Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1882-12-14
GLADsTONE,S CAREER.
Fiftieth Anniversary Of His Entrance
Into Public Life.


niversary OF Mr.. Gladstone's entrance into pub
lie life. The London Times prints retrospect,
covering six columns. of bis career. Many politi
Cal associations have fellcitated Mr.. Gladstone,
and nearly alithe London papers and the greater
portion OF the provincial press devote leaders to
the subject of a recount of the influence of Mr..
Gladstone during the last half century. Mr..
Gladstone has received long kilograms Of con-
the Greek government
The New York Herald to-day gives the fol-
lowing sketch of Mr. Giadstones career:
FIFTY YEARS AGO.
Mr.. Gladstone was returned to parliament for
Newark on December 10, 1882. He was elected
in the conservative interest. At the close of his
university career in 1881 he spent some time In
Continental travel, chiefly i'll Italy. While he was
absent from the country the people of England
fought and won one of the greatest constitutional
battles recorded In their Parliamentary history.
After prolonged struggle the reform bill on the
TIN OF June. 1882 had finally become the law
OF the realm, and the friends Of reform were an
Xiously considering what was to be the COM
position OF the first reformed House Of Commons
AT the call of the Duke of Newcastle whose
son was Mr.. Gladstones intimate friend, he
hurried back from the Continent in September
1867 TO contest the representation OF Newark
ana immediately became popular. He was then
only III his twenty-second year. and his face az
Yet bore none OF those deep lines which have
marked his countenance in later life. His look
was bright. MS bearing attractive and his speech
lacked neither words nor arguments. His
plump features, large dark eyebrows and dark
eyes and generally robust appearance caused
him to be a marked man. and there was the
same broad, intellectual forehead. the somewhat
massive and prominent nose, the same anxious
eyes and the same earnest expression which
distinguish him in his SEVENTEEN year. In those
Gays the inquiry ran. "WhO Is this Mr.. Glad
stone?' The reply was:-"He is not more than
four or five and twenty, but he has won golden
ophioHs from all sorts OF people and promises
10 De an ornament to the House of Commons"
Inc first person to predict his political future
was conservative Journalist who is still living.
He said. shortly after Young Gladstone's cleo
ton as the member for Newark: HE Is a gentle
man OF ainiabe manners and the most extra
ordinary talent, and we venture to predict
without the slightest exaggeration, that he will
be one day classed among the most able states
men in the British senate"
THE RIVALS.
The first reform-act parliament. which met
on the 18th Of January. 1888, was not specially
distinguished. Mr.. Gladstone's maiden speech
differed widely from the first melodramatic dis
play of his great rival, Lord Beaconsfeld 1t
was on the slavery question and gained for him
Efforts was defense of the Irish church. which
generation later he was chiefly Instrumental
In diSestabiishing. His first parliamentary pro-
motion came in 1885. when he was made under
secretary for the colonies, though the year
before he had accepted the office of Junior lord
OF the treasury, under Sir Robert Peel; but
when his chief. not having the support of the
house, resigned Mr.. Gladstone retired from
the under secretaryship with his leader
IN 1854 ne was prominent in the discussion of the
rot.
to measure his strength with Lord Macaulay
PREVIOUS to 1852 Nh. Gladstone's career had been
chiefly preparatory. 1t was the parliamentary
session OF 1852 that first witnessed Lord Rea-
coustetd and Mr.. Gladstone pitted against each
other as leaders and riraiS-a position that did
not materially change until the Queen created
Mr.. Disraeli peer in 1876. When the Earl of
Aberdeen attempted to form ministry on the
retirement of Lord Derby there was but one
possible chancellor Of the exchpquer. so early
had attention been devoted to Mr. Glad
stone for the work he was best capable of do
ing. He brought forward his first budget in
April. 1855, and held his audience spell bound
for five hours while he dealt with the most
abstruse FINANCIAL details and never once paused
Tor word, or Jailed to say what was most fit
ting. The impression produced upon the
crowded and brilliant assembly by Mr. Chad
stones evident mastery and grasp of the sub
Ject was that England had at length found
skilful financier, upon whom the mantle of Peel
mad descended" His scheme for adjusting the
burdens of taxation, then regarded as the most
able, far-sghted and practicable of financial
measures since Sir Robert Peel's famous budget
OF 1874 at first astonished. then pleased and
satisfied the people. and demonstrated what a
capable financier could achieve under the regime
of free trade.
RISING.
But the Aberdeen government brought honor
to no one connected with it, and Mr.. Gladstone
hal i.po
during the next few Yeas. He found occupa-
ton in those literary pursuits which have al
ways been his pastime, and in 1853 produced
his most important work Studies on Homer
and the Homerc Age" In the same wear. hay
ing refused to join Lord Derbys second admin
istration, he took employment under it as spe-
ciai commissioner to the l0nan Islands, and in
that capacity did good work in negotiating the
transfer Of those useless dependencies TO
the very un-Homeric Greece of the present day.
Shortly after hisreturn on reformation i'm 1859
OF LORD Palmerston's cabinet, he returned to his
former post of chancellor of the eXchecuuer
and began in it to prove his superiority over ali
rivals as a tnancier Having had some SHIRE
with Golden in negotiating the French CONNER
clal treaty of 1860, an exposition OF it was the
distinguishing topic in the most memorable of
all his budget speeches. In 1861 he abolished
the paper duty. and in 1868 he reduced the tea
duty and the income tax. The financial state
ments" in which he propOunded those reforms
greatly enhanced his reputation as an orator no
less than as a financier Hardly less important
and quite as eloquent. were the budget speeches
that followed in 1864 and 1865. The latter wear
marks another crisis in Mr. GladstOne's
career. During nearly quarter of a
century he had been gradually altering his
political views, passing with his master Sir
Robert Peel, from toryism toward sort of lib
eralism. and partly under the guidance of a
very different master. Lord Palmerston, making
some further advance in the liberal direction
but his attention had been most especially paid
to financial affairs, in which he was able to be
quite a liberal without serious interference with
his early prejudices. Lord Palmerston's death.
however, a signal for a revival of those
liberal tendencies which he had very cleyerly
suppressed, and Mr.. Gladstone on succeeding
to the liberal leadership in the House of Com
mons, found that to lead even in parliament
and much more in the country. he must adopt
very different tactics from those Lord Palmer
ston had been satisfied with. Being defeated
at Oxford in 1865 and elected by the cOnstitu-
ents OF South Lancashire, he speedily elabo-
rated the reform bill, which was introduced and
rejected by the House of Commons in 1866.
THE GOLDEN AGE.
Then followed the period which Mr.. Glad
stones biosraphers describe as the golden age
of liberalism Hberan i'm Noyamhar 1853 o,d