelings, and that they have all
done what they could to persuade Mr. Gladstone to
come to different decision. The party they arc
all sure will feel as they do; and this not merely
from gratitude Tor the past but from considerations
of public advantage for the future Tbs, and nc
| doubt much more, has been urged upon Mr. Glad
| stone. but without effect.
So much for the formaiites, and for what it is
judged proper to present to the public gaze There
| is of course-in such matters there always is-a
| good deal which lies underneath. Some OF 1t has
| already been made-much against Mr GladstOnes
| liking-topc of public comment We're not hr'
Gladstones letter dated the 18th, one might almost
suppose it meant, to extent. as reply to the
extraordinary article in The Times Of the lith. me
Tines thought fit to tell Mr.. Gladstone that he mu''
either resume his leadership or abandon the House
of Commons altogether; that bis occasional appear
ances last session threw his party into confusoni
|
House it was his own colleagues WAo were most
anxious TO know what bolt was about to fall that
he kept his party disOrganiZed-" an aggregation or
atoms without so much as the arrange
ment that might issue out oil tBch
| fortuitous concourse; and much more ~
! similar purport. A good deal Of chan followed the
serious remonstrance, with vivid sketch OF Eir.
Gladstone, visiting London only rs country gentle
| man may who has seat in Parliament taste for
| A.. N Of nul,iIp
versy. sale OF OLD china, meeting nj Williss on
Episcopal affairs, or a Churca bill in tho House
would bring him to Westminster, but with return
| ticket for Wales in his pocket He has been doing
an article for The Quarterly but probably, AZ Tic
! Times amiably cOnicctures, doing lt Ill., Tor his
articles and pamphlets not worthy OF hia repua-
tiou in form or substance, beng rough and uneven
in workmanship and stating only partial, and there
fore false views Of the great questions they discuss
When he drops these, he hurrles to the House Win
his pockets full of dynamite his return Is an oc'a-
sion of dsmay; he is disturbing agqaTaoG,'
"troublous irritation regarded 10y his owa friends
with alarm and resentment-nav, with positive
| terror.
This sort Of remark is uncommon in Eu@ish Ionr-
! nolism: ouite without precedent. should think,
| when addressed to an eX-Prime Minister-to the
man who is still coniessedy foremost IN his party
who is indeed, the first statesman IN England Mr.
GladstOnes letter ia, in effect, it, date notwith'
standing very distinct answer to the remonstrance
addressed TO him. He announces that he Is gong
to do precisely what The Times tells him he must
not do; that he will not lead, but will not qn Far
lament nor change his limo of conduct
| An answer still moro explicit may he found IN
The Daily Telegraph of this morning. The relations
of that paper with Mr.. Gladstone are intimate
enough TO give sOme authority to what IT says IN
his behalf Without his sanction, it would scarcely
venture TO assume quite the tone it does il replying
70 The Times It would scarcely call on the public
to rebuke the arrogance of the great leading jour
nal and hint that its lack of Difference toward Mr..
Gladstone is due to the temporary reverse he has
suffered Personality, burlesque indecorum.
belief that politics are only something invented TO
keep the clubs in chat, hpyaEcy, babbi", aud
| many other severe expressions are applied 10
! The Times article l doL't wonder that men who
| bave vorshiped Mr. Gladstone so long ,ro shocked
| bv an exhibition of irreycrence toward him. What
ia more useful is the HAT given by The Telegraph
| that after all Mr. Gladstones retirement may not
he absolutely final At present, we ,old, neither
he nor ANYBODY could do much. "All must
recognize that the Liberal party Is utterly without
cohesion, without definite policy, strong only as
| controlling force in Parliament, and unlikely 10
emerge from this condition of dissolution aud re-
constitution long as the ministers IN power aie
content to govern upon liberal bases" MI ol"os'oho
is stirred and there snO reason why waste pIs
strength in camp duties and skirmish drlll' wDeh no
real battle can be fought for long time TO come
LET him rest he has earned IL. 1t Is only lnsncere
| Liberals who would urge him to burden himself
with such laborious and useless tasks as leadership