National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-05-17
Two EngIIsh Noblemen.

The Marquis Of Salisbury is very able
and conscientious man. lie is by pure
brain power and birth the leader Of the
English tories. If the hand Of time could
be set back three hundred years he would
be another ornament to that Ellzabethan
period for whose state policy he has such
PROFOUND respect. But In the nineteenth
century he is q political fossil, mummy
galvanized spasmodically into life by the
batteries of such wondrous intellects as
those OF Mr.. Ashmead Bartlett and Lord
Randolph Churchill. At meeting pre-
sided over by Mr.. Bartlett on Saturday
evening Lord Salisbury said Ireland was
not nation, because It contained two diff
ferent, deeply divided races. 1t depended,
he said, on the habits Of q people whether
self-government should be conferred upon
them. The habits OF the Irish were very
bad. They had become habtuated to the
use Of knives and slugs. The question OF
religion divided them. The peculiar In
fuence Of the Catholic clergy, and the mau-
ner in which that influence had been used,
must be considered before placing such
a weapon as home rule in the hands of the
IRISH. There would be no necessity for CO.
ercion II the Irish abandoned their habits
Of mutilation, murder, and robbery, and of
preventing men who were attached to
England from earning livelihood. Ireland
wanted firm, consistent policy-a firm
government. That was the policy of the
tory party.
His lordship seems to have a fine appre-
citation Of the Irish character. To any one
who knows anything about the Irish people
at home 1t is news that "they had become
habltuated to the use Of knives and slugs."
| A comparison Of the criminal statistics of
| England, Ireland, and Scotland will show
that in proportion to population crimes Of
| violence arc more rare in Ireland than In
any other Of the British islands, even count
ing the agrarian outrages which have hIth-
erto been governed by the food supply. 1t
is not parliamentary to say of his lordship
that he is n liar, but there can be no great
harm in stating that he is badly mlsin-
formed.
Lord Spencer is an English nobleman, not
Of the Eli2abethan type. Unlike Lord
Salisbury, he has lived in Ireland for many
! years, and in a speech made a few weeks
ago this humane and experienced states
man said ~ think have shown you that
| the old methods in Ireland are exhausted
and poworless, and must be thrown aside.
| II look back and consider how the country
was placed at the end Of my time, and con-
slider whether We had advanced English
rule, am sorry TO say that cannot give a
favorable answer to that question"
Now, as we may be considered projudiced,
we will give the estimate formed by the
New York TriJuRG'S London correspondent
Of this Lord Spencer and leave the Ameri-
can public tojudge between the expedlency
Of Lord sallsbury's "consstentn Irish
policy ana the home rule advocated by
Lord Spencer. The Tribune says: "Earl
Spencer acquired knowledge of Ireland
Of Ggrarian and political crime among other
thiIgs-whlch no other man can pretend
to. lie occupied unique position before
the English public. When 1t became
known that be saw his way to support Mr.
GladStone's home rule scheme, the mere
fact Of his adhesion was, think, better
argument with most people than the more
elaborate argument from anybody else.
| For two years he had been the chief lnstru-
mtnt Of coercion. lie had enforced the
crimes act, detected and hanged the MUIR
derer Of Burke and Lord Frederick CaVen-
dish, and many murderers besides, sup
pressed IN great part agrariau crime, re-
stored social order throughout great part
Of Ireland, ruled with firm, just master
ful hand, His one mistake-which perhaps