Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1878-06-02
cIApsroxE AND THE PRESS.

m. GLADSTONE AND THE HESS
y A notable feature in the recent public
u~tserances Of Mr.. Gladstone has been his
violent tone toward the press. On the sth
81 May he made a speech in the school
room al the village Of Hawarden to a large
deputation Of the Liberal party from the
northern counties Of England. His re-
marks were denunciatory Of many people
and Of many things, but particularly Of
the Pal Nal Gazette. He thought the
nation had been charmed ard fascinated,
not to say wheedled, into a desire for war
against Russia; he thought that the Min
istry had abused its trust by summoning
troops from India to serve in Europe,
without frst being expressly authorized by
Parliament; and he distinctly implied that
the Pal Nall Gazette was largely respon-
sible for these great evils.
Now that journal is one Of the ablest
newspapers in Great Britain, and ever Mr..
Gladstone was obliged to concede its clev-
erness; but as to the people of England,
the Liberal leader declared Its writers
would attach more weight to the opinions
il they could have them, of the very
sofas and chairs Of the clubs Of London"
than 10 the views entertained by his hear
srs and the public at large. He ranked it
among "those papers that have worked
for the Turks all along-the time-serving
portion OF the press '-and then
proceeded to tell how the Turks i'm
paled prisoners and committed other
atrocities, just as though the conduc-
qors Of the Pail Nall Gazette took special
delight in such practices. Finally, as an
excuse for quoting from such a sheet, he
said it vas a paper we'll worth attending to,
Is indicating the sentiments Of the classes
for whom 1t writes, :" but not as affecting
the people Of England, whom it neither
knows nor cares anything about"
Those who are acquainted with the high
character Of the Pal Mall Gazette will
wonder 1t such language as this from a
man who has been the leading Liberal
statesman Of his time in England. The
truth is that the journal he was assailing
has dealt some hard but perfectly fair
blows at the branch Of his party now rep
resented by Mr.. Gladstone; but he ought
to have contented himself with meeting
argument by argument, instead Of losing
his dignity by resorting to mere abuse,
and his reputation for correctness by bald
misrepresentation Of fact. A newspaper
in accord with an overwhelming majority
in Parliament on the greatest question
which agitates the country can not prop
erly be characterized as knowing or caring
nothing about the people Of England.
But there Is another Hrebrand Of sedition
in the land, according to the EXPIRE
mier. This is that staid old Tory
publication, the Quarterly Reuier. 1t
has generally been supposed that
the genuine English Tories were typical
loyalitsts, and it is startling to find
Mr.. Gladstone attacking an article in
their chief review as disloyal to the Crown
and dangerous to public liberty. 1t turns
out, though, that the writer does not dis
clearly enough between the Crown
and the Sovereign personally to Salty his
critic, and attributes too much power to
the monarch as an individual. That Mr..
Gladstone should object to this is perfectly
natural; but did it justify the suggestion
which he made, that the article deserved to
be burned by the common hangman? To
error, no such treatment is needed,
and history should have taught him that
the flames Of the executioner can not crush
truth. Milton's defense Of the English
People" still survives, despite the order of
that it should be burned by the
common hangman.
This incorporate course Of Mr.. Glad
toward the press tends to strengthen
the notion that he BIAS become much more
Of ! mere public agitator than is consistent
with q high standard Of English states
manship. His sentiments are certainly
not shared by the great mass Of the Liberal
party; and although by reason Of his ora
torical ability he is still the most promi-
inent member Of the Opposition. he can
hardly Q be regarded as their repre-
sentative leader.