New-York tribune., 1885-07-20
MR.. GLADSTONE.
s,s RELATIONS TO HIS OWN PARTY AND
TO THE NEW CONSTITUENCIES.

no nert1naClOuS
t;rcment have at length been LAID to sleep by MI
Gladstone himself in letter to his Midlothian con-
.t,tucuts. 1t was none too soon. From the hfst
,noment of the Ministerial defeat certain Ministers
.howed disposition to cast to the winds all idea
of subordination or party discipline and begin
new contest on lines of their own Mr.. Chamberlain
was one The earliest he made Of his freedom
to resume his former attempts to force the hand
of his leader on the Irish question. HIS speech az
Holloway amounted to declaration of war against
Dublin Castle and the whole or about the wholc'
system of English rule in ireland. Very likely Mt.
Gladstone is at heart ready to adopt scheme OF
local government for Ireland which may have
mucb the same effect as Mr.. Chamberlain's.
But he will choose his own time for announcing IT,
Mr.. Chamberlain is in this, as in some other mat
ters the spokesman of an impatient and beligerent
Radicalism. The wing OF the Liberal party to
which he belongs and of which he IS the chief Is
possessed with the conviction that the destinies OF
tho party are in its hands. 1t is pent
ON ruling 1t chafes under its present
alliance with those moderate Liberals whom III
calls Wings. 1t wants to make war Oh them,
drive them out of the party and into the ranks OF
the enemy. Mr.. Gladstone's authority alone re-
presses for the time outbreak of this spirit OF
revolt If he were to retire nothing could repress
it, and reorganization of parties would be the re-
suit
Mr. Gladstone and the Radicals differ on still
moro pressing question. In what spirit is this
Conservative Government to be meti Mr. Cham
beraln has given his answer with his usual frank
ness do not quote him, but summarize him In
saving q spirit of uucomprOmising hostiity-a
spirit of party and not OF PATRIOTISM.
Mr. Gladstone now gives his own answer. he stood
out against Lord Salisbury's efforts to wiring from
him certain specific pledges. He would bind
neither his party nor the House of Commons. But
being free to give OF to withhold. he tells his
followers that the late Opposition has become the
Queens Government; that the interests of the Elm
prc are primarily in its hands; that whatever ne
may think of its conduct in the past he has now to
look to the future; and he adds: "My duty Is to
support and assist it, far have the power, in
doing right and not to anticipate that it will DO
wrong" That is message of which Mr.. Chamberlain
and his fellow Radicals will have to take heed. Mr.
Gladstone is still master. Even the Radicals obey
him; they know very we'll that to oppose him
openly would bring down on them the wrath OF
their constituents. If they thwarted him in this
matter they would be impotent in the House OF
Commons. Thoy cannot muster more than seventy
or eighty Add the ParneIlitss and they would
number something over hundred,
force all-powerful for organized OBJ
structon against particular measure.
but not otherwise. The Conservatives and moder-
ate Liberals combined, with Mr.. Gladstone at their
head are perfectly capable of conducting the
general business of the House IN the spirit which
Mr.. Gladstone has indicated
You have had a good many stories sent over to
Won from time to time during all this session to the
effect that Mr.. Gladstone's health was breaking
mp and that he would soon abandon public life
They have never had much foundation. Mr.. Glad
stone like other men, is sometimes ill. or rather has
<.%1,ar In hnsfQ
the burden of affairs and talked of laying it down.
In some contingencies he might have retired. but
not in such circumstances as the present. If any
thing is certain, it Is that lie will fight the coming
campaign Release from office gives him the rest
he needed such little rest as he is capable of taking
His letter to Midothan-is as one may say, apropos
Of nothing. There was no occasion for Mr. Glad
stone to address his constituents unless he had
something to say to them and to the whole country
He made the occasion. His letter is a notification
to all whom it may that he means to
keep the command. lie is going to see his party
through the next election. And meantime hc and
not Mr.. Chamberlain is to direct its policy.
Lord Rosebery who went down to Edinburgh 70
make speech to the Midlothian Liberal Associa
ton, told the exact truth about Mr. Gladstone He
If anybody, knows the facts. and what Lord Rose
berry says is that while Mr. Gladstone is in his pres
ent state of health aud vgor, it is impossible for
him to find repose even If he seeks it. He has no
doubt that the Liberal leader will remain the Lib
eral leader, and will more contest Midlothian.
That being SO, such signs of mutiny as Mr..
Labouchere. for example. hangs ont mean little or
nothing. Mr.. Bradaughs colleague is "A free lance,
or to change the metaphor, he goes for the Tories
with the feeling of a fox-hunter taking his fences.
1t is pure sport He has just published long letter
in the Liberal organ of which he is part proprietor.
lie describes the present Ministry as a " strange
gang of arstocrats and adventurers" He calls it a
public scandal that Conservative Ministry should
be allowed to exist for single day. and he urges
that the House of Commons should refuse to vote
any money SO long as they are in Office. Mr..
Labouchere is not serious politician. but he repre-
sents truly enough this subject the impulses Of a
knot of independents below the gangway. talked
with one of them just after Lord Salisbury had
assumed Office. He was angry with his own leaders
for allowing the Tories to come in at all. "Thc
misfortune u.s." he sad that the country will con-
slider them once more possible party. We ought
not to admit the idea that such set of men can
govern England" Such is the spirit OF tolerance
which prevails in that quarter
What Lord Rosebery said on the relations be-
tween the various sections of the Liberal party was
we'll and quantity said. He declined to ally him
self with any section. The name of Liberal was
quite good enough for him. He had no objection
to the word Radical if Mr.. Chamberlain liked it,
and was not aware of any great difference between
Mr.. Chamberlain's politics and his own. No more
had he to the word Wing. When he read Mr.
Goschen's speech at Manchester the other day he
wished himself Whig But he remembered that
the name of Liberal was good enough for Mr.. Glad
stone, and good enough for Mr.. Bright. and he was
quito willing to walk under umbrella with those
two gentlemen. The phrase had an instant success,
and is likely to endure politics as long as Mr..
BrIghts omnibus. But the reply of the Radical is
Characteristic. @Yes,, says he. "I too am quito