New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1882-06-01
PERSONALITIES.
PERIOD OF POLITICAL BITTERNESS.


when renlving to Mr. Balfour. There was quite
enough In Mr. BalfOurs speech to rouse Mr.. blal-
stone or less passionate man. The young DRY
went so far as use the word nfamy IN connection
with the Ola lstone Parnel transactions But there
was more than that underneath. Mr. Baliour as
everybody knows. is Lord Salisburys nephew ana
it was this relationship which supplied the point TO
Sir William Harcourt's taunts about secret memo
randa Ii is not well known that the personal
relations between Mr. Gladstone and Mr.. Baliour
have been very close Mr. Ballour. as a friend put
it, was "GladstOne's boy" of the few young
men OF either party for whom tie veteran Prime
Minister had shown real affection. in whose career
be took. spite Of their political differences real
pride. Mr. Balfours place in the country. Whit
tinghame, Haddingtonshire, one OF the houses
where Mr. Gladstone liked 10 stay. Not even the
formation of the Fourth Party, and Mr. Balfours
singular alliance with that oddly composed group
chilled the friendship between him and the Liberal
leader.
To attack Mr.. Gladstone to annoy him, to emoar-
rass any business III which he was concerned mas
been of the objects of the existence OF that
party But Mr. Balfour heretofore has left the ex'
ecuton of these guerilla tactics TO his associates
to the more ccngenial spirits OF LORD hahuo'Pn
Churchill, Sir Drummond Wolf and MI. Oorsl
And the gossip of the House has It that IN the oler
wholly free agent The whole of that scene bad
been arranged. Mr.. Gibson came down with an I'M
promptu outburst of which the main points were
scrawIed at length on Carlton Club note paper
Mr. Balfour had born sent fol" u will not say
bv whom-and told Oh for the work be carried out
with only too great zeal. | say not word against
his motives OF anybodys motives. In this particu-
lar matter of the kilmainham Compact am airald
agree IN the main to the character of the trans
action with the moderate critics of the Govern
nent. But | know of spectacle less attractive
than that of Young men leagued together to assam
with ingenious vituDerati1n the motives OF MI
Gladstone This banG is not confined TO the Fourth
Party nor wholly composed of hot-spirted youths
Earl Percy and Lord Folkestone. Mr.. Warton, slr
Henry Tyler, Mr. Charles Lewis Mr.. Henry
Chaplin, are all partakers the sport. They have
found a name for 1t. Going down tonight TO
draw Gladstone" is the formula In this list have
included no Irish member. Some of them belong to
the ranks of. new men, But the majority Lord
Randolph Churchill, Mr.. Balfour, Lord Percy, Lord
Folkestone and MIR. Henry Chaphn-are of the line
flower OF the arstocracy Of England
No party nor class has a monopoly of this spirit of
savage dislike and ferocious personalities, nor is
Mr. Gladstone alone tue object of such assaults.
Every now and then comes period when the ordi-
nary decOrum of public life in England IS forget
and an outbreak Of rancorous enmities occurs.
There Is such a period now. Mr.. Forster is one OF
the victims a. the moment even more conspcuously
target Tor poisoned arrows tnan his late chef In
his case the fire comes from different quarter.
He Is attacked in the house OF his friends-those
who once pretended to be his friends. Mr.. Forsters
SCALP is the trophy every good Radical OF the
Chamberlain pattern nov longs 20 hang IN his belt
grudge of twelve years standing has had time 10
grow fat They were disposed TO regard his reslgna-
riop Is 1riumph for themselves. Three days later
they discovered that country disposed to re-
gard II as a triumph for Mr.. Forster. The coveted
trophy was not theirs after all and they have
started once more on the war-path. You have
only to open newspaper identified with the
views Of Mr.. Chamberlain to find specimens OF
this new nvective You may read Of his 'Ylndlctlve
egotism" of his 'turpitude nay, this morning In
what Is called the leading liberal organ OF London
there is an explosion of vituperatlve hatred that
beats the Tories ont of sight. Mr.. Forster turning
infor1ner Mr. Forster in the character OF man
splitting upon his old col leagues is the astonlsh-
ing picture It's readers are invited 10 contem-
plate. In private, Language is heard. if possible,
more Incorporate and disgraceful and
there is an all but avowed purpose TO drive
Mr.. Forster over to the Conservative party.
And that at moment when his political fore
sight has been indicated, and when the
good sense of the immense majority of the people OF
England points TO him as a sagacl0us and honorable
statesman who has given proof of the sincerity of
his convictions by the cOsthest sacrifice man IN
public life can be called on to make.
In the ewes of these same men Mr.. Parnell has
suddenly become sort of hero. | am not sure but
they would diiuse, if they could, soft halo of
sweetness and ght about Mr. Healy himself. Mr.
Parnen at any rate is well on toward passing for
martyr Mr. Forster put him in prison. Mr..
Forster the other day dared to speak Of him as
law breaker. " When" cries the anti-FOrster Lib
eral was Mr. Parnell convicted cf breaking the
lawY" This touching sohcitude goes too far. 1t is
not everybody who has forgotten the terms
in which Mr. Gladstone last October amid
the cheers of q Gmld Hail audience announced the
arrest of Mr.. Parnel. Then. as now, Mr.. Parnell
was president and prime mover of the Land League,
which the Government has proclaimed as
criminal organization Them if not now, he was. as
Mr. Goschen said to the House only last week and the
Acknowledgement had said before stepped to the
lbs in treason" There were only two powers in
Ireland declared Mr. Gladstone at Leeds, the Land
League and the Land Act; it to the death
between them and Mr.. Parnelps Imprisonment alone
broke The power of lawlessness aud gave the Land
Act chance.
Elsa more interesting or timely question what
IS the extent of Alr PanelPs over now i'll Ireland
Not a few men believe it has always been over
rated many more affirm that the exposure of the
Kilmainham Compact destroyed it, That he was
able 10 instigate outrages few people dou0t;
whether he had the power to suppress them, even
had his pledge of political support to the Govern
ment remained secret, is thought 10 be more
questionable. He Is say the extremists, usng
a Fr ench phrase. "nO longer IN the move
IN Mt" The secret societies have replaced the
Land League, and they scof at and spit upon his
leadership. Lead those societies be never did per-
~, aod III md II