Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-11-20
THE IRONY or rvss.s.

Saturday, and when, under the auspices
of Liberal Government, the "Jingoism
of the Tories was being thus openly dis
counted, Mir. Gladstone, if he has any
sense of humor in his composition, must
have smiled grimly to himself at the irony
of events. How short o time it seems
since he himself, as the leader of the Oppo-
sitior, was fercely denouncing the Bea.
consfield Government for its resort TO
forcs. for its theatrical display, for its
Indian contingent, for all its melodra-
matte accessories. At that time Mr..
Gladstone never tired OF declaring that
sforce is no remedy" At that time no
man in all Europe could perceive so clearly
the errors of the Tories. And yet it has
come to pass that the great Liberal party
has throughout its administration EN-.
ployed the very methods it formerly de-
nounced, and has employed them to the
exclusion of milder and more temperate
remedies. Force, in it's programme, has
been the main instrumentality. Force in
ireland, force in Egypt, force in the House
of Commons, has beer the order of the
day. Lord Bsaconsfeld was abused more
for his Indian contingent episode than for
any other act Of his later official life. Yet
last Saturday, when the victorious troops
marched through London, the observed of
all observers was the Indian contingent.
Jingoism in fact has blossomed more
rankly under Gladstone than under Bea.
consfeld. The Liberals have proved more
welded to force than the Tories. All the
fiery rhetoric of the former leader Of the
Opposition is turned into mockery by the
theatrical celebration CT the present Pre-.
mier's successes.
And why should this celebration have
been held! Surely the conquest of the
Egyptian mob of that melancholy earl.
cature of an army, composed of the most
docile and unwarlike people in the world /;
cannot be regarded as comforting new
laurels upon the arms of England What
must the great military governments and
peoples of the continent think when Eng
land goes into eestscies over the disper.
sion of an Egyptian rabble? 1t has often
been said of late years that the English
army had only measured itself against half
civilized or savage peoples since the Cri-
mean war, and that observation cannot but
be recalled to mind when such a pompous
celebration of an insignificant campaign
is held. France had better taste than to
celebrate the return of her Tunis expedi-
ton, yet that did nearly as much lighting
as the English army in Egypt. Aud to
what does all this exhibition of vain.
| gloriousness tend? Is it meant only to
arouse the enthusiasm of the English peo-
pie SO that it will refrain from growing
over the estimates for the Egyptian cam
paigu? Or is it intended to minister directly
to that spirit of "Jingoism" which has
SO long been the favorite target for Libe-
raj sarcasm and scorn
Mr.. Gladstone has certainly arrived, by
a roundabout road, at the goal of his
predecessors ambition. Ii he has not in
person initiated the mslo.dramatic dec
laration of Lord Bcaconsfeld-" We
"bring you back Peace with Honor p
he has in effect gone quite as far as his
dead rival. And there is this also to
be said, that whereas Lord Beaconsfeld
never pretended to loftiness of political
methods and craftsmanship which he did
not believe in, Mr. Gladstone has per.
sistently arrogated to himself precisely this
superiority of motive and action. In his
case therefore we are compelled to recog.
nize distinct descent, in fact distinct
degradation. For while it may be perfect
ly true that his Egyptian policy has been
wise and statesmanlike, it is not less
true that he climbed to power by per-
suading the English people that the
course he has since followed was altogether
wrong and unjustifiabie. 1t may he
argued that the exigenicies of the situa.
ton have been too strong for him. But
it happens that to any such argument the
fact of Mr.. Bright's retirement from the
Cabinet furnishes conclusive answer.
Mr.. Bright found that his party was
carrying him beyond the limits permit.
ted him by his principles and SO he with.
drew from Office. Mr.. Gladstone on the
other hand has allowed events to force
him completely round the circle, yet he
still endesvors to persuade the world that
he has not changed his position, or in
any respect contradicted his former pro.
LESSONS.
What he has to do now, however, is to
demonstrate that the very policy which he
denounced three years ago, is to-day
praiseworthy and that he himself can do
with IMMUNITY what, according to him, was
almost criminal when done by Lord Bsa-
consfeld. Mr.. Gladstone is undoubtedly
a very great man, and his name will live in
history as one of the foremost statesmen of
his age. But he has carried with him
through life an unfortunate tendency to
casuistry, derived from his early theo.
logical studies and leanings, and he has
persistently applied the methods of the
Schoolmen to the discussion of questions
which were altogether too concrete and
definite for such treatment. The continued
indulgence in this casuistrical practice,
moreover, has apparently made Mr.. Glad.
stone really incapable OF drawing clear
distinctions. He always finds SO much to
be said on both sides of every point that he
cannot comprehend the convincing force,
to less subtle minds, of such apparent in.
constituencies as he has committed during
his political career. One unpleasant con.
sequence Of this mental popularity is
that many people look upon him as a poll
tician so full of guile that he prefers false
hood to truth. This of course ia yery
unfair to MIR. Gladstone, who doubtless
believes himself to be as honest and candid
a man as can be found in the United King.
dom.