New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-11-23
MIR. GLADSTONE.
HIS JOURNEY TO MIDLOTHIAN AND HIS
APPEAL TO THE COUNTRY.


enthusiasm long since familiar 10 hIm and to US
They much exceeded what had been expected, ana
his RESPONSE to them went ALTOGETHER beyond what
any one had thought possible He was to make no
speeches we were told, by the way, and no speech
# all until he met his constituents OH Wednesday
Well! this ever-asonishing old man delivered seven
speeches in the course of his travel by rail- and on
his arrival at Edinburgh, after journey OF eight
hours and n half drove at once TO the Albert Hall,
where he spoke to a select audience for nearly an
hour At the conclusion of this performance MS
voice, say those who heard him, was as clear as
when he began. SO much for his physical condition
and powers. His friends have known for some tlme'
and the public now discovers that his strength Is
fully equal TO any demand likely to be made on IT,
whether during the election or during the next
Parliament.
Not less decisive is the disclosure Mr.. Gladstone
has made of the energy of his mind and will In his
very first speech be dispelled the illusions of those
who have doubted or professed to doubt whether he
meant to Lead the Liberal party or not. am going
to Midlothian TO perform the duty that belongs to
me of teaching and preaching the unity OF the
party" The unity of the party Is the one thing
we want" and it is only to be obtained, he insists
on condition that every candidate Mr. Chamberlain
is a candidatc shall put aside everything that can
defeat or hinder the work of the party as whole
Mr. Gladstone It must be admitted, has delayed this
declaration long that there has been some justi-
cation for the doubt whether he meant to insist on
unity or not He had looked on silently for weeks
at the spectacle of Liberal discOrd, and listened
without one word of public remonstrancc to the
inressant attacks of the Radicals upon Liberals less
radical than themselves, | think he tolerated far
tho much. and risked more than he or the party
could afford to risk But he has at last asserted
hi, authority. and asserted it III terms which no
man can call obscure or Ambiguous.
The direction of the Liberal party, said tho Lib
eral, of Carlisle to Mr.. Gladstone is intrusted to
YOU. IL j. answered he. and mean to accept and
enforce it. Z" i cannot for moment renouncc the
responsibility laid upon me- so far from renOunc-
ing it, he proceeds to Law down the duties OF
leadership as he understands them and means
others to understand them. The first,
the very first i, that the leader of the party shall
impress his own convictions upon his party. The
second is that he shall ascertain what Mr. Bright
called the average convictions and desires OF the
party and shall give effect To them. The thirdand
this Mr.. Gladstone calls the most important of all
is to prevent the uldue predomInance OF any one
section of the party over any other section OF It.
q It is his duty" continues Nh Gladstone in words
every one OF which is measured t. set his face
against any attempt to give to sectional opinions
of the party. aud if he not to do
So If he were to defer such sectional opinions he
would do Il great Injustice to the part! at large
That /, q worthy conception of leadership. What
Mr.. Gladstone announces will be perfectly under
stood a, meaning that he will lead the Liberal
party on his own terms and not on Mr.. Chamber
lain's He is 10 urge his convictions 1, 10 take
his own view Of what the party as a whole believes
and desires and hc is t. SEE To- it that his
prevails lie means 10 have discipline. The
license of the last few weeks has it, course
Unauthorized programme, and apocryphal yer
SONS have had their dav. There u be during
the rest Of the campaign but ono programme FOR tie
party and one voice authorized to eXpound IT, The
commanding officer has arrived at headquarters.
and be. hc alone henoelorwarl To issue orders of
the day. ono would rather like to know what
the division general, al birmingham and Chelsea
think of yesterdays work.
Nor was Mr. GIadston, content With taking COM
nand OF his party and establishing order m The
ranks or rather among the officers. for It is the
officers much more than the soldiers who have been
mutiuou. lle had TO speak to the country not les,
than &, his own followers, aud o.. has done SD not
less clearly lie has gone straight to the vital point
Of tie pending elections. The vital point IN MIR.
Gladstone, considered belief is not any one of the
four point, of his Manifesto not procedure in Par
Lament not local poScrument not further reform
of the franchise not reform of the land laws. It O.,
not. OF course. any one 81 the soca,'ic crotchct-
of Mr. Chamberlain or Sir Charles llllho II j, not
even di.cstlhl,hucut II is Ireland. The position
which other Liberal leaders Lord llartington Mr..
Go,chrn Lord Rosehcry ana many morc-h have long
crcel,ed to be the central AMI essential point oil
thi. contest. Mr.. Gladstone now adopts.
The Irish question b. said yesterday in Edin-
burch /, about To assume new aspect IL il of the
greatest importance greater import lncc than
any CT all other questions. iceland. Tor the first
time under the now Franchise Act. is about to make
known in Parliament the wishes of the ma orty of
her people Heretofore the Irish vote in Parliament
has always been diyidcd-a fact of which little
account seems to have been taken in America.
but which Is nevertheless a fact. There have been
three Irish factions none OF them q majority; none
Of them entitled 20 say we speak the voice of the
Irish people" Now. it is said-and Mr. Gladstone i,
not inclined 20 dispute it-that Mr. Parncll will
have u majority. a great majority of the whole
number of Irish members at his back and this
majority will really represent the ma Ority Of the
people oil IRELAND. Supported by this majority Mr..
Parnel will make demand on the English Parlia-
Dcnt for the legislative independence of ireland.
Mr. Gladstone prefer, - assume that the demand
will be- made in such terms that the unity of The
Empire is not to bc compromised or put i'm cop-
ardy That Is assuming great deal, and Mr. Par
uelr5 words are not easy TO reconcile with Mr..
Gladstone. account OF hi, purpose, But il serve,
to show how cautions the Liberal leader is, and
how firmly lac e,tab,he- the ba,i, Of h, appeal TO
the people OF Great Britain. II will be IN any case
as he says a ,erou, demand, ana the one thing Mr..
Gladstone seek, to npre,, on the country is this
that it Will be a vital danger to the Empire IT, al
time when the demand of Ireland for large powers
Of sef-gOyemInont is to he dealt with, there is not
in Parliament party totally independent of the
Irish vote
There ought to be- in other words. one party in
Parliament with an absolute majority; able To
support a Ministry or carry measure without help