New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-08-13
LONDON NOTES.
MR.. GLADSTONE AND AMERICAN ANALo.
GIES-NR. HOLYOAKE on MR.. GLAD.
STONE AND Mr.. BRIGHT-A CARPET
CASE

London. Aug 2
Regardless of Mr. John Morley's warning against
political analogies Mr.. Gladstone continues to
seek for them and to make use of such as he
thinks useful The United States may still be
described as his favorite hunting-ground. He
made last week fresh excursion into those spread
ing fields in search Of an argument TO fling at
the head Of the wicked Ministry who submitted
the Anglo-Gcman agreement 10 Parliament. This
is what he said
Z" The question of the treaty-making power is
! undoubtedly one CT the most difficult questions Of
/ practical politics in the world. The proof of that
is to be found in the history of the Constitution
of the United States. The able and sagacous
men who considered this question there arrived at
a solution Of the difficulty by adopting a COM
! promise. They gave the power of Intervention to
the Senate of the United States: they did not
give it to the popularity elected body and that
! body has nothing whatever to say with respect
10 treaty concluded with foreign Power, and
1t has no power Of interfering with the conditions
/ OF that treaty either directly or indirectly"
/ Again IT has to be said that Mr.. Gladstone
| though now on good terms with the Nation he
/ once wished to see broken up, does not do us
! the honor 10 make very complete study Of our
/ Institutions. From time to time he falls into
! rather surprising errors. and the passage above
( quoted embodies one Of them. To say that the
/ House Of Representatives has no power OF inter-
fering with a treaty, directly or indirectly is to
say what every American knows to be inexact
Some Engishmcn also know il. Mr. Bryce
knows it, and has stated the case accurately
enough in The American Commonwealth" II
Mr.. Gladstone has had no time to read that
book, he might ask Mr. Bryce who is his asso-
cate on the front Opposition bench Bnt he pre-
fers. it seems, to rely on the knowledge of Sir
William IIarcourt, which, though vast, is not
quite universal, nor always entirely accurate.
Mr. George Jacob Ioyoake is, Ike the rest Of
the world, writing his "reminiscences, and is pub
fishing them scrially under The title Sixty Years
! Of an ACiiat0r's Life He has lived indie
pendent and courageous life. and is, on many
topics. an original authority He had an early
share in some movements tho control Of which
has ROW passed into loss scrHpulous hands. In
like most Of those who turn their energies into
practical and experimental channels, he write,
and he has a power Of drawing nice distinctions
lie has drawn one between Mr. Bright and Mr.
Gladstone which IS striking in its way: He
had great humility. Is Mr.. Gladstone has: hut
in Mr. BRIGHT il was the humility Of genius
falling below lis own idcal-in Mr.. Gladstone it
j., the humility Of duty falling short Of the obi
cation Of service due 10 the Giycr Of his great
powers
This is not quite complete as an account OF
Mr. Giads;ones humility. Completeness, and
breyty can seldom when he is in question, 90
together. Illustration IS better than description,
and of one of the many kinds of humility prac-
iiscd by him no better illustration could be found
than his speech at Edison House last week The
whole of it is saturated with hUmbleEes5 Coo
| mel Gouraul read ont - him his own messages 70
/ America. on which the proceedings Of tke day
and the very elaborate proceedings IN Nsw-YofG
| had been based II sounded from your voice.
/ replied N1r Gladstone with meeHncss. after hav-
/ ing been 10 America better than IL did when
! uttered by in this county lie ofcrs Colo
! mel Gouraud his thanks for his fresh assurance
Of the manner in which at all times tie citl7en'
of America have been pleased 10 accept any mani
festation proceeding from myself, and 20 attach
70 il a value which feel 20 he altogether in ex
cess Of lis real merits Then follows this quito
ulatchless example of establishment:
IF anything could lead me 10 question the
soundness of the american Judgment or 20 believe
the Americans liable to be misled from the right
understanding Of human questions il really would
he the warmth-the exceeding warnth-of the
manner in which they have been pleased always
/ 10 frame their views Of my character
What thcn would Mr. Gladstone nave said had
! Mr.. Chaunccy Depew's letter been read 10 him?
/ No foreign statesman since Lafayette has been
! held in such yeneration and affection by the
! American people. if Mr.. Depew's testimony IS 10
! hc taken | am far from diSputing H. Mr.
! Dcpcw has every means of knowing. II might
/ once have been thought that Mr. Bright, who
strovc for the Union while ITr. Gladstone upheld
! the Rebellion WAS entitled 10 some yeneratlon
and affection from the American people But
since the Senate Of the United States rejected
resolution of respect 10 his memory, Nr Bright
is. suppose, out of court.
Mr. Holyoake adds truly enough in one sense.
that Mr. Bright was no friend OF democracy and
had no sympathy with il: with political prn-
ciples. as thinkers define them. hc little troubled.
His GREAT passions were for justice, public pros
peritv. the comfort and contentment Of the Teople
To these ends he ,:170ted his great powers -
thcs, he was the foremost champion OF oar time
All else WAS 10 him as though it were rot. As
far AS he was concerned, thrones might STAND.
/ To him Intellectual rights were fads Bat "itll
the limits in which his mind ranged he command
ed the admiration and gratitude Of the LngHsH
people
That is finely said. though without the ilmlta-
tons one might be inclined 10 add But the
reader. whether he agrees or not, sees thar TIE
view is )nc Of a man who has views Of his o"h'
and can 50 state them as 10 command attention
II the grammatical controversy about me
and myself" is still raging in your columns, me
partlsanS Of the intensive pron0un may hall Mr'
Gladstone a, an ally. His phrase above quoted,
ANY manifestation proceeding from myself
is in the major key. and ne naturally selects the
more emphatic Of the two words by either OF
which he might have indicated his own person.
atty. Yet | viii 20 far as 10 hint d"upt
whether Mr.. Glalstones authority in the use oil
the English LANGUAGE is decisive. lie Is mo"
copious than accurate, and the extreme tenulty
of his distinctions denotes rather general hapit
Of mind than nicely in linguistic Determinations
lis sentence would have lost nothing had NE
substituted me- for myself il would have