Morning journal and courier., 1886-02-22
News by Telegraph FROM ALL QUARTERS: GLADSTONE THE SPHINX. Nobody Able To Fathom
 His Purposes.
 THE WEEK IN CONGRESS. A Proposed Union Of Amer
 ican Republics. A GREAT FIRE IN THE SOUTH. Soldiers Orphans A Source
 Of Profit.
A GREAT FIRE IN THE SOUTH.
Soldiers Orphans A Source
 Of Profit.
GLADSTONE HOLDS HIS TONGUE

Of Profit.
 GLADSTONE H0LDs HIS TONGUE. A Great Desire To Know His Mind Regarding Ireland Which No One Seems Able T0 Diseover-Ths Labor Problem Likely Flo Lead To Serious Social Disorders.
 LONDON, Feb. 21.-Your correspondent has amused and instructed himself during the past few days by looking over the latest American newspapers arriving by steamer with view to observing how nearly your information tallies with events as they ap- pear on the spot. The significant result of
 the inquiry is the discovery that not one of
 the productions put forth by correspondents
 has been verified. The articles show di-
 versity in the interpretation of the situation
 such would seem ridiculous were it not
 for the fact that after all it showed the com
 plication in which the government riddle in-
 wolves all who are trying to solve it. Our
 own papers differ widely in their editorial
 forecasts, and even the statements
 made by such members of the Irish
 party as have expressed their wants or
 beliefs of late have betrayed complete lack
 of any inkling as to what is in store for Ire
 land, as well as great variation in judg-
 ment as to the wisdom or propriety of MT.
 Gladstone's attitude; and as these are the
 main sources from which information can be
 drawn, contradictory reports to you could
 hardly have been avoided except by refrain
 ing altogether from analysis and prediction.
 It would be inconsistent after this explana- ton to enter here upon any very exact deini- tion of the situation; and in fact all that can truthfully be said at the present moment is that MT. Gladstone maintains his reputa- ton as the sphinx of to-day, and all efforts topsnetrate his mystery have thus far been fruitless. Why he does not at once and clear 1y state the nature and scope of what he proposes to do for Ireland is the question which all are asking and which nobody seems able to answer. It is only surmised that he is at work strengthening his position with his cabinet and with his party Meanwhile the Parnellites are getting uneasy and some of them excited over the delay. They have been led within sight of the promised land only to be checked and commanded not to enter into immediate pos session. As the Israelites grumbled at Moses, 1 forgetting all that he had done, because of ] their inpatieEce to have their deliverance l completed, so the Nationalists are criticising | MT. Psrnel and urging him to declare his l power and demand their rights from a gov ernment which they claim to have put 1 in power He himself is no less | anxious than his followers, though l more self-controlled, he sees with l each day of delay the increasing danger of combinations that may threaten his ruler ship but he is patient either from genuine l faith in MT. Gladstone's intentions or from the no less potent conviction that quarrel l with and overthrow of the present ministry would mean the return of a Tory Whig gov ernment even less amenable to Irish inhu- ence than the present Whig Radical alliance. These two facts, MT. Glsdstones silence and MT. Parnells tacit acquiescence ill it, are really the only elements of the problem that appear on the surface. What IS going on I underneath will certainly reveal itself in time and then at least nine out of every ten of the guesses now being made must be dis proved.
 One illustration may serve to show the l paucity of news and the eagerness with which even the slightest actual occurrence is seized upon and some meaning sought to be tortured out of it. Late on Friday night l Mr. Dillon in the course of desultory gen.
  to MT Morley, who is universal personal favorite with the Nationalists, that he was a l welcome guest in Ireland and was not in any 1 danger of wearing his welcome at least as British official. To this banter MT. Morley l replied in the same spirit, though little confused, apparently, and whether from the | dullness appropriate to overworked and l sleepy officials at the flag end of a tiresome session or from diplomatic reasons his retort | WAS about as vague and meaningless as words could make it, being simply to the l effect that whatever conclusion it pleased MT. | Morley. Out of this trivial incident have sprung Dillon to arrive at would please | at least half dozen more or less profound editorials, as many oracular utterances of opinion by leading Irish members, and end less exchanges ot surmise in all quarters as 1 to whether or not the chief secretary for Ire | land meant to convey the information that l the existing form of Irish government was l soon to be abandoned. As some of this may | have been transmitted to you, l will venture l an individual estimate that the famous collo- l uuy really meant nothing at all, but was a 1 rather clumsy exchange of compliments be- l tween two gentlemen who had no idea that | they were making "history."
 Aside from political matters the week has l offered little of note The trial of the rioters 1 was postponed before the exact nature of the | defense was outlined. Hyndman's threat to | subpoena officers of the government and en- | deavor to saddle the responsibility for the | riot upon them is said by the authorities to | be untenable. The evidence thus sought to l be elicited would be ruled on well known l principles of law as too remote for considera- | tion But from legal reasons such plan | would fail. The subserviency of the minor | courts here to the powers that be is such | that no one familiar with the facts. would ex- | pect to ever see member of the government | compelled to obey a subpoena for such pur- l pose. The announcement of their intention | to throw the blame on the government will l nevertheless be a popular card for the l ringleaders among their followers. A singular l development in the labor situation has | been observed during the past few days, | being reflex of events which have occurred in your country. The numerous advances. ot wages which are reported to have bcen ob- tained by operatives in New England ana elsewhere have attracted great deal Of at tention among the working classes and have added materially to the prevailing dlscon. tent They have been made the basis of speeches by the leaders of the strikers ln Leuester and elsewhere, the supposed hbef- alty of American employers being unfayor- ably compared with the course of English
 manufacturers. An odd fact is that the aa-
 vances are quite generally regarded in the
 light above implied and not as having been
 made practicable by any improvements ln
 markets. In some instances, however, more
 rational view is adopted and workmen urged
 to use every endeavor to emlgrate to a
 country where the industrial situation is inn
 proving, whereas here it seems to be growing
 worse. There is no denying that the general
 condition of the poorer classes is daily grow
 ing more unsatisfactory to themselves and IS
 borne by them with less patience: They oo,
 stinately decline to be fed with MT. Robert
 Giffen's csmplscent statistics showing that
 they ought to be better off now than in Queen
 Elizabeth's day. They demand something
 more convincing to their senses and the de,
 mand is full of pertent of approaching social
 convulsions.
 Mr O,Shsa Go Between.
 LONDON, Feb. 21.-Mr. O'Shea, the newly