The Milan exchange. (Milan, Gibson County, Tenn.) 1874-1978, 1886-01-02
GLADSTONE SOLID.

gland Points TO a Working Majority for
Gladstone and His Measures, and the
Return of the Grand Old Man" to
Power-The Irish Have SCOT Little
List"
LONDON, December 27.-From very
near friend of Mr.. Gladstone it is learned
that everything is settled as to home
rule. The entire Nationalist strength
goes solid for Gladstone's home-rule
measure. The Radicals of the North, the
Liberals of Scotland and Wales, the Lib
eral delegations from the new county
constituencies, with scarcely an excep-
ton, and fully two-thlrds of the members
classified as Dixie, Chamberlain and
caucus men, have responded afIirmatively
to the private inquiry set on foot with
the view of discovering whether they are
prepared to throw in their lot for good or
for bad with the Liberal
chief. The Conservative and
Liberal whips have been equally busy
among the ministerialists and the landed
element in Gladstone's camp, and we
know now almost to man who are the
unpledged and who are pledged to Glad
stone and who to Salisbury. OF the 332
Liberals elected to the new Parliament,
q Welsh, 50 Scotch and ITO English,
total of 256 are solid for Gladstone under
any and all circumstances. This leaves
seyenty-seven Liberal members unpledged
for Gladstone's Irish home-rulc bill as
outlined by responsible party managers.
The Nationalist vote of 1886 goes solid
for Gladstone, bringing up his assured
total to 342.
Against this Salisbury can count on the
solid Tory vote, PSI, and part of the
seventy-seven unpledged Liberals. Civ
ing him the entire unpledged Liberal vote
he may muster total of 328 against
Gladstone's 342, majority of fourteen
for Gladstone, which can be counted on
implicitly. 1t must be stated, how
ever, that of the seventy-seven Lib
erals who are regarded as possible
Tory recruits, only forty-siX are out
and-out Harrington men, and of the
remaining thirty-one fully sixteen would
support Gladstone in any moderate
Irish measure, and the remainder
are for Chamberlain first, and Glad
stone afterward. So far therefore,
the way has been cleared,
but Parliamentary warfare in this coun-
try is full of surprises and pitfalls. A
man may have a majority and yet suffer
defeat through mismanagement, luke
warmness, accident or the development of
unexpected situations beyond the power
of men or parties to forecast or control.
We already see SYMPTOMS of unusual de-
velopment on the political horizon. The
Times has prepared us for an attempt to
expel the Irish members of the Govern
ment and is preparing us for so extreme
a measure as the Acknowledgement for
constructive treason-felony of the Irish
boroughs returning Nationalist MEM
bers to Parliament, and now, to cap it all +,
we have assurance, that no man CONVEX
SAINT with political life here could for a
moment hesitate to accept, that's 'nfettss
ure Gladstone may carry against the
Tories will be thrown out of the Lords,
and that the Lords are preparing for the
inevitable life and death struggle with
the Commons that such course is al
most. certain to provoke. Although Glad
stone is now sure of a good working
majority for his Irish bill, it is by no
means sure that he will be able to carry it
through Parliament.
The Irish Parliamentary black list is
making mischief. 1t was published a
fortnight ago, and is designed to enable
Irish members of Parliament to distin-
guish their English, Scotch and Welsh
colleagues who in the last Parliament
placed themselves on record as "enemies
of Ireland" by voting against Irish inter-
ests. The votes on which members are
held to account were on the crimes act
and resolutions to expel Irish members.
The general Secretary of the London eX-
ecutve of the Irish National League in
Great Britain and the honorable Secre-
tary of the union of metropolitan
branches of the League are nom-
inally responsible for the list.
1t is learned that Gladstone, John Bright,
! Chamberlain, Dixie, Harcourt and Other
ex-Ministers, have received copies and
finding themselves pilloried in the black
list are exceedingly sore about it. Glad
stone, the champion of eternal justice and
Liberal ideas, is down for l75 anti-Irish
votes; Bright, the universal phllanthro'
pist, for 20l; Chamberlain and Dixie, the
twin brothers of RepubHcanism, for 2ll
and 2l0, respectively. The Liberal lead
ers Would not care so much for the black
list If it began and ended with the Parlia
ment of lsSO-s5, but the Nationalist League
have arranged to publish regularly
during the coming and future sessions the
votes of all members of Parliament OF
Irish questions. Every branch of the Ma
tionalist League, every Irish member OF
Parliament, every Irish organization il
English, Scotch and Welsh constituencies
will receive copies of this diabolical lis
to enable Irish voters to follow clearl,
and intelligently the course of English
Scotch and Welsh members of Parliamen
on Irish questions. The feeling of an
noyance finding expression over the blacl
list, indicates stormy scenes IN tn
lobby when Parliament opens. The opin
ion is forcibly expressed that members o
Parliament, whether they be Irish o
otherwise, who countenance such moder
resources of civilization ought to be os
tracised.
1t is believed that Mr.. Gladstone wi
not challenge the position of the Govern
ment until the speech from the throne ha
been delivered in February. The pre-
! caadipOS npvt month will he mainly nro