The Irish standard., 1886-06-19
he SPEAKS LIKE A MAN.
Mr. Gladstone's Address to His Midlothian
Constituents Favors Home Rule for
Poor Unfortunate Old ireland.
HOME RULE OUTLOOK BRIGHTER.
The British Premier Oounsels His Followers
to "Oast Away All Delusions, Re-
fuse Evil and Do Good"


to "oast Away All Delusions, Re-
fuse Evil and Do Coco"
Gentlemen-In consequence OF the
defeat of the bill for the better govern
ment Of Ireland. the ministry advised
and her majesty was pleased to sane
tion the dissolution of Parliament for a
decision by the nation Of the grave
stand, likewise the simplest issue that
has been submitted to it for half q cen
tury. It's only sense Of the gravity
of this issue which induces me at a
period Of life when nature cries aloud
for repose to seek, after sitting iii thir-
teen parliaments, a seat in the four
teenth, and with this view to solicit fol-
the fifth time the honor of your conf
dence. at the last election I endeav-
ored in my addresses and speeches to
impress upon you the fact that great
crisis had arrived in the affairs of Ire
land. Weak us the late government
YVES for ordinary purposes, it had great
advantages for dealing with that crisis.
a. comprehensive measure proceeding
from that government would have re-
ceived warm and extensive support
from within the Liberal party and
would probably have closed the lrish
controversy within the present session
aud have left the parliament Of 1885
free to prosecute the now stagnant
work of ordinary legislation. with the
multitude Of questions it includes.
MY EARNEST HOPE
was to support the late cabinet in such
course Of policy. On the 26th of last
January the opposite policy of coercion
was declared to have been the choice CT
the government, the Earl Of Carnar-
Won alone refusing to share in it. The
Irish question was thus placed Oh the
foreground to the exclusion Of every
other. The hour, as all felt, was come.
The only point remaining to determine
was the manner in which it was to be
dealt with. In my judgment, the pro-
posal Of coercion was not justified by
the facts and was doomed TO certain
and aisgraceful failure. Some method
of governing Ireland other than coer-
cion, as I thought, to be sought for and
to be found. Therefore, Viewed with
regret the fall Of the late cabinet, aud
when summoned by her majesty to
form new one undertook it on the
basis of an anti-coercion policy,
with the fullest explanations to those
whose aid I sought as colleagues when
L proposed to examine whether itnaight
not be possible to grant Ireland q do
mestic Legislature and maintain the
honor and consolidate the unity of the
empire. A government was formed and
the work was at once put in hand. YOU
will now, gentlemen, understand how
and why it is shat
TEE AFFAIRS OF IRELAND,
and not for the first time, have thrust
aside every other subjectand adjourned
our hopes of useful and progressive leg
islation. AS a question Of the first ne
cessities of social order, it forces itself
into the van. The late cabinet, though
right in giving it that place. were, as
we thought, wrong in their manner of
treating it. 1t was our absolute duty
ON taking the government, if we did not
adopt their method, to propose another.
Thus, gentlemen, it is that this great
and simple issue has come upon you,
and demands your decision. Will you
govern Ireland by coercion, or will you
let Ireland manage her own affairs2 10
debate in this address this and that de-
tail of the lately defeated bill. would
only be to disguise this issue. and
would be futile as to discuss the halt
ing, stumbling and ever shifting and
vanishing project Of an intermediate
class which have proceeded from Sc
cet1ing Liberals. There are two clear,
positive and ineligible plans before
the world. There is the plan Of the
government, and there is the plan Of
Lord Salisbury. Our plan is that Ire
land should, under well considered con-
ditions, transact her own affairs. His
plan is to ask parliament to renew
REPRESsIvE LAWS
and enforce them resolutely for twenty
years, by the end of which time he as
sures us Ireland will be fit to accept
any government in the way of a local
on the repeal Of the coer-
cion laws, you may wish to give here. /
leave this Tory project to speak for it
self in its unadorned simplicity, and /
turn to the proposed policy Of the gov
ernment. Our opponents, gentlemen,
whether Tories or Seceders, have as
sumed the name of Unionists. I deny
them the title to it. In intention, in
deed, we are Unionists alike, but the
union they refufe to modify is in its
present shape q paper union ordained
BY force and fraud and never sanctionedI
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