The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1889-03-29
MANKATo FREE Press.
FRIDAY. MARCH 40, 1859
JOHN MORLEY.
o'coNNoR POWER WRITES OF THE
GREAT ENGLISH RADICAL.

His Political Position-Like All British
Statesmen, He Is Overshadowed by Glad
stone-HIs Hatred of Claptrap-He Is u
Radical in Politics and Religion.
What Cardinal Newman was to the
Oxford religious movement fifty years
ago, what Daniel O'Connell was to Catho-
lie emancipation at a still earlier period,
and what John Bright was to the cause
of free trade at a period much nearer
our own time, John Morley is to the ex-
isting radical movement in Great Britain.
He is its most prominent leader and in
terpreter. There is this important dis
tinction, however, to be drawn between
him and the illustrious men with whom
l have for the moment associated his
name: That they created the movements
which they led, whereas Mr.. Morley, be-
fore his entrance into parliament, was
only one of many equally able men
whose teachings contributed to the form
alton of British radicalism. He is now
recognized as its spokesman and leader.
The Radicals are the advanced section Of
the Liberal party and the political radi-
calism of today will be the political
liberalism of the near future; hence John
Morley's position, as the leader of the
Radical wing, marks him out as proba-
BILE successor to Mr.. Gladstone, though
Sir William Harcourt actually occupies
the post of Seputy leader of the whole
party. and is the heir presumptive of the
leadership. -.
Political radicalism may be defined,
according to the old formula, as the gov
eminent of the people, for the people, by
the people; and it has found many sup
porters among those who are strongly
anti-radical in other respects, and who
view with repugnance the radical creed
as regards morals, or religion, or philos-
ophy. Mr.. Gladstone, for example, is a
radical in politics only.
AS Mr.. Gladstone saw he was to lose
Mr.. Chamberlain he determined to at
tach Mr.. Morley, and he accomplished
this by making him chief secretary for
Ireland and a member of the cabinet,
and Mr.. Morley thenceforth became his
right hand man in furthering the cause
of self government for Ireland. Mr..
Morley has displaced Mr.. Chamberlain
and succeeded to the exact position in
the Liberal party which the latter occu-
pied before he separated from Mr.. Glad
stone. Whether he will retain his popu-
larity with the masses is question
which depends on his willingness to
adopt the ever changing principles or
theories of the democracy.
Strange as it may appear, it is never
theless true that Mr.. Chamberlain won
his way to position in the Liberal party
second only to that of Mr.. Gladstone
himself, by advocating the doctrines
of Mr.. Henry George concerning land,
and by declarations in favor of the poor
which could not be distinguished from
downright socialism. Mr.. Georges the
cries had, at the time, attained tenn
porary hold of the English workingmen.
The artisans of the towns were somehow
persuaded that their interests lay not in
the spread of manufactures, but in the
subdivision of land, and the improve
ment of agriculture, two things which
were put before them as standing in the
relation of cause and effect. Mr.. Nor
ley labors under the disadvantage
of requiring reason for every step he
takes. He lacks many of the character
istics which made Mr.. Chamberlain so
popular for a time, and his politics
are more of the rational than the
emotional order. Mr.. Chamberlain did