New-York tribune., 1886-05-30
MR. GLADSTONE'S TACTICS.
. MAJORITY EITHER WAY NOT EXCEED
ING TEN


Home Rule Liberals broke up on Thursday alter
moon the impression was that Mr.. Gladstone hao
carried his point and secured majority lot 'no
.econd reading OF his measure. The concessions
there offered to the Liberal opponents OF tho pres
eut scheme went beyond expectation. Nothing IN
deed was offered to the Wings. They were e1ciuueo
from the meeting by the terms OF the CALL ~i'
Bright also felt himself excluded from 'his s'isu'
lar Liberal meeting which banished hi"' 'ii
chamberlain, who had meant to atteno 'no ih00~
,nc changed his mind on reading Mr. GiadstoneS
,o,t.r making attendance equivalent to piedge
-. Ham. PuIe bnt a number of his followers were
present. They with the Gladstonians made up 'ne
number to 21O, less than two-thirds OF the party
Mr. Gladstone in one of the most adrot speeches
narcelv written) which he has ever delivered an
nounced his terms. He asked the Liberals TO athrm
bv n vote for second reading the principle OF the
bill. namely, tho establishment IN Ireland OF
legislative body for the conduct OF Irish as distn-
cuished from Imperial affairs He promised. II he
obtained a majority for the second reading that
the bill would then be dropped. He offered as
further inducement TO vote for the second reading
70 reconstruct Clause 2i in order TO enable the
Irish to return to Westminster whenever Imperial
questions or questions reserved by the bill for the
Imperial Parliament should arise. Moreover, no.
bodv by voting for the second reading of the Home
Hulc bill would incur an obligation to support the
Land Purchase bill. Should the second reading be
carried on this understanding, the House would not
be asked to make further progress with the bill at
this session. The session would be wound up and
an amended bill introduced in the autumn
Beyond doubt this amounts to a surrender Of the
measure Convinced that there was no hope OF
carrying it through the House at this session. OF IN
its rresent shape Mr.. Gladstone resolved to save
what he could from the wreck. There is a probable
majority in the House for Home Rule in some form.
He asks the House to pledge itself to the principle
There is a general dislike for dissolution. lie
offers the waverers mears of escape from dssolu-
ton without too much violence TO their consciences
Finally, despairing of the Wings lie reads them out
of the party and invites the Radicals to resume
their allegiance In every detail of this strategy is
visible the dexterty Of an old Parliamentary hand
Thv calcu ulations of the whips on Thursday after
noon proved TO their satisfaction that enough
of Mr. Chamberlains followers had been detached
to insure the second reading. There was general
inbilation among the MinisterialstS The Minis
teral organ Friday morning cried victory.
Friday evenings proceedings in the House have
once more upset the most confident predictions
SIR Michael Hicks Beach's question whether the
House would be adjourned prorogued elected
speech from Mr.. Gladstone, which has alarmed
those whom the day before he had soothed. They
are now told that to vote for the second reading
will pledge them to something more than the pr'nc-
pie of Homo Rule. Mr.. Gladstone declares that
from the principle, purpose and scope of the Home
Rule bill no consideration will induce the Govern
ment to vary or depart by one hairs breadth. The
second reading will be solemn pledge from Parlla-
meut to the people of the three countries that GER
tam thing ought to he done and shall be done at
the earliest moment. The Radicals, therefore, have
taken alarm. They understand that Mr.. Gladstone
means to interpret the vote for the second reading
as a pledge to support his new bill next October.
not knowing what his new bill may be- They draw
back, or some of them do. There is general hesita
tion and perplexty
Mr. Chamberlain since thursdays meeting has
made no sign. The conference with his friends has
been postponed till Monday. Lord Harrington and
his party of course, remain unaffected by proposals
that were never intended to appeal to them. He
declared yesterday the House that the tactics of
the Government were without example. He chal
lenged the Prime Minister to produce a precedent
for asking Parliament to proceed to the second
reading of bill which is dead.
Last nights discussion on the point raised by Sir
Michael Hicks Beach was among the hottest OF the
session. Mr.. Gladstone himself while protesting
TO put anger aside spoke with passion The I'M
preston in the House was that he had said more
than he meant to say. Lord Randolph Churchill
induced him to deny that the entire bill would he
reconstructed and then quoted against him the
statement of the Attorney General that whatever
affected Clause "a relating to the Irish at West
minister affected the whole bill. Mr. Gladstone,
Lord Randolph Churchill said is speaking with TWO
voces-a voice to the Irish that the new bill shall
be the same as the old one and a voice to the Rad-
eals that the new bill shall be reconstructed he
protested against the attempt to treat vote for
the second reading of the present bill as binding
members to support new and different bill to he
introduced at another session.
Certainly, as Lord Harrington said this Home
Rule bill, which Mr. Gladstone boasted holds the
field is dead. Nobody yet knows what will be pro-
duced in its place. The situation is full of mys-
teiies which must be cleared up before the division
next week if the Government is to get a majority
for which it sacrifices so much. No estimates to-