New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-07-02
MR.. GLADSTONE'S FALL.
SOME OF THE REASONS WHY THE CABINET
| WANTED TO BE BEATEN,


Ministers make no secret Of their delight at being
out. If you meet a member of the Government,
you will do quite the wrong thing If you condole
with him. He expects to be congratulated. There
is no affectation of regret on his side. and he ex-
poets meme from you. Polite hypscriscs give place
to frankness which pays no homage to conven-
tional pretenccs. The sxultation is almost
indecent. Ministers and Ministers wives,
and even subordinate members of the
Government, nay, the very private secretaries,
those models and types Of discretion, take part In
1t. Contentment in defeat Is confined to no sec
ton of the Cabinet. Lord Granville is as happy
as Mr.. Chamberlain, and Sir Charles Dixie IS hardly
more jubilant than Lord Harrington. Each Minis
ter has reason of his own for rejoicing. and the
Cabinet collective and general ground Ter deep
political satisfaction in their retirement to private
life They have appeared. most Of them, since Mon
day at dinners and parties. and so made the most
public advertisement of their condition of mind
London was at first rather astonishcd, then amused
and now. two whole days having elapsed. takes tho
whole thing for granted. No people are quicker
than the English accept the unforeseen and to be-
leve that they predicted the event which so lately
gave them five minutes Of pure amazement
The reasons for this private and public
man who always takes practical views told me last
night that If they had held on till November and
then won the election and so continued In or
flee, half tho hardest working Ministers would
have been dead OF broken down. The work in the
House of Commons, plus the departmental work
plus the outside political duty which falls on all
the leading men, is killing. Now they will have
rest. "You don't know the pleasure Minister
has in accepting dinners for Mondays and Thurs
days." said one of thom have met more than one
Minister whose demeanor was more like that OF
H.. 4l..a -
schoolboy home for the holidays than like thar OF
a dlscrcdited statesman "rho snly thing" said
another, that has kept us going is the fact that
so many of the Cabinet are in the House of Lords ".
Their Parliamentary labors have been so light that
they conld always give hand to help on thor
colleagues in the Commons" From which he de-
duced tho dcsirabity Of keeping the House OF
Lords as il is rather violently. perhaps.
If the Cabinet had been united and its policy sue
cessful this strain could have been borne. Bat to
row losiHg race takes much more out of a man
than when he is winning. There has not bsen one
great question of the many great questions lately
pending on vhich the Cabinet were really har-
monious. They nearly split asnndor about Egypt.
More than ono Minister has mors than once been on
the point of resigning account of the Soudan.
Less il known of the dsscnsions on the Rnsso-
Afghan bu .iness, but it is known that they existed
They need not b. dwelt. on because somehow or
other these past crises have been tidcd over and
still the Cabinet held together. But there was a
crisis than all these, more pcrilous, daily be
coming moro acute, quito capable III the end OF
wrecking the concern, and that was the division
among Ministers respecting the Crimes Act IN Ire
land.
II is not necessary to go ints tho merits Of this
dispute. Tic question at the moment is net ono OF
merits but OF results. Sir Charles Dixie and Mr.
Charsberlain were opposed TO the renewal of tho
Act in any form or shape or for any period. Lord
Spencer declared the renewal of certain provisions
essential. and declined to be responsible for the
government of Ireland If these powers were with
held from him. Lord Harrington. Mr. Trevelyan
and the majority of the Cabinet sldod with Lord
Spencer Mr. Gladstone was disposed t. think Ire
land could be governed without coorcios. but was
unwilling 10 part with Lord Spencer, aud equally
unwilling TO take the responsibility OF oycrruling
him. or Of rsking policy which tho Niceroy en-
phatically declared to b, a pcrilous policy Ia Ire
land. A compromise was suggested in the terms /
tclegraphed YOU at the timc-certain powers to be
renewed for n limited time. Before the CabInst
separated for tho Whitsun holidays, Sir Charles
Dixie and Mr. Chamberlain handed IN their ult-
rnatuin The matter stood over during tho recess.
Meanwhile the Radicals ragged, aud I.aginod all
SORTS of vain things. The feeling In that section OF
the party. always strong against coercion became
strongor The two Radical Ministers found
that even the slight concessions they hal offered
to make wore dcsncd too much; tho Radical
battalons were getting out Of hand. Neither Sir
Charles Dixie nor Mr.. Chamberlain can afford TO
lose touch of their Supporters, least of all whea
they and their supporters really at one and they
have to choose between alternating thcm ON the one
hand ali on tho other. hardening their hearts 10
their Wing colleagues. Both beloved they had
with them the majority OF the party. The result
was that on tho rca-scmbin OF Parliament aud
the resumption of negot ations. those two Ministers
were less than ever disposed to compromise and
more than ever disposed cut loose from Cabinet
ent on what they thought fatal equalization to
9e spirit OF coercion.
Wran giles inside the Cabinet not proclaimed
from the housetops, and 1t would be idle to say
that the exact degree of tension was known. But
Vt was known that the tension cxstci the strain
was believed TO be already near the breaking point
There are ,ecpc who tell You that tho resignation
of Mr. Chamberlain and Sir Charles Dixie
question OF hours when Providence stepped IN IN
tho shape Of Tory majority on the Bulget. Lord
Spencer had arrived from Ireland o take part in the
final discussion on the Crimes Act III the Cabiact
of Tuesday. But the Cabinet Of Tuesday. in place
,fhaying to say how 1T should govern ireland. had
,nly 10 make up it's mind to hand over Ireland aud
England together to ITS Tory successors. The re-
lief was immense. The Radical Ministers regained
thsir freedom without appearing to break mp thc
Ministry. Coercion il dead and buried. Sir Charles
Dixie and Mr. Chamberlain can 20 to tho country
so to speak, on their own platform.
And there are reasons broader than these COM
mon TO the whole Cabinet decisive from n party
point Of view. Suppose tins Ministry to hold on
till November then go TO the country. They must
appeal to the constituencies on their whole
recofd-and what "A record! All their sins of omis-
sioa and commission wsnld come up in judgment
against them with netting to break the