The Irish standard., 1889-05-25

ingness: and even if it did show any
sign Of coming to maturity, 1t would
have been interrupted by an open quar-
rel between the two men who were at
one and the same time the leaders OF
the National party and it's only mem.
bels. Nevertheless. there were until
lately certain bonds between the two
men. They were both
nEBELs FROM THEIR PARTY,
they both stood outside cabinet which
they were very anxious to enter, and
they both have certain agreement of
opinion and tendency. However, they
have now quarreled so bitterly and SO
openly that it is scarcely likely they will
come together for any purpose for some
time to come. This is worse for Cham
berlain than for Churchill. OF the two
Churchill is undoubtedly the stronger.
EYen Chamberlain himself admits that.
fIe once said to John Morley that ''this
generation of English history had pro-
duced only three statesm men--Gladston
Parnell and Lord Randolph Churchill. -
Of the two, perhaps, Churchill has the
more irritable temper. His thin, nerv-
Gus frame. his poor health and his
eternal smoking of cigarettes ruake his
i'll temper sometimes almost disease.
1t is Just possible, too, that he has in his
veins something of the mad strain that
lead Cast]ereagh, his ancestor, to cat
his throat But, then, when not in a
temper, Churchill has one Of the coolest
and truest judgments of the House OF
Commons. He understands the Irish
question, for instance, thoroughly: and
if he pretends not to understand it, 1t is
only because that happens to be for the
moment his game. Chamberlain, on
the other hand, has very marrow and
very Informed mind. His speeches
on the Irish question have all been con-
temptibly shailow~not with the shall
lowness of a clever man who conceals
his real thoughts, but with the shallow
ness of an empty man who has no
thoughts to conceal.
HOME RULERS ENJOY THEIR FIGHT.
The dispute between these Cwo gentle
men over the representation Of Birm~
lngham, meanwhile is giving great de-
light to the Home Rulers, and causes
equally great depression in the Union
ist camp. ALL the Tory papers make
desperate efforts to have the quarrel
patched up, or at least Kept out Of sight
At rhis moment, indeed, Lord Randolph
Churchill is almost as unpopular among
them as Mr.. Gladstone. But he doesn't
care, and he NAV console himself at
least with the thought that his action
has endeared him still further to the
Toryism of Birmingham. There is no
name at Liberal meetings NOWADAYS the
mention OF which produces such a wild
and violent explosion Of wrath. All
this shows how extremely stupid it was
for him to quarrel with Churchill, who
is now the one prominent politician left
with whom he could make an alliance.
AS to Churchill, who can say what his
future will be? Once more he is in the
trough of the sea. Salisbury is more
resolved than ever never TO sit III the
same cabinet with him, and he went
out of his way yesterday in allusions to
the election at Birmingham to exasper
ate Churchill into an outburst of fury.
The truth is that for him and for Mr..
Gladstone the hour has not vet struck.
We are winning, but we must bide our
time. The government are determined
to hold On as long as they ctn, and if
they had any inclination to give way,
the Unionists are there to keep them up
to the scratch. From all see don't
think there is the slightest chance TOR
the overthrow of the ministry in this
session, and it is doubtful whether they
will be overthrown in the next. But
next year is more hopeful than this, and
the year after is more hopeful still. 1t
is not till
TIE SHADOW OF A DISSOLUTION
is over the Parliament that the period
of breakup is at all to be anticipated
then dlssensions may be expected to
break out, and then it is that Churchill
may be able to deal the government
deadly blow. For the moment he is inn
potent, and Balfour's chances Of the
leadership look brighter than they ever
did. Salisbury's rant speeches are USE
full as showing what is passing through
the mind OF the government and as
forecasting their probable policy. It
seems likely that fol. the moment great
land purchase bill is the next great
Irish bill Of which the government are
thinking. That will probably be the
first measure of next session. The fate
of such bill is rather hard to forecast.
l would have said last year that.a great
land bill could never be offered in the
British Parliament. and that if 1t were
1t would wreck the ministry that car
ried it. But I own / do not feel so
confident on that point now. On the
whole, the present prospects is that
this Parliament will confer enormous
benefits on the Irish farmer in the hope
OF weaning him from Home Kule. The
hope is deluslve, but useful.