National Republican., 1886-03-29

The gravity Of the British political sit
uation is the leading theme Of all the cable
letters to the American sunday press. The
excitement in London reached painful
tension on Saturday when 1t was an
nouncCd that Chamberlain and Trevelyan
had formally seeded and that the Right
Hon. james Stansileld and the Earl Of
Dalhousie had been appointed to fill their
respective places in the cabinet. One cor
respondent goes so far as to say that in the
memory Of man there has never before
been such intensity of political doubt and
apprehension. That veracious chroniclcr,
the oldest inhabitant, is quoted to the effect
that. not even the corn laws crisis evoked
such depth Of feeling as is now exhibited,
while the later suffrage and church aglta-
tions were as froth compared with this.
But there is one marked difference noted,
II is true that all those crises were accom-.
panied by great popular demonstrations,
while this one is approached with a pain
ful hush. Here is striking paragraph
from enc Of the cable letters.
Thcwhilom turbulence of nationalist oratory
has been stlled rs If by magic The Orange.
men who venture yet to dCclaim are met only
by the Ccno OF then own voices. Their windy
threats and vehement appeals are alike .un.
heard and unheeded. English politicians
hesitate to speak, and look into each others
faces with kind of awed dumbncss rs II in
the presence of an overwhelming issue. We
scarcely could have regarded the episode Of
firing on Fort Sumter with more profound
seriousness than England now contemplates
the necessities which loom UP before her As
the magnitude of the occasion grows on the
public consciousness, signs increase that men
| are striving to put partsanship aside and learn
that the true dictates of patriotism are to iol.
low them always. They perceive that the
work now in hand atlC cts the very foundation OF
| constitutional government, and that no lesser
| question is involved than whether the duty to
| lie done will operate to strengthen the govern.
mental structure or TO tumble the whole fabric
down on their heads.
James O'Kelley, In his letter TO the New
York Nrdld, says that by putting the pur-
chase scheme into the background, Mr..
Gladstone gives the Irish tories warning
that by supporting Mr.. Chamberlain they
are perhaps throwing away their last chance
for favorable settlement. He says that
"Mr. Gladstone, despite his delicate health,
is confident and sprightly rs a schoolboy.
The threatened opposition has not made
| him yield an inch. He will conquer or 60
down with the record Of a splendid effort
toheal feud of ages.n Mr.. O'Keley thinks
1t is by no means clear that Mr.. Chamber.
lain viii succeed in bringing any important
section Of the radicals with him against Mr..
Gladstone and home rule; that although he
has achieved a considerable success in work.
ing up an opposition to Mr.. Gladstone's
scheme for buying out the Irish landlords,
the radicals who support him most warmly
on the financial question say that they will
vote with Mr.. Gladstone on home rule.
Many Of the radicals say, "Why buy out
the landlords? They are robbers. Let the
Irish parliament deal with them -
Whether Mr.. Gladstone succeeds or fails
home rule must come. This has come to be
recognized by thoughtful men of all parties
The defeat of Gladstone's programme would
merely postpone the inevitable Some even
of the tory peers are convinced that ireland
must be granted the right of local self;
| government.