New-York tribune., 1890-08-05
MR.. CHAMBERLAIN AGAIN.
THE CHANGES N his POSITION SINCE lis
FIRST VISIT To AMERICA

have in store II is Il characteristic remark:
characteristic TO; Dlerey OF him, but Of the Brit
ish public man in general. II there be one Of
whom you might suppose II untrue, il is Mr..
Gladstone, yet Mr.. Gladstone las than
once repel!cd. with some of that heat and indis-
nation OF which he is capable the suggestion that
he took long views OF things. The work II
the day is quite enough for me, he cried; Il
have no occasion to concern myself with the
future I use quotation marks but it Is only
the sense, not the precise words, which on this
one occasion is included within them. To be
suspected of looking more than an inch beyond
ones nose seems 10 he here regarded as an offence.
practical politician cannot afford that such
thing should he said of him.
The particular topic Of prophecy which called
ont this disclaimer from Mr. Chamberlain was tho
relation between ths Tories and the Liberal-Un-
ionistS. lis correspondent seems TO have thought
it in the nature of things that they should come
together ond that their alliance should become
| union. Not 81 the cX-Mayor of Birmingham. He
sees reason for any change, or none for some
considerable time to come. Does he forget that
the shrewdcst of all politicians, the late Lord
Pcaconsicld, once remarked in his aphori>tic way
| that England does not love coalitions.
lie has. however, so far spcculatcd the
future as to take passage for America on the 9Th
of August by the Tcutonic. lie knows the ship,
for he was ON her at SpitLead last year; lie and
Mrs Clamhcrl1in, who now rcvisits her native
land They are to remain, one hears, some three
months returning 10 this country in time for
that November sitting of Parliament which Mr..
Smith will not allow rs 10 call an autumn session.
Mr Chamberlain goes this time, on no public
mission. bnt he will, | apprhcnd, hardly escape
the publicity which, in America as elsewhere, be-
~. H. in
any case, if he woald give you much useful and
some curious information about the state OF opin-
ion in England with reference TO the Irish question
and other questions. lie has not changed MS
opinion on Home Rule, Of which, in the Glad
stonian sense he is still opponent In the IN
teryal between his two journeys to the United
States he has propounded several plans for the
settlement of Ireland all Ingenious, all different,
and all without result. The Government viii
NOT take them up, and the Opposition VIII not
take them M As for the Irish, they would re-
fuse Independence and afluence If it were the
outstrctchcd hand OF Mr. Chamberlain which
offered them: or they say they would. lie Is
not less hated nor less abused by the followers
of Mr. Parnell than of yore; nor even Dy Mr'
Parnell himself; who can be abusive when ne
ulas and who has a very considerable power OF
hatred
Very different in fact is Mr.. ChamtcrlairS
present position from his position at the time OF
that errand Of his to Washington for the hnal
adjustment Of the Canadian Fishery troubles:
which remain unadjusted. He is still leader
among the Liberal-Unionists but 10 say that the
LiberaU UnionstS are stronger or more prosperous
politically than they were three years ago. Is M
possible II is not thought that they nave heia
tho,r own Their number in the House Of Com
hol1 fho
weaker: they are in the position which third
parties tend by the force of circumstances 70 iai
| into Alone among the Liberal-Cnionists, Lord
Harrington retains unimpaired all his ascendency
and authority. OF him alone may ii be said thao
| hc has oained and not lost. l speak both OF tie
| Ious, Of Commons and of the country IN geherai.
But Won will be much deceived, nevertheless IL
vou accent the estimate of ,ir. Chamberlain now
current among his enemies lie has many ene1
mics. has perhaps an aptitude for making them
and for converting political opponents into per-
sonal foes His tone in public is not qulte tho
tone which the English like; he is too doGlnatlc'
FOO cock sure, too intocrant; word when uso
only with reference 10 intellectual processes no
finds il too difficult 10 CONCEIVE tAat nc may oo
wrong and somebody else right. bIs nina "orN'
with sucn energy and rapidity that his cohcuSioH'
saer, 10 him inevitable; there must De sone'nins
| ,rronv with him who draws different ones lfo'n
| 49,, .a.,o ,re,uises With all this ne is not ono
| =, HIT less able than when he was member oi Mr
Gladstonc's Cabinet; fact which seems obvious
,ct is no longer obvious 10 those who rail asalss
him more bitterly than ever.
| II is not went Of ability that has allectPo his
| n.+,io, II -hcre he in Mr. Chamberain's case
| q, want. il is Of judgment, OF 1act, ol 'n"' 'P',
of Cancellation and compromise which is carrleo
L.. &, han no
where else. lie is paying the penalty OF this ao-
| ,,o, or deficiency: whether il bc n heavy penalty
or not will not undertake 10 decide. But surrey
tbcr u,ust bc some other reason Tor the anlmoslty
So freely shown him than the mere fact that 10
would not follow Nr. Gladstone when he nlarchca
over rar and baggage into the Home Rue camp.
ro rccur once more 10 Lord Harrington. II was
q long time before Lord Harrington was asSaiea
personally on account of bis refusal 10 JUN
that Extraordinary procession. 10 rcmarKaoic
was his immunity that people discussed "o
c;uses of il: nor were they difficult T. discover
He himself attacked nobody; imputed no mouVes'
occupied himself with affairs rather than WIN
individuals: and preferred argument 70 lhVec'Ne'
lie had above all. and he entirely deserved,
reputation for absolute disintercScdnesS, anu loI
a sense Of pubic duty and a standard oil puoh'
conduct than which 10 mans in the Kingdom was
hiahcr: nor many 50 high. Latterly, Ii Is Hue'
the tone about Lord harrington has chahseu'
uct in the least because he has changed, ior he
has not; he is the same Lord Harrington
# is the tone of public life in England which
has changed; and Of a portion of the press; tbs
Radical press especially If you take the three
oraius of Radicalism in the daily press OF Lon
don. ono morning and two evening, You Will
pcrcciva that, for some time past, they have car
ried on a campaign of cnlumny. They are so
violent and so vtUpcrativc that they seem 10 10
appealiug 70 an audience quite unlike that whlch
the better journalism addresses. suppose the
audience is different More people read tmn
u.cA TO: the Masses nave been invented by Mt.
Gladstone, and educated by the Act OF le'o' or
sn far cdncatcd as 70 be able ~ read. u Is now