The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-09-13
ENGLAND's GREATEST MAN.
How He Looks and Talks in the Commons,
and the Attention He Receives.

they appear at work in the House OF Com
mons, Easily first among them all is, OF
course, the Premier, Mr.. Gladstone. This is
a position which, since the death of Lord
Beaconsield even his bitterest political foes
accord him. No other man in Parliament,
outside their own party, can command
moments respectful attention from the Irish
members or silence their derisive shouts
and laughter when Irish mat
tiers are discussed. I was surprised
to hear even the beligerent Mr.. Healy,
the other evening, after being lectured by
Mr.. Gladstone in a speech of unusual vigor
and eloquence on the Incorporate language
used by him and his colleagues, premise his
reply with the remark that mo one outdid
him in his respect for the right honorable
gentleman and in admiration of his genius"
"a tribute which it is perhaps not too much
to say no other Englishman could have
elected from the member for Monaghan.
But now, taking our seat, perhaps for the
first time in the House of Commons, we wait
eagerly for his arrival. There he comes,
says friend at my side, and looking right
across the room, l see the principal object of
my visit walking brsky down in front of
the treasury bench. His hoary locks betoken
the man of four-score, but his flashing eye
and quick, elastic step are those of man of
twenty-five. The question under dis
cassion is Zululand and Cetewayo, not
particularly interesting subject and
Mr. Gladstone does not seem to be inclined
to take part in it. The debate however,
drags on hour after hour, and becomes in
volved in such a maze of Contradictions,
misconstructions and misunderstanding
that it seems as if it will never end Mem
bers get disguised and wander off into some
Of the many spacious corridors, libraries and
eating-roOms which surround the little box
in which the legislative work of the empire
is transacted. Evidently there is need of
Mr.. Gladstone. He springs to his feet. The
effect is magical. Members stop talking, sit
up, and lean forward so as not to lose
word. Through every door the absentees
flock in, until, by the time he has uttered a
half dozen sentences. the house, which
was yawning and deserted, is full and
attentive Now you perceive that a
master of the subject is talking. How easily
and unostentatiously he brus shes away all
the cobwebs of sophistry in which the ques-
ton has become entangled! With what
close attention members rights and left follow
his remarksl How his eye flashes as he looks
around and warns to the work. A member
disputes him. (Surely no one but Mr.
Forster the ex-Secretary for Ireland, would
dare do that-they call him there "Od Buck
shot, Mr.. Gladstone darts his finger at
him. and overwhelms him in perfect tor
rent of the most forcble and classical Eng
lish. You could hear a pin drop. Sir
Michael Hicks-Beach, one of the leaders of
the opposition, and a member of Lord
Beaconsfield's cabinet has been trying to
make capital out of the question. He
sits on the front bench of the OPP
position, right across the table from
Mr.. Gladstone, and the Premier takes
occasion to read him a severe lesson on his
partisanship. Under his flashing eye and
pungent words, the honorable gentleman
sinks down into his seat like whipped
school-boy. Even the occupants of the min
isteral side of the House forbear TO cheer,
as if in pity for the poor fellow. And surely
his punishment is enough. Mr.. Gladstone
too, sees that it is, and drops him unceremo-
niouslv But now he is through As he
sits down an overwhelming chorus of hear,
hear" the only recognized form of parlia-
mentarv applause, bursts from the Liberal
side of the House, and the Conservatives
draw long breath, apparently relieved that
they have escaped so easily. Surely it must
be an uncommon man who can thus effect a
House which hears him every night.
Mr.. Gladstone is by no means an eloquent
man." meaning by that amboyant orator
His diction is simple and direct But none
the less is his language elegant and beautiful.
He never lacks a word nor uses wrong one
No more classical English flowed from the
pen of Addison than falls nightly in i'm
promptu debate from the lips of Gladstone.
Perhaps it is this unlimited and (for an En-
glish orator. altogether exceptional COM
mand OF his mother tongue which tends so
strongly to produce in your mind the i'm
preston that he is, in general, a man of in
finite resources. In every speech which I
have heard him make (and they are several)
he has given the impression that he
was only touching in the brefest
possible manner on few of the out
lying arguments on his side; that, if it
were not for taking up the time of the
House, be could bring forward a mass of
facts and reasons that would be irresistible.
And not Infrequently, if the debate con-
tnues does he justify this expectation
Then, too, there is SAVIOR of necromancy
about him. You cannot believe your ewes
that this man who stands before you, straight
as an arrow, with the step of an athlete, the
figure OF an Apollo and the eye of Jove, is
the patriarch of English politics, who has
borne his share of the labOrS of the state for
more than half a century, and seems able to
carry the empire on his shoulders for half
century longer. No wonder that even his
political enemies respect and venerate him.
The other evening in full House. in
the course of long and fervid speech on
Irish matters, he intimated that the
days OF his own active PARTICIPATION in po-
litical affairs were numbered. Whereat Mr..
Biggar, who is the incarnation of Irish i'm
placability, ventured to cheer. The whole
house-Liberal, Radical, Tory, Conservative
rose las one man" and cried shame"
"order," ''name him." The tumult and
confusion were indescribable, ana proved be-
yond a doubt the place that Gladstone holds
in the English heart There be many who
regard him as the embodiment of evil prin-
ciples of government, but no one who will
say that he IS himself an evil man. In this
respect [ imagine that he stands wall-nigh
alone among the prominent politicians of
either England or America. For I do not
see that the bitterness and rancor of party
feeling are any less in this staid old fash
toned country than in rolicking young
America.
LIZ ANN IEIr INSI1I, NrCIr