, 1886-05-16


LONDON, May l5.-An immense mass
meeting was held in st. James hall to
night, Mr.. Ashmead Bartlett presiding.
The side galleries were crowded with la
dies. The hall was proiuscly decorated
with national c%olors, and scenes bearing the
names of Conservative leaders past and
present were displayed. Lord Salisbury.
George Hamilton and many members of
the house OF commons were on the plat
form. The chairman announced that a
new scheme Reorganization had been rati
fed to-day, making the Conservative par
ty more a party of the people than it had
heretofore been. Mr.. A. b Coward,
member from L~awicnccshire, introduced
a series of resolutions to the effect that
the meeting represented the Conservative
associations of the kingnom, and that it
had confidence in the ability of Lord Sails
bury to maintain Great Britain and Ire
land as one united kingdom, and to guard
safely the union and greatness of England.
The resolutions were carried amid cheers.
Lord Salisbury said that his policy on
the burning question of the day was the
traditional policy of the Tory party to
maintain the. union. This was the un
broken tradition Of the Tories. lie de.
nounced the abominable insinuation that
the Conservatives concealed their policy.
There was fair ground for hoping that to
day week the proposals OF the government
would be a matter of history, but the
question would survive. The loyal PARTY
had a fight before it. 1t would take a
long time to root out the poisonous weed,
because its seed had been sow with
an unsparing hand. In regard to guar
tees all, ged to have been made by Irish
members that they would accept this bill
with an amendment providing Tor Irish
representation at Wcstmin ter, the
speaker said hal the very attitude of the
Parnellites showed that they did not desire
to come to the English parliament That
would involve criticism Of their treatment
of their Protestant country men, and that
was what they did not desire, After
criticising MIR. GladstoDe's action toward
Ireland since the passage of the Irish bill,
Lord Salisbury said he did not wish his
audience to infer that Mr.. Gladstone was
an honest man. but he said the pre-
mier could not be trusted. The speaker
contended that ireland was not 4 nation.
it contained two different, deeply
divided races. 1t depended, he said, on
the habits of the people whether self gov
ernment should be conferred upon them.
The habits of the Irish were very bad.
They had become Infatuated to the use Of
knives and slugs. The question of re-
ligion divided them. The peculiar influ
ence of the Catholic clergy and the man
ner in which that influence had been used
must be considered before placing such a
weapog as home rule ia the hands of the
Irish. would be no necessity for
coercion if the Hish abandoned their
habits of mutilating, mrfre4er n robbery.
and OF preventing men who WERE at
to England from earning a living.
England wanted a firm, consistent policy,
a firm government and that was the
policy Of the Tory party. Lord Salisbury
recommended tibet II portion of the money
with which it was intended to buy out the
Irish landlords be spent in helping the
Irish to immigrato. This. he said, would
be the best remedy for Ireland. He urged
unity of action and said that the time
Tor using both was close at hand. 1t re
remained with the Conservatives to say
what would be the result of the present
discussion.
Lord George Hamilton moved a vote OF
thanks to Lord Salisbury. The motion
was seconded by Edward James Saunder-
son. NJ. p, and was carried with great
enthusiasm.