The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-07-19
A Review of the Situation.

Justin McCarthy's Special
The condition of things is very curious. The
Conservatives and Liberal Unionists, as they are
ali ed, combined, have a large majority over the
Gladstonians and Nationalists combined. The
Conservatives have some BIG, the Unionists sew
entysix, these combined would make 1872 or
thereabouts. Then the Gladstonians have about
100. and the Nationalists will bring eighty-six;
combined 276. When the Conservatives and
Unionists combine, they will have about 393 or
39i. against the 276 Gladstonians and National
lists. But the Conservatives have not a majority
of their own and will have to trust altogether
to combination with the Unionists and be it re
membered, there is only one point of contact
and combination, and that is the question of
Gladstones home rule bill. 1t is not the ques-
tion of home rule, for the Unionists all say they
are for some measure of home rule, only not
GladstoneS measure. The Unionists will not
as party, accept coercion; they will not, as
party, declare against home rule. Moreover,
many Unonists will be very anxious to come
into Office as soon as possible, and they cannot
come into Office with Lord Salisbury
No doubt Salisbury will try to induce Hart
ineton to join him in making an administration.
but until | see Hartington's name officially an
nouuced as one of such an administration shall
never be brought to believe ne will take any
part in it. For Chamberlain to take office un
der Salisbury would, of course, be absolutely out
of the question, even if Salisbury were in the
least degree inclined to make an offer of such
kind to the Birmingham Radical We shall
then have the Conservatives once again in Of
flee, but not in power Such has been their fate
often before-such will be their fate now.
What, then, will happen? People say that Glad
stone will retire from parliamentary life alto
gether, or, at all events, from the leadership of
the party do not believe he will do anything
for the present. believe that is certain. Sir
Andrew Clarke, Gladstone's physician is of the
opinion that Gladstone's physique is per-
fectly sound, and that he has years
of good work in him yet. Gladstone is
not man likely to throw up the sponge in such
a cause as that he has lately adopted. On the
contrary every word he has spoken, every let
ter he has written, during the closing days of
this contest-and they have been many words
and many letters-only testify to the growing
intensity of his conviction, and his feelings. He
will, then, l trust and feel confident, continue to
lead such Liberal party as still rallies under
his flag.
The Salisbury government will soon find the
misery, the ignominy, of Striving to conduct
affairs in the House of Commons without an
absolute majority. we'll remember the keen
humor with which Disraeli once described the
condition of Tory leaders put in such plight
They will soon fud out that there is little in
relying upon their Liberal Unionst allies. Many
Liberal Unionists are already anxious to fall
INTO me again with the Oulk OF the
Liberal party. If the Tory leaders
have grain of common sense they
will set to work at once to educate the party up
to the level of home rule--a real, genuine meas
ure of home rule. Lord Carnarvon said last
winter they could have done this if they only
had three months more for the work of educa-
ton. Now they have plenty of time if they will
only use it nicely / have always been of the
opinion up to this time and continue of the same
opinion still, that we shall get home rule from
the Tories. We shall get it from them, and we
shall not thank them for it any more than we
thanked them for Catholic emancipation or the
reform bill of 1867. In both cases they went
round and adopted the very principles they had
always contended against before they became re-
formers who had hated reform. No doubt they
will adopt the same policy in the present case.