Omaha daily bee., 1888-05-27
A CHANGE IS COMING.
Brutal Balfour's Fine Balloon is
Doomed to Perish.
a REACTION is SETTING IN
Against His Reckless Policy 1t Was
Bound to Come.
RANDOLPH CHURCHILL DID 1T
Lancashire Operatives Cheer Him
to the Echo.
cHAMBERLAiN's PuERILE PLAN
Taking His Clew From Churchill He
BUSHES Forward With a Silly
Scheme For the Amelioration
of Ireland's Ailments.
TCopnight 1888 by James Gordon Bennett

Cable-Special to THE BEE. Although the
members of parliament are scattered all over
the house politics do not stand still. Changes
are getting on, none the less important be-
cause some of them are unseen. They are
making for the direction 1 have ventured to
prepare you to MISREPRESENTATION coercion
if not actual abandonment of that policy of
reform of the gross abuses in Irish govern
ment, and the collapse Of Balfourism, that
grotesque plant that grew up in a night. 1t
will vanish as suddenly. An active and pow
erful cliqe has been at work for some months
past sounding the praises of Balfour far and
near. Never was any man so wise, heroic,
f~ar-sighted; he had saved England, regener-,
ated Ireland. The press, largely controlled by
the government, which can give early news
the only bride which it dares to ~offer-took
up the Ralfour parable. We, who stood be-
mind the scenes, laughed in our sleeves some
INES. 1t seems easy to gull the public, but
it is almost wicked to do it, Balfour himself
must know that his fire balloon must soon
perish. The papers ascribed to him q fnerci-
less determination to crush, not conspiracy,
but the whole Irish people, but against such
a policy there was sure to come a tremendous
reaction. 1t is beginning now A few months
hence and the Balfour legend will be almost
forgotten, except as a page of corricature in
Irish history.
Ineed not tell you what has brought this
change to pass. Nothing has done 1t but the
boldness, vigor and ability of Lord Randolph
Churchill. In London a man was almost
bounded down for daring to say a word in
his favor. Everybody was against him, yet
he kept on resolutely %contending for his ideas
until the eliminating point was reached last
week at Preston, when an audience of 5000
persons stood up and cheered again
and again in response to his
plain declarations on the Irish
question. Remember that in Preston there
are very few Irlshmen-so few that the cleo
ton agent told me they could not be taken
into account. 1t cannot, therefore, be said
Lord Randolph merely won the cheers of an
Irish audience. The people who applauded
most vociferously were the hard-headed oper-
atives of Lancashire, shrewd men in Eng
land, and, "as Lancashire thinks to-day, so
all England will think Tomorrow u says the
| proverb, an ominous proverb at this hour for
Balfourism.
Scarcely had the echoes of that great
| speech at Preston died from mems ears be-
| fore a portent was seen in the political frma-
meut. The prophet Of Birmingham came
| forth and gave a sign to his followers. How
| long is it ago since Chamberlain rebuked
| Randolph Churchill in the house for daring
| to put in a plea for mitigation of punishment
in the case of ireland, so fast is tide flowing
| that il seems a year. In reality it is less
than a month since GSe governmenment
| practically announced that it meat to post
pone. reformed government in Ireland
till the Greek kalends. Churchill rose from
the back seats and protested and reminded
them of their pledges, and entreated them to
keep honestly to their word and render
| justice to Ireland while suppressing treason.
Chamberlam's former hope, the radicals
rushed forward and threw his shield over
the ministry. He would not allow even a
| suggestion to be made to allow justice for
Ireland, at least within any given limit Of
time, she to give to her promises to pay at an
UNKNOWN period, but heard her plausible tale
and turned her adrift in rags and misery
as of 20 re, and now where is Chamberlain
Ten days have passed since Churchill issued
| his ultimatum from Preston. Chamberlain
runs forward with another, "Take NINE"
he cries, sit is the same as Randolph Chur-
| chill, only much more So" He throws it at
| the head of the public and expects to see the
whole world in al ecasticy of
admiration. Overheard goes the
ministry; away to the winds fly
Lord Salisbury, dear smith and
"The Nephew of My Uncle" Popskins is
here again with a plan, and such a plan. A
million for public works, moro millions for
buying all the Irish lands, reformed local
government, and a bundle of provincial as
semblies in which Irish patriotism may find
endless scope for its exercise. The scheme is
framed at the wish Of Gladstone.
Well, as Churchill, l am Inclined
to think that on person it will
dish is Joseph Chamberlain. Everybody but
the credulous author saw at once that it
could not possibly worE-uOt even in Utopia,
much less in Ireland. While the people
| could say Chamberlain has some ideas in his
| head about Ireland, a charm of mystery
hangs around him. How he disclosed every
thing to the world as il turns on Ireland
would cause laughs in Bedlam itself. A
more crazy project for settling
the Irish question could net be
advanced. Chamberlain has always
been thought practicable and II win take him
some time to recover his reputation, even for