New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1885-07-30
NOTES ON IRELAND.
EARL SPENCER--EARL OF CARNARVON-
THE NEW ALLIANCE.

He has been saying it lately with only too much
appearance Of truth with reference to the return of
Lord Spencer from Ireland. The policy of which
the late Viceroy was the exponent is no longer
the policy of the English Government. 1t was
odious to large part of the Irish people. Lord
Spencer himself was hcrcely attacked because he
enforced this policy. All that may be admitted.
Yet apprehend that many of the very men who
criticised him and his administration most bitterly
| admired him secretly. and respected him. In the
conduct of the warfare they carried on against Eng
| lsh rule the Parnellites assailed every English
ruler with about the same degree of energy. They
wanted to break down the system, and to the Irish
mind man is always the representation of a system.
These fervld Celts find no excitement IN aiming at
an abstraction They prefer a ta-get of flesh and
blood. They have launched volleys of arrows at
Lord Spencer. In Parliament they tried every
means to discredit him. They tOiled day and night
to turn him out. They held him up to execraton
as a monster guilty of innocent blood They
taught tho peasants of Ireland whose political lit
erature consists Of nothing but Mr.. Parnels weekly
organ. to beIieve.that this Englishman delighted
in oppression and in cruelty. But now that Lord
Spencer is no longer Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland,
believe that even Mr.. Parnell and Mr. OBrien
would acknowledge that much of their fury
against hun was feigned under what they thought
u
Irshmen would compel them to admire man who
has shown 50 many of the qualities which they
most value.
Whatever be the real opinion of the Irish, the
English, at any rate, owe Lord Spencer much. He
has ruled Ireland as England wanted it ruled. No
body here disputes that he has filled his high station
with rare courage. with great capacity, with COM
pete devotion to what he thought his duty. The
place had no temptation for him. The work has
been very heavy lie has spent three years in hourly
peril He wanted neither money nor distinction
He had everything which in England is thought to
make life desirable. He sacrificed much OF 1T. and
rskcd all, in obedience to the summons of the State
The task set him was perhaps an impossible task.
but hc wrought at it with Just as much conscien-
tious industry as if complete success lay within his
roach. lie has kent order, and cut down the cate
CORY Of crime 10 one -fourth what it Whatever
else be SAID of him. he has shown the qualities
which belong to a ruler OF men, England has sell
dom been better served.
Well, what is Lord Spencers reward How Is he
welcomed' What recognition does England offer
himf None. lie Hays ldown his vce-regal power
and comes hometo country which seems t. have
forgotten his existence. Newspaper eulogies are
cheap but there are few OF on the late Lord
Lieutenant Ilonors and decorations fell IN
shower as the Gladstone Ministry went out of office.
Lawyers and Treasury clerks, artists hnanciers.
politicians, in for their share, but Lord Spen-
GERS share was nDthng. Parliament votes him no
thanks. Hardly a civil word for him is to be heard
in either House He is not discredited he Is not
censnred he is simply neglected. 1t is left to the
historian to do Justice to him. The historian VIII
find ample materials for praise in the record OF Lord
Spencers services, and IN the encomiums of journals
and of Ministers uttered while he was still in power
The rest the historian will have to supply for him
self.
There are however, two exceptions to this rule of
silence and forgctfuness The Queen bas.conferrcd
upon the Countess Spencer the order of Victoria aud
Albert of the second class The distinction is one
hitherto reserved for royalty. There are four
classes The fourth Is bestowed rather freely. The
third is more select 1t the third which was
given to the Duchess Of Marlborough on her hns-
bands retirement from the Irish Viceroyalty, in
1850. The second is conferred for the first time
a lady not OF the royal blood OF knship The
Queen, in other ords has done what she could as
Queen to mark her sense of Lady Spcncers services;
for Lady Spencer has been in the fullest the
consort OF Earl Spencer in his Viceroyalty.
The other exception. consists in what is called
sounding Lord Spencer with reference 10 his promo
ton in the peerage. IL was ntimated to him that
either Marqusate or n DuKedOm was ut his dis
posal He declined the offer The fact that the
offer was made remains unknown. and the inference
of the public is that the Prime Minister did not
trouble himself TO express in any way his gratitude
TO his colleague for his long devotion; for services
which the Prime Minister cannot but consider
valuable Mistakes are natural enough amid all the
confusion of n Ministerial crisis and the agonies of
diving Government But the mistake OF seeming
to let Lord Spencerdepart in something like disgrace
il one that ought not TO have been committed.
haap oil al 10 IA ioh
the fact of the offered Dukodom if it had been told
them But they knew it not.
Lord Spencer left Dublin amid cheers and some
misses The presence of Lady Spencer did not quiet
these latter demonstrations; which, to be sure,
were not very numerous. Chvalry, aso like
gratitude has little place IN politics. Lord Car
naryon entered in very different circumstances He
had announced the day before in the House of
Lords that there TO 90 no more coercion. 1t
had been given ont privately that the new VicerOy
meant to dispense alike with military escort and
police protection while he remained viceroy. The
military were present at his entrance, but they
formed n necessary part of the pageant. Lord
Carnarvon has since proved the sincerity OF his
policy of trust by driving about Dublin in jaunt-
Ing car without escort of any kind. believe he
drove through PhGnix Park and past the spot
where Lord Frederick CavendIsh and Mr.. Burke
were murdered. Lady Carnarvon is with him, and
his daughter, Lady Winifred Herbert The
courage of all this is admirable. and one only
hope the result may correspond to it. Lord Car
narvon and the Ministry of which he is one are in
office by virtue of coalition between their sup
porters in the House of Commons and Mr.. Parnell.
They came in pledged. implicitly if not expressly.
to the abandonment of coercion. MI. Parne and
the Parnetes believed to be doing their best to
discourage violence. They have every reason to
hope that the new Viceroy should be unmolested.
Their policy is to extend similar immunity
even to tho landlords Mr.. Davitt has proclaimed