The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-02-14
In Which Mr.. Gladstone Is to Have No Part
Thoughtful Men Alarmed Over the
Serious Outlook for the Empire.
Parnell Is Master of the Situation So
Far As Ireland Is Concerned.
Continuation Of the Disturbances at Leices-
ter-Warrants Issued for the Arrest of
the Socialist Leaders-Cable Notes.
THE ENGLISH MINISTRY.


Future-Ireland's Condition.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
| LONDON, Feb. l3-Here are two opinions
| which gathered in first-class carriage of the
underground railway, given by two gentle
men, strangers to each other. They are of en-.
tlrely different politics, but there is singular
streak of agreement between them, and they ex-
press general sentiment.
| Conservative-Wha we want, SIR is Crom-
we'll. Whether he is Tory or a Radical does
not matter to me, if he will take hold of things
as if he meant it, and give us a government of
peace, and honor, and security-security abroad
and security for property at home.
| Radical-You and mean the same thing but
in another way. What we want is just the right
thing; proper laws justice to all classes, and if
| you will only help us to do this, we'll give you
| Cromwell who will know how to make the laws
respected and keep up the national honor.
| Conservative-Is Gladstone your Cromwell?
| Radcal-No, sir; Joe Chamberlain's our Crom-
we'll.
| Conservative-Then God help us; that's all ]
have to say!
| The idea is pretty generally the same, never
theless that we want strong Ministry, which
will not be afraid to do the right thing, whether
| it be to amend the law or to enforce it. The
difficulty between the parties is who is the man
| that shall lead the men VINO will interpret and
| fulfill the wishes of the nation.
| When l left that train on the underground
railway 1 called on diplomatic friend.
I Apart from the ministerial situation of the
moment" say. what is the general positions
My American friends set the news Of the mo-
ment all the time. They will have learned all
about the Cabinet making, the ministerial and
party intrigues of the moment. but want to
look further ahead. to take a comprehensive
| view of the national position--what is the real
! truth of it9"
Generally, I should say England is in her
decadence. Whether there will be q revival is
another matter. 1t is possible that the coming
democracy may restore our prestige, power and
prosperityw
"How do you mean, sirl The democracy has
surely comeY'
| 'sNo, only the shadow of it. The government
is in the hands of the people, if the people exer-
cised their privileges But they don't. They
are in the hands Of caucuses committees, wire
pullers. England wants strong hand. I don't
|
the hand of Joe Cowen. don't care whether
you call it Tory government or Radical Min
istry. At present there is q strong hand, but no
backing. Lord Salisbury is the man for the sit
uation, if he had majority in Parliament He
has just discovered that he has not"
Forgive me for interrupting you. want to
| say that two city men in the underground rail-
way, at least one city man, expressed to another
| the opinion you have just expressed, and almost
| in the same words, about the strong hand. but
he spoke Of wanting Cromwell"
my dear friend" he replied my idea is not
original and that 1t is sufficiently commonplace
riage is the very best sign of the times. I have
heard it for ten years."
'For all that you think England at the mo.
ment is more or less coming to griefq'
''Yes. more or less, as you say"
"But you think she will touch bottom get to
the bedrock of her troubles, and then improve,
| eh9 That there is really future for her9"
II believe in the innate common sense of the
English people and in our recuperative power;
but / believe that party spite and the pettiness
Of the modern style of public men has brought
us to such point of the rapids that we must 60
over the cata=act-that We must shoot our polit-
ical whirlpool"
"And what then2"
'Aye, there's the rub Yesterday Salisbury's
hand was at the helm; who will rule next week
is another matter. Salisbury would, make no
doubt. have discovered some favoring current to
| have steered US through with the loss Of our
chimney stack, boats and other tackle, after the
manner Of the Yankee steamer that ran away
| from the sheriffs and steamed through your Nj
| agara river whirlpool. But the other helmsman
may only rush us through by the very skin of
our teeth, and we shall want half a century to
repair. Gladstone in Office at this moment
| would have permitted Greece to set Europe and
| the East in blaze of war. sometimes think
you Americans don't quite appreciate the ticklish
and responsible position we hold in respect Of
| peace and war in Europe"
'In the immediate present what is likely to
protect England from the collapse you sug.
| gestl"
"A strong government that does not include
| Gladstone either at Its head or tail. Ministry
with powerful majority is pretty sure to do the
| right thing, if Gladstone is out of it He would
| do the wrong thing and always has, under any
| circumstances A Minister whose first thought
| is self, Minister who aims at the first place in
scholarship, in the classics, in theology, in the
arts, 10 social life, in the church, and every
where else. can have real steady strong
British mind for British interests and for British
| government My dear SIR Mr.. Gladstone Is the
vainest old gentleman the world has ever seen,
and vanity makes him vulnerable on all sides to
the insidious intrigues Of every humbug that
comes along. We want man who can say yes
or no at the he I'D Of our affairs, who can say no
| to Ireland as firmly as he can say no to Greece.