The Northwestern standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1885-1886, 1886-01-16
FRANK AND FEARI.E SS.
Morley, the Famous English (" Liberal, I
Considers the Irish Question
at Length.

Plain Facts Brought Home to The Eng
lish Mind The Present Orisis
/ Grave Ons.
1 On Monday night, Dec. Il, Mr.. JohI
Morley, M. P, addressed a meeting d
the Liberal Five Hundred, in The
Northumberland hall, Newcastle. DR.
Swanston, president of the Liberal AS
ISOLATION, occupied the chair.
Mr.. Morley said: In dealing with the
Irish question venture to think it will
be the business Of Mr.. Gladstone to
shape his policy, and to press it when
the time comes upon the country with
all the force Of his conscience and his
conviction. But you are told that the
notions which are imputed to Mr.. Glad
stone in respect to the settlement of
Ireland are an afterthought, and came
into his mind only because he found he
wanted the Irish vote, and the political
pharisees who lift up their voices every
day to thank heaven they are not as
other men are, are row exclaimlng
with calculations of holy horror at the
immortality OF the party. (Laughter.)
The Tory incorrigible screams out that
if Gladstone had a policy with respect
to Ireland he ought to have brought it
before the country before the election,
and not to have sprung it unawares
upon us now. [ ask any Of you who
followed Mr.. Gladstone's utterances
before and during the election whether
he did not from first to last place the
Irish question in the most prominent
place in his speeches. / ask if Mr. Glad
stone did not place that question in its
most impressive and nrnoistakable
shape in the September manifesto? The
question was raised, The issue was
stated, the attitude of the party was de-
scribed again and aaain, and in speech
after speech, by Mr.. Gladstone in Mid
lothian. Let us be quite clear as to
this. If there is any misunderstanding
as to the attitude of the Liberal party
on the Irish question the misunder-
standing is rot the fault OF our leader.
The pith ard marrow Of his appeal to
the electors was that they should give
the Liberals such a majority that they
should be able not to stifie the voice Of
Ireland, not to resist the wishes of the
Irish people, not to cheat Ireland out
of her just demands, but TO test these
Il. TO easaaEe- tttsse. Wiahes, an6-
to give friendly ear to their voicesB
from the position Of an impartial Sc
curity, and not, as he said, on the slip
perry footing of a servile dependence on
the Irish vote. So far as remember
them, those are almost Mr.. Gladstone's |
very words. They are words again and |
again repeated by him. Well. then,
when people now say that he is coming |
,ut with scheme and a programme
because he wants Office, and he is bar
,ering the empire for power, say that I
such talk, whether it is in Liberal Or
5ans or in Tory organs. is as untrue as
t is poor and contemplate. The issue
If the elections has not been to place
he Liberals in the position which Mr..
Gladstone desired. We have an inn
nense majority III Great Britain, but
Mr.. Gladstone will not be able to Crap
Die with the Irish question with that
irm footing, as he called it, which is
,iven by a commanding majority in the
Iouse of Commons. But does anybody
lream that because the Liberal ma
ority in the whole house has disap-
,eared the Irish difficulty has disap
,eared2 Does anybody think that be-
aIse our means of meeting that diff
iculty are weakened that the difficulty
tself has ceased to exist2 If there is,
le is laboring under very grievous de-
usion At this moment the Tory gov
rnment themselves know much better
ban to think that the Irish question is
olved BY the present parliamentary
deadlock. Some of their scrlbes are in
state of very lofty Indignation and pa
riotic fury against Mr.. Gladstone for
atching, as they say, scheme of trea-
on against the empire. Gentlemen, it
5 a stage indignation. 1t is the simu-
ated fury Of actors playing a part. We
ave seen it all. heard it all, read it all,
OF SO many months ago. How many
lonths ago is it since they were in a
tate Of the same indignation and fury ,
bout the maintenance OF law and or
erin favor Of coercion2 And yet !
ow swiftly and silently the Tory party
ropped coercion; how silently and ,
Witty they dropped law and order, and
OF altogether silently either, when
1ey actually attacked Lord Spencerfor
maintaining law and order in Ireland.
therefore,, if you will take my advice. !
gu win read AL those fuming and !,
diatribe5 about the disin
grafton Of the empire, the disruptionI !
the realm, and all the other terrors T
hich they are now dressing up to
tighten us. with recollection that {
,u have gone through 1T all before; !
I'D you will read them without a spark !
faith that the Tory party viii stick to
le text, CT that these heroical tantrums I
e anything but a preliminary to al !
'mplete change of front. Do not let /,
!, forget-and for one am not sorry 3
remember that the ground, the logi- !
1 ground, is ready and prepared :
hat WAS the argument for abandoning !,