Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-01-29

American freedom and liberty. There
could not be an absolntism of the majority
without the crushing out of the rights of
the minority. The Republicans said that
the power Of obstruction must be put down
anu taken from the minority. II was said
that that power was intolerable. Very
well; let the power of obstruction be de-
stroyed, and free parliamentary govern
ment would also be destroyed. Obstruc-
ton was the very weapon of liberty in
every English speaking country. There
was no unobstructcd road for the majority
TO walk unless that road led to desp0tism.
Obstruction had been the fruitful source
OF some of the grandest achievements of
human liberty the world had ever known.
and the majority could not do away with
u without at the same time doing away
with the muniments of liberty and free
dom
OBSTRUCTION UNDER THE CONSTITUTION.
The Senate had arrived at a state of
things where obstruction did exist and he
admitted it, but it existed under the con-
stitution of the United States. It existed
by reason of the nature and framework of
our government, and gentlemen had no
right to say that they would pull down
this fair fabric III order that absolutism
might reign in the United States. Resist
ance had been the cause of the Magma
Charta. II would be the resistance of plain
people of America of this day and genera
tion that would thwart and destroy and
make null the attempts of any set of men
TO control their liberties and destroy their
freedom,
INSTRUCTION AND WARNING.
Il was significant fact, pregnant with
instruction and warning to the American
people that the first time in the history of
England that nm attempt was made in the
house of commons to limit debate it was
made in order to suppress home rule in
Ireland. Let gentlemen go ont and tell
their naturalized fellow-citizens from that
stricken and unhappy isle that the Amer
history of the English parliament. Clio
sure had been adopted in England in order
that lrishmen might be gagged in the
house of commons when they attempted
TO assert that freedom of speech which be-
longed to them as representatives of their
nation and of their people. Let gentle
men tell the natuFalized citizens that that
was the example they We're following in
order to destroy home rule in tins country.
Mr., Hoar inquired whether the closure
rule in England had not been adopted
under the lead of Mr., Gladstone, the
present leader Of the home rule party to-
day, but who had not changed his opinion
i'll that respect
GLADsToNE's CONVERSION.
Mr.. Gray replied that hetrusted that the
conversion that took place in the great
English statesman in 1882 would take
place in some equally distinguished Amer
lean statesmen in 1891. laughter.
Mr.. Aldrich inquired whether Mr.. Glad
stone had changed his opinion relative to
the change of rules.
Mr.. Gray responded that Gladstone, at
the time he led his party, was the invetcr-
ate, uncompromising foe of home rule in
Ireland He would not listen to the argu-
ments of those who were defending their
people. But since that unhappy day Mr..
Gladstone has been great enough to put
behind him the errors he had committed,
and to put himself at the head Of that gal
liant band Of Englshmen which was fight
ing for the liberties of Ireland. The
United States did not need to cross the At
lantic for examples to follow in order to
stiile the debate in the Senate. Closure,
this foreigner, who had not the accent of
liberty on its tongue, came knocking at the
door of the Senate. asking to be taken in.
1t might do in France or Austria or Ger
many, but would not flourish on Ameri-
can soil, and he predicted that it would
wither and die before another year had
rolled around.