The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-06-19
MIR. GLEDsTONE,s SPEECH.


audience cheered for Mr.. Gladstone
and Lord Rosebury, and groaned for
Mr.. Chamberlain and Lord Harting-
ton and other unionists, hut John
Cowen, chairman OF Mr.. Gladstone's
Election Committee, who presided
over the meeting, called for silence.
When he began his speech, Mr.. Glad
stones voice seemed less powerful
than formerly. He said that Inker-
man was a soldiers battle. 1t was
not won by generals tactics or ability,
but by soldiers vslor. Equally were
the present dissolution OF Parliament
and general elections the peoples
battle, Referring to the seeding Lib
erals, MIR. Gladstone said the ques.
ton was whether the country would
resolve, with a strong sense Of justice
and sympathy for Ireland, to COM
pensate for these defections. 81
am STRONGLY convinced" said he, "that
the people have resolved to carry the
day notwithstanding the detection OF
prominent leaders OF the Liberal party.
This contest was fought against us by
the officers Of our own army. The
Conservatives we're content to leave
the work in the seceders' bands.
They call themselves unionists aud
disintegrationists. They want to pre-
serve the paper union unaltered. We
feel that II should be specially con.
served so lar as it is valuable. We seek
THE UNION OF HEART AND MIND,
which we are struggling to restore. 1t
is desirable to speedily close this great
controversy for every great interest in
this country. The positions OF all par
ties will be deplorable; public bust
pess will be interrupted, and public
confidence shaken. Social order in
Ireland will not be restored unless the
people speak clearly, manfully, de-
cisively, such as the question merits.
[Cheers.] Do not let it be said that
the nation is unequal to the task Of
dealing with the question. Some finch
difficulty, some turn their backs in the
hour of trouble; let the nation not do
likewise. Rest assured that il the ma
tons voics be given in defense of our
cause, when the contest is settled and
the excitement has passed away, it
will resemble the old questions Of re-
ligious disability, parliamentary re-
form and free trade. The peo-
pie will wonder why opposi-
ton was raised; as before they
forgot the opposition to the repeal Of
the corn laws and the removal Of re-
gious disability, 80 will they now
forget the opposition to the change
we are striving to attain.
THE IRISH CLAIMS
were defeated by Irish agency, the
Conservatives having obtained forty
seats through the support of the Par
nellites. Do not praise or blame Mr..
Psrnell for his action. Suppose the
forty Lad been deducted from our OPP
ponents in the home rule division, it
would have made their number 30l
instead of BAL. Suppose the forty had
been added to our 3ll, It would have
made us SOL instead OF 81. 1t is i'm
portsnt that the electors should real
ize the true issue, which is much dis
puted. Is 1t a choice between oppo-
site policies regarding Ireland, be.
tween opposite principles Of action,
or a choice upon the details
of a large and complicated bill ?
Important journals urge you not
to consider the policy to be
pursued, but to entaugle yourselves in
the details of this or that particular
method of establishing that policy.
The question you are asked TO decide
is the proposition TO establish a legis-
lative body in Ireland to manage ex-
Clusively Irish affairs. II is princi-
pie upon which you are called to vote
and not details and particulars, or even
a bill. l propose to reduce the issue
to a point whereirom
THERE CAN BE NO ESCAPE,
Among the great and painful defec.
lions from honesty and honor, whereof
We are convinced, and which we
deeply lament, Is that OF our former
powerful ally, the Scotsman newspaper
(hisses and groans), which has rem
dered great aud valued services to the
Liberal policy. The ScOtsmdn now
goes to the root OF the matter and
puts the issue in a way in which ii
can be met more meritoriously, Just as
our opponents in Parliament put the
Issue, in way at one time tavoring
the home rule and the principle of the
bill, and yet voted against it because
they objected to the details of the
measure. The Scotsman puts the ques.
ton fairly aud clearly. II says: ANY
general professions by ministerial.
lists Of a desire for self.gov-
eminent in Ireland will test
the value or meaning OF these
professions. Let a candidate be asked
il he would in the new Parliament
support Gladstone's bill, il reintro-
duced with the alterations explained
at the Foreign Office meeting. II be
will he is for disunion and ought to
rejected. No play upon words will
help him out OF this position" Now,
mark the coming words: "Safe self
government for Ireland is the one
thing most desirable in Mr.. Glad.
stones bill, but there is another most
undesirable feature" Now, make the
Scotsman, and all agreeing with the
Scotsman, a very handsome oner. l
am sure when they mention
sAFK IMPROVEMENT
they don't mean by safe to emascu'ate
the substantive. They mean that
with reasonable precaution the Irish
ought 10 have a real, effective control
of IRISH affairs. That is all we want
Lcheersl, all we ssk Of you. We never
asked Parliament to tie itself to the
details of the bill. There is no part OF
it that Parliament is not perfectly free
TO change il the change is compatible
with principle likely TO forward the
application Of the principles better
than the provisions embodied in the
bill. We would come to accept the
chsnge in this as no novelty. made
this declaration on behalf OF the gov
eminent. The case is this: We
had before us principle to
establish an Irish statutory legislative
body or Parliament, to manage exclu-
siyely Irish affairs. We laid down