New-York tribune., 1882-03-13
MIR. GLADSTONE.
THE PRIME MINISTER'S VIEWS OF HUME
RULE-MAJOR CLIFFORD LLOYD.


The attempt TO make Mr.. Gladstone out hoiie
Ruler-an attempt in which the Tories ana r",-
nellites arc equally eager-is not YET apah"on'u ~
The Tories are horror-strucki the farneInte' H"i
his remarks of last week. in the words OF Oohno'
Power as a statesuanlke utterance-the la''oi :"
word for which a speaker with oCohhor Io"oi
command of language might hnd an Ehgilsh suosu
fute Indignant denunciation is heard from the one'
or6d;ons nanegyric from the other. The divergence
isperfectIy characteristic of political combination
between men who have not political idea In com
mon except hatred of Mr.. Gladstone. Their voices
are heard in the press and in Parliament. Ihe
sbrillness and persistence of the outcry have dis
turhed some of Mr. Gladstone's supporters. PROB
ably some of his most judicions friends consider
that his declaration of last week might AS well have
becn left unmade In what he said there is little 10
which execution can be taken 1t is the fact that
he said 1.-THE and not somebody else-which con-
situtes the indiscreton. so far as there isone
For these or other reasons Mr. Gladstone thought
fit last night to recur TO the subject. Ii anything
further was to be said what he said was IN the best
possible manner. Ii was not too serlons, nor yet
was there anything like f1ppancy in the gentle
banter which the Prime Minister administered to
his critics. The criticism proceeded wholly upon
the assumption that what Mr.. Gladstone said last
week was new; that he had taken new departure; {;
that the moment seemed TO him to have arrived Tor
reopening the whole question of the fundamental
relations between Great Britain and Ireland MT
Gladstone's answer is that he has expressed the
views now treated as formidable novelty on at
least six distinct and separate previous occasions
The dates and places range from 1S72, in Aberdeen
10 1881, at the Guildhall. They include speeches
when he was in office and when he was out OF Once
when he was head of the Government; when ne
was leader of the Opposition; and when he was
ha oiA loCf
he ID said three times before in Parliament Itself
in 1872 as Prime Minister replying to Mr. Butt, and
twice afterward in 1874 and 1880. Nobody then
thought the declaration portentous. 1t was so Ut
tle regarded as TO be utterly forgotten, as the
clamor about the resatement of 1t sufficiently
shows.
Mr.. Gladstone took the further trouble to explain
ofrssh what his Home Rule declaration. so called,
really was He led up TO lis exposition by pane
gyrc upon the principle of local government, and
a protest against the spirit OF Capitalization; 10
which latter he has the strongest objections"
not for Ireland merely but for England. Al be-
aeven said Mr.. Gladstone, that local Institution
the institution of secondary authorities-is a
great source of strength and that in principle the
only necessary limit to those powers is the adequate
md certain provision for the supremacy of the
central authority" A pregnant sentence, surely
one Of the few examples of philosophical geleral-
lzation in English politics; and the occasion OF
puzzled and hostile comment for that reason.
There is nothing of which the English In general.
and the House of Commons in particular, are 50
impatient of philosophical generalization In poh-
ties State a principle and the EngshInan takes
alarm on the instant. Almost never can you get
him 70 commit himself TO anything so dangerous.
He seems never to be quite sure where 1t may lead
him. His politics are of to-day The man who
hints at tomorrow, and would frame q maxim for
The conduct of that remote future, is fre-brand,
and no precaution can be too elaborate TO take
against him.
1t will be found accordingly that Mr.. Gladstone
has aggravated his original offence. The grievance
ngainst him remains and the bitterness of 1t is the
greater because he has left his adversaIes not an
inch of solid ground to stand on. He passed from
The general principle to the particular instance ana
De made two exceedingly positive and specific
declarations First, that the wise and just method
Of dealing with the demand for Home Rule Is to re-
uuire of those who put forward formulate their
demand and TO say what are the provisions they
pffer for insuring the supremacy of Parliament. L
am bound to say" added Mr.. Gladstone, that to
this have never received an answer" Which is his
way Of intimating that the problem he proposes Is
insoluble, and that every attempt at stating an
answer to the question only proves that any answer
Is impossible Secondly, said Mr.. Gladstone, with
reference to Home Rule or local government, Ire
land and Scotland stand on the same footing. l
am not prepared to give to Ireland that when IN
noint of principle it would be wrong to give TO
Scotland" As not even Lord Randolph Churchill
has vet yentured to suggest that Mr.. Gladstone is
In favor of Scottish secession, this last statement
NAV be taken to dispose of the matter. Mr.. Glad
stone as a Home Ruler was good headline for
Tory journalists which must now give way TO
something equally calumnious but fresher
A passage in the same speech will show Mr.. Glad
stones way Of disposing of minor opponents OF the
noisier kind Such one Is Mr.. Alderman Fowler,
one of the members for the City of London, gifted
with great strength of lungs, and perhaps not much
other marked intellectual qualifications for eglsla-
tive duties. Mr.. Fowlers :" hear, hear" and Mr.
Wartons loud laugh. are two forces on the Tory
side with which Liberal speakers have to reckon
Tory speakers also, for il-timed and over-zealous
appauSe rs quite as embarrassing as hostile inter
ruption. Mr. Gladstone referred last night to Lord
Beaconsfeds celebrated letter to the Duke OF MARI
borough at the time of the last dissolution, which
some Tory had cited a shining example OF poNti-
cal prescience Hear, hear" shouted Mr.. Fowler
.'The worthy Alderman takes 1t in at once" reoined
Mr. Gladstone. The House laughed, and then came
this sentence-the "hear, hears" with which it is
punctuated being Mr.. Alderman FOwler's:
suppose he recoects that letter of the late Lord
Beaconsfeld hear hear) that IT was full of prophe
cies about tho state of Ireland, which were after.
ward fulfilled (hear, hear; he recollects that "
pointed out the dangerous character of the Land
League Chear, hear that it referred 70 social ag
cation that was coming 70 be so widely spread thai
there was danger of its consequences he recolects
ali that but unfortunately, there is not word OF
il in the letter ILaughterl The Right Honorable
member has indeed, a marvellous memory; he re-
Ine,olsrs not only that which has happened but that
which has not happened for the letter only .warn'
us against great scheme for the disintegration OF
tile Empire. lCheers.
This ligntness of touch and piquanoy of humor