The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1886-05-24
FOREIGN.
Gossip Concerning the Political Situ-
alton in England.
A Variety of Reports from the Greek
Frontier.
The Latest States Fierce Engage
nents Taking Place.
(By cable to the Boston Sunday HERALD

(By cable to the Boston Sunday Herald)
LONDON, May %.
This week ventured in my message to the
Herald to differ from the prevailing opinion
in reference to the fate Eof the home rule
bill, and today | am justified by the result
The prospects of the measure are as bright
now as they were gloomy week ago. In
deed, the very day after my message was
sent, the current of opinion wholly changed
its direction, and it is still flowing strongly
in Gladstone's favor. 1t is quite true that
Lord Salisbury's idiotic speech, coercion
speech, brutal to the last degree and full of
outrage, an insult to the Irish people, helped
to turn the tide. 1t made most of the Liber-
al allies of the Tories ashamed of themselves,
and it scared others, while it possibly dis
gusted even the Tory members of the Com
mons themselves when they saw the use
made of it by the government speakers in
the debate. 1t is also true that the candor
of Lord Harrington in repudiating, in his
Bradford speech, the report spread by the
Chamberlainite newspapers that he was COM
ing round to the home rule idea, had on the
Liberal seceders and Waverers an effect SIM
liar to that of the war cry OF the Tory chlef
for it showed that one, at least, of their two
leaders, in their revolt against Mr. Gladstone
was practically as great Tory as Lord
Salisbury himself. But all this would not of
itself have been enough to cause the wheel
about of the past week. The fact is, as l
have contantly maintained, the Liberal Sc
ceders have never been so numerous as the
leading mutineers would have the world be-
lieve, and they would never have had the
importance attached to them till this week
had not Chamberlain's jackal, Mr.. Caine,
been going out since the beginning of the
debate with his little list of adherents, which
looked big, but has turned out to be frau
dulent. The fraud of it has clearly ap-
Leared in the fact that the attendance
at the Chamberlain and Harrington
caucus meetings has been growing smaller,
day by day and that at this moment the
failure of the revolt is manifested, not alone
in the joyous appearance of Gladstone and
his followers, but in the chopfallen looks
of Chamberlain and Caine. The debate itself
is going entirely in favor of the bill and the
ministry. Not single impressive speech
has vet been made in opposition, while sew
eral such utterances have come from the
Irish and ministerial benches. The great
danger now is that in the vain effort to con-
ciliate Chamberlain, Mr.. Gladstone may
make further concessions, and consent, after
the second reading is carried, to regard such
a vote as one in favor of an abstract reSolu-
ton, and reintroduce the bill in an ALTERED
form in another session. The Irish
party would prefer an absolute defeat on the
second reading to virtual defeat of that
sort, for an absolute defeat would entail an
immediate dissolution, the result of which
would undoubtedly be favorable to the gov
ernment, while the virtual defeat would
mean the introduction next autumn or next
year, of bill altered for the worse, and
probably, unacceptable. Mr.. Parnell will
make this pretty plain before long, but a
recess of a month or two after the second
reading to allow the formation and express
sion of opinion on the details of the existing
bill, would not besobjected to, and it is likely
that that is what Mr. Gladstone himself will
prefer.
LONDON, May 23-The Gladstone commit
Radical dissenterS. The committee has
made an overture to Chamberlain promising
that if he abstains from voting against the
home rule bill the measure will be dropped
after its second reading, and that the govern
ment will then support resolution affirming
the supremacy of the Imperial parliament
and promising adequate protection to the
Irish minority. Chamberlain's acceptance
of the offer depends upon Gladstone's giving
guarantees that this course will be followed
are organizing a demonstration in Hyde
Park in favor of the home rule BILL
Labouchere writes to the Daily News
There is not single Whig, Liberal or Rad
against Gladstone's bill whose action has
been endorsed by that portion of his constit
uents who sent him to Parliament, and moi
one even pretends to be acting in haruony
with his electors. 1t cannot possibly be sait
| that the Liberals as party are opposed tC
to the bill or are disunited because a certain
number of Commoners define to act as the
| representatives of their electors.
Greek and Turk Still Warning.
LONDON, May 22.-The Greeks claim tha
| during the frontier engagements of yester
! day they captured two positions from tn,
| Turks, 10000 cartridges and three prisoners