The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-08-28
1.-THE IRISH QUESTION"
GLADSTONE'S BROCHURE GIVEN
TO THE PUBLIC.
A Full and Exhaustive Explanation
Of the Ex-Premier's Position
on Home Rule.


Of its style to Mr.. Ola istoDe's PAM
phlet on the Bulgarian atrocities. At the
outset Mr.. Gladstone compares itwith
the apology he wrote on his change
Of attitude regsrdiug the I,ish Church.
But, he continues, in the present ca 70
have no such change 10 indicate but
have only to point out the mode in
which my language and conduct were
governed by uniformity OF principle.
l have simply followed the various
stages by which the great question of
autonomy Tor Ireland has been brought
to the stage Of ripsness for practical
legislation. Tie brochure is under
two heads. The first is the Lis
tory of au idea, in which
Mr.. Gladstone summarizes the fol-
lowing conditions ur der which alone
in his view homs rule b. came posi-
be: First Toe Abandonment OF the
nope that Parliament c1uld serve as
possible legis alive instrument for Ire
land. Second-The unt quivocal and
constitution al demand of the Irish
members. Thid-Thc possibility OF
dealing with Scotland in similar way
in circumstances f equal and equally
clear desire.
MIR. Gladstone then passes on to de-
fend himself from the charge of having
sprung the home rule measure UPON
his friends. Replying to the charges
OF Harrington and Chamberlain that
he had conceived the idea preciptate-
ly, and TO the charge OF Blight tina. he
had concealed it unduly. He denies
that it is the duty OF Minister to
make known even to his colleagues,
every idea forming in his mind, which
would tend to confuse and retaId in
stead OF aid business. He continues:
"What is true is that had not pub
licly and ia principle condemned it,
and so that ! had mentally consider
it, bat l had neither adopted nor
rejected it, and for the very simple
reason that it was MOI ripe, either for
adoptioa or for rejection"
Mr.. Gladstone then goes on to point
cut that during all TIE earlier years OF
his public life tbs al ernatives were
repeal on the one hand and on the
otner the relief Of Ireland from grew
a7ces. II was net possible, he ssys,
at that time TO prJgnosticate how, in
and almost writhe under it's constantly
accumulatins burdens, or to pronounce
that it would eventually prove incsps-
BILE CT meeting the wants OF Ireland.
Evidently there was a period when
Iyish pauiuti m, as represented by
O'Connell, looked favorably upon the
alternative policy and had no fixed
conclusions as o the absolute neces.
sity for home government, and seemed
to allow thai measures founded in
justice to Ireland might possibly suf-
fee to meet the necessity of the
cise. 1t was az early as 1871, Mr.
Gladstone taIs, that he took
the first step toward placing
the controversy en- its true basis. He
oppceed Mr.. Bat s scheme because
the 81 ernstiye described in the .ast
paragraph had rot been exhausted,
but even st that tine he did not close
the door against rec gnition of the
question in dihereLt ate of tbings,
for instead o. denouncing the idea OF
home rue as one in its essence de-
structive Of the unity OF the Empire,
in The following words he accepted
the assurances gwen to the contrary:
LET me co the promot rs OF this
movement the fullest justice, always
speaking under the conviction, as they
most emphatlcaliy declare, and as
fully believe them, that the nnion of
these Kingdoms under Her Msje,ty is
to be maintained, but that Parliament
is to be broken up" Similarly, in
1874, Mr.. Gladstone accepted without
qualification the principle that home
rule had no necessary connection with
separation.
When Mr.. Shaw succeeded to the
Hone Rule leadership in 1880, Mr..
Glads one hailed his speech as show
ing an evident disposition to respect
he functions Of the House of Com
ons and the spirit Of the constitu-
ton. In 1881, at the Guild Hall, he
announced that he would hail with
satisfaction and delight any measure
Of local government for Ireland.
Coming to the cleo oral campaign OF
1885, Mr.. Gladstone esys his great OBJ
ject was to do nothing to hinder the
prosecution OF the question by the
Torres, but to use his best efforts 10 i'm
press the public mind with the inn
portauce and urgency of the question.
1t was in this spirit that his Midlothian
address was written. The Itish quee-
ton was severed from the general |
sutject Of local government, and it was
pointed out that it would probably |
throw into the shade all other impor-
tant measures which were ripe. Once |
ripe, tRe time for acton had come. |
Just as il it had been corn field, we |
were not to wait until it was overripe. |
The healing of invetersts sores would |
only become more difficult. The great.
est OF budding hopes were liable to be
checked and paralyze by the frosts OF
politics. For England, in her soft Nrm
chair, a leisurely, very leisurely con-
sieoration, with adjournments inter.
posed, as it had been usual, go also
would 1t have become more favorable.
That for Ireland, in her leaky cabin,
it YVES ct consequences to stop out the
weather.
IN THE SECOND PORTION OF THE PAM
PHLET
the lesson OF the elections, Mr.. Glad
stone begins drawing certain lessons
from the elections "a they affect the
Liberal parry. In the course of some
full calculations he estimates the loss
to the L beral par from the Unionist
schism at two-seveDtbs of the whole,
but this fraction is distributed, he
points out, very unequally among the
class es. 1t has commanded five-sixths,
he says, of the Liberal peers, but not
more than one-twentieth Of the Lib.
eral workingmen. Mr.. Gladstone
points out that even now the Tories
have tailed to secure an absolute ma
joriiy and draws the finsl conclusion
that at the first moment Liberalism is
again united it must again become
predominant in Parliament. Mr..
Gladstone sees further ground fer
hope in the abatement that has
already taken place in the Tory
opposition. ave hear no more pot
valiant language" he says, mo more
OF the Hottentots, and no more of the
famous twenty years during which
Parliament was to grant special pow.
era for firm government in Ireland