New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-06-22
Mr.. GLADS7ONES EARNESTNESS

Mr.. Gladstone pays the penalty for moral
carnestness. He is lampooned, insulted and
maligred as no other English statesman of the
century mas been before him. The easy going
world of London fashion, the lethaIgic circles
of aristocracy and the INDECENT and tImOrous
land-hOlding classes cannot accustom them
selves to his successive appearances in Mid
lothian. He has been for long time III public
lfe they have had ample leisure for discern
ing his characteristic traits and methods but
each time he goes north on one of his Yankee
stamping tours" he is pursued with iancor,
malevolence and passionate invective. The
champions of the various classes that are
leagued against him themselves take very
serious views Of political questions; but they
cannot understand why any one should be so
terribly in earnest as Mr. Gladstone invariably
is. The soemnly of his manner initiates
well as confOunds them. They resent the fervor
of his speeches and the moral force which he
brings to bear upon the consciences OF English
voters. They take political life easily; why
should he harass and excite the country with
his "ceaseless chatter" his enthusiastic
loquacity," his floods of defamation and his
"continued indulgence in oratorical folies y
Can anything be worse for the country, they
ask, than the raviDg of this vOuble fanatic
This is the level of denuncation to which
criticism of Mr.. Gladstone invariably sinks
when d Midlothian canvass is proceeding. He
is condemned tist as demagOgue who pei
verts the intelligence of English voters by his
sentimental harangues; and finally he is dis
missed with contempt a chattering fanatic
an eloquent lunatic, who persists in talking
the country to death" lie entered into his first
Scotch election tour branded by Lord BeacOns-
field as @sDphisical rhetOricIan inebraed
with the endurance Of his own verbosity"
and every Conservative journal in the Kingdom
either sternly reprmanded him for the number,
unnecessary fcrvOr. and overweight style of
his speeches, or else savagely ridlculed him as
political bedlamite among sober minded,
uneyctable Englishmen. His reappearance in
the North has evoked similar explosions of par
ti-an wrath and rancorous fury. Lord Ran
dolph Churchill ransacks the English vOcabu-
larry for insulting epithels, and addresses to his
constituents a manifesto which in violence of
denuncation of political opponent is without
parallel IN the literature of the hustings. Mr.
Gladstone is described therein as wan, on
revolutOnst, "a conspiratOr and a lunatc, who
is trdliicklng in treason. condoning crime,
exalting disloyaty, abasing loyalty" and
whose Irish policy is a mons, rOus mixture of |
mbccility. extravaganc and political Mysteries"
Lord Randolph Churchill uses more original |
phrasing than tie Opposition journals when he |
aflirms that the united and concentrated |
genius of Bedlam and COlneyhatch would |
strive in vain to produce more striking It's !
" sue of absurdties than those gravely recom-
mended by senlle vanity to a people re-
" nowned for common sense,' but he voices the
prevailing sentiment of the enemies of Home
Rule The political rival who once predicted |
that Mr. Gladstone would end his days in a |
madhouSe would have written all election |
manifesto corresponding closely with LORD |
Churchilis and have been in
with the Oracles of the Opposition.
The Prime Minister has carried the country |
once before when the leaders arraycd against
him denounced him in language as immoderate
and abusive as that which is now employed.
Denunclation such as this is helpful to a states
man vino touches the hearts and stirs the pulses
Of the masses. "A leader who can inspire |
exclaims the hero of one OF Mr.
DIsraelfs earlisr novels, he commands the
word Divine faculty! Rare and incompar-
able privegem Dazzling were the achieve
ments of Lord Beaconsic,d's Premiership
great was his prestige OH The continent COM
plete was his ascendency over bis Ministry and
over Parliament; yet he ne,e r won the conf
dence of the people. Dir. Gladstone's sincerity,