New-York tribune., 1886-05-02
AMERICA IN ENGLAND-MP. CHAMBERLAIN
THE WAVERERS.

rrroN TIFF RrcrL,E CORRESPONDENT THE TRIBrNEA
| LONDON, April 13.
Tho oourepts of the American press on Mr.. Glad
stones Home Rule scheme have been teegraphed
over here Perhaps | should say tho New-lork
press If the journals of Boston, Phladelphla'
| Cincinnati Chicago ST. Louis have an opinion
on this subject their opinion is not Thought wortn
Transmitting Possibly an exception may be nnad'
| in favor of Boston. Mr. John Boyle OReiiiys
sentiments are telegraphed They appear however
| to be his individual sentiments, and NOT the con-
sidered opinions of the editor OF Inc bosom "o''
| Whichever they may be. Engshmen think theiii
| both amusing and Instructive Ills picture VI
| Ireland as she would be after the passing OF ME-
| Gladstones bill with chain around her neck
like a wild beast" excited less Englsh sy'npa.n!
than Mr.. BOYLE OReilly seemed to expect. ""ha'
is tbe chain ?, oucried a friendly Enghshmi m
Is if the Parliament College Green or is IL the
GOLDEN link of the Crcwnf' So when they read
Mr. Boyle O'Reillv's announcement that the V'ora-
ton of this bill shakes the foundations OF every
castle in England, the EngliShmen who 20 not llve
! in castles admire tie swlftness OF Mr. Boyle
| O'Reilly's perceptions In England the shaking
! of the foundations OF the castles had not been
noticed. But Englishmen. as we all KNOW are
| slow witted.
1t has however to be said that the expressions of
American opinion do not attract much attention IN
/
| sizes and are read as everything is read which
| relates to the present crisis But they elicit no
| comment or little comment. | confess | am sur
! priscd by this indifference. 1t IS not snow oil
| indifference, it ~ real Indifference English
men know perfectly well that the Irish agl-
tation is really an Irish American agitation. They
| know in a vague way that it has sOno support
from American opinion. whether this support he
much or little, they do not know, and they DO not
l,t, 4af,
70 think it matters The extent TO which America
toierates Irish agitation against England does
rea ly matter very much The state of American
opinion matters-of genuine American opinion.
above all If the United States should acqniesce
in the use of American territory basis for oper-
| ations against Canada, for example. It is certain
that the suggishness Of English perceptions would
| l1ye way tc keen interest AMI firm protest But
! they cannot BE- got to observe the preliminary
stages Here and there legislator makes remark.
al perceive said I'D VI. F. that the Irish debauch
| your politics a. they dcbauch ours And though
| few Englishmcn may state the case so hlnntly the
majority of them would justify their neglect of
American opinion by their belief that the express
sion of it in the American pres has something TO
do with the Irish vote How utterly devoid of
foundation this ridiculous belief is. you know even
| better than do.
| The fngishman, moreover, stubborn soul that
he is consoles himself with another rejection. " !
admit" he slys, : that your New-forC papers talk
as if they strongly in favor of Home Rule
! But when meet an intelligent American who has
Just arrived from that city. he almost always tells
me that the people of America care little or moth
ing about Home Rule. or about Irish grievances III
any FORM" If tell an Engshman think there
ought to be an export duty on such opinions, rs
| do he Will not believe am serious. He becomes
| serious himself however when he approaches the
! subject from point of view different again from
these others 81 have not forgotten Ut is not the
same but another Eng ishnan who speaks -" the
history of your Rebellion AMI of the attitude of
| England TO the United States in their great strug-
gle. thought my countrymen utterly wrong, and
thought also there was nothing more ad nlrable
than the way in which Won pcrsevered against The
opinion of England, and of the rest of Europe as
well Indeed admire your courage and indepen-
dence so :auch tlat am convinced that we Eng
lish, OF the same race IA yourselves shall be Just
n, unmoved by American criticism our Irish
policy as YOU Americans by English oppos
tion to your main tenance of the Union by force"
Mr. Gladstonc's criticism on the American war,
NAV add was reproduced by Mr.. Chamberlain WITH
great effect in the House The GladstonisnN com
planned: they complain Of everything which is not
incense. But Mr. Chamberlains was much more
than an unpleasant reminscence of Mr.. Gladstone S
error of Judgment w men Mt. GlauStOnc sdlu ludi
Mr.. Jefferson Davis had created Nation he
founded himself the principle to which lie still
adhcres in his IRISH policy. He did not believe the
North could cocrce the South. He does not now
believe England can cocrce Ireland. In both cases
it was his want of faith in the efficacy Of force
which gave rise to his policy. SO Mr.. Chamberlans
reminder was of the utmost pertinencc
Not the least striking feature of the situation is
the eaergy with which Mr.. Gadstone's friends
resent the independent action of Lord lIartigton
Mr. Trcvelyan. and Mr.. Chamberlain. They are
crying out to-day that Lord Harrington has
destroyed himself by consentng to appear on the
same platform with Lord Salisbury. They go Lack
to their old question about Nh. Ircvelydn and ash
why lie entered the Ministry at all. He has
answered it plainly enough, but that does not pre-
vent The repetition of the question by people whom
no answer will content. AS for Mr.. Chamberlain
bis conduct is too horrible for words. The Glad
stonians Of the baser sort-fOr such there arego
far as TO say that Mr.. ChambeTlain's behavior is
ungentiemanllke They are aghast at his audacty
H. wanting to read IA letter which Mr.. Gladstone
did not wish him to read Mr. Chamberlain they
say must have known that Parliamentary etiquette
did not permit him to begin the discussion of
Mini teria project not yet laid before tie House by
its Ministerial author. If you plead that he had
first. Mr. Gladstone's written permission. and
secondly the authorization of the Speaker, they
more angry than ever. "Mr. Gladstone had no
! idea that the letter o: tie 10Th of March which
| he gave Nj Chamberlain leave 10 read refer e to
Land Purchase" They will not sec that this sort
of reply involves a their idol. and makes
him responsible for the misconduct of which they
accuse Mr.. Chamberlain. In short their real
charge against Mr.. Chamberlain is a charge of hav-
| ing trusted implicitly in Mr.. Gladstones promise
and in Mr. Gladstone's judgment as to what it was
proper for his cX, lieutenant to discuss.
| The Prime Ministers interruption on Friday came
of course as "A complete surprise. Mr.. Chamberlain
had prepared lis speech the whole question.
| When Mr. Gladstone Intervened, he had 10 decide
whether to sit down or 10 rearrange the speech