New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-04-05
Mr.. PARNELL AGAIN,
ON HIMSELF. on MR.. GLADSTONE, AND ON
THE FUTURE OF HOME RULE


way than when he was at the height of his I'M
contested power. with both Irish rationalstS and
English Gladstonians looking up to him as kind
Of deity. Then he maintained an attitude Of lofty
reserve, impressive but chilling. Now he tells the
world good many things about himself, and
seems of the world rather than so far above it;
as il were. a heavenly body remote from Human
touch, but visible to human sight and TO be
worshipped from afar.
The attitude of worship really was, in those
days, q common attitude. 1t is almost startling
to recall the tone in which, among true believers,
this great man was spoken of during, let us say,
the sittings of the Parnen Commission. lie was
then the prosecuted patriot. pure admirable in
life the liberator of Ireland, the guest of Mr..
Gladstone at Hawarden; which last comes as
near to act of canonization as anything short
of Papal decree He was an idol, if not q
divinity and they who lifted their voices against
him were guilty not so much of mere SANDER and
calumny as of irreBgion. / do not dwell on
"reminiscences which have become painful TO the
true believer. l touch on them only to make
one remark which is obvious. and another which
may surprise the good Gladstonan in America,
where the Gladstonian cult seems almost more
fervent than here. The obvious remark is that
Mr.. Parnell was in the pre- Divorce Court days pre-
cisely the same man he is now. The less obvious
or less familiar one is that the good Gladstonian
knew almost as much then as he does now about
Mr. Parnell's relations with Mrs O'Shea.
will limit this out of charity, TO that section
of the party which dwells in London, or which
comes to London for the Parliamentary session.
The scandal which is whispered in the corners of
every drawing room in London, which is discussed
In the lobby, which is notorious in the clubs,
which creeps into evening papers, may not pene
trate the provinces II does not, rule, when
it is purely. or impurely, social When it is
political the dissemination of it is wider. 1t is
sometimes limited at in the London Letter of the
provincial journal. The local political manager
may come to hear of it. The member Of Para-
ment from Penryn or ClackmannShire may carry
IL back with him on his return to those remote
districts. and confde it TO his political friends in
the secrecy Of electiOneering conclaveS But 1T
never, think, seldom, becomes a topic of dis
cussion at the provincial tea table. 1t does not
permeate the circles which formed for purposes
of social intercourse in Birmingham or Paisley, in
Manchester or Aberdeen, in Wolverhampton or
Stockton-on-Tecs. This should be said distinctly,
because otherwise that sudden development OF the
Nonconformist Conscience after the proceedings
in OShea VS.. O'Shea, Parnel correspondent. might
seem too sudden. 1 suppose that not much, if
anything. was known in these provincial circles;
the word provincial being limited to it's urban
sense, or being. to speak more accurately, under
stood to include all that social life of which the
county families are the soul and centre. 1t was
known in what are called cOuntTy-houses. lust as
il was known in London. and it never affected in
the least the general Gladstonian faith in Mr..
Parnels fitness for the position to which the Irish
people had called him.
Perhaps Mr.. Parnell himself undervalued social
influences In those days. He regarded them with
contempt Contempt indeed, is attitude of
mind only too common with him. There is none
more dangerous He said the other day at Gal.
way that during the whole sixteen years of his
public life he had never been inside of English
club six times, nor ever dined out in London
half dozen times Nay. he had "never been one
who mixed among English members of the House of
Commons being hail fellow well met with Them
He found it possible to lead a political party
and to attain great measure of political power
without resort to those means which Lord Pal
merston thought essential supports to any great
leaders authority. He found something in the
society of Mrs. O'Shea which supplied the place
of other society. 1t might be hard to say whether
he ever knew or cared about the current scandal
which connected his name with hers. Probably
he knew that something was known and saw that
IL did not affect his political repute and therefore
desplsed it and thought it could be safely neg
lected. He omitted. in fact, to allow for the
Nonconformist Conscience.
In order to be perfectly frank on this rather
delicate subject, ought to refer to the eNplana-
ton which Mr.. Gladstones friends have given of
his share in the matter They say that Mr..
Gladstone received. as Mr. Davltt received, an
assurance of Mr.. ParnelPs innocence. If it was
no more complete than Mr.. Davitt's, it did not
amount TO much. Mr. Parnell told Mr.. Davitt
he should come out all right have no doubt he
did think he should. He relied on Mr.. George
Lewis to pull him through. He believed that the
legal proceedings would end in some sort of COM
promise which would permit his friends to say lie
had been unjustly accused. That is a very diff
ferent thing from an assurance of innocence. 1t
may well enough have answered the purpose of
Mr.. Gladstone. He wished to be convinced, and
there never lived a man whose wishes so entirely
got the better of that acutenesS Of mind which,
when no purpose is to be served by keeping it in
check. surpasses the acuteness of other men.
There are considerations into which 1 should
like TO go more fully-should have gone at the
time had circumstances permitted, The question
Of Mr.. Parnells position is however, still burn
ing question, and it cannot be fully understood
unless the facts of few months ago kept
freshly in mind. Mr.. Gladstone said last Tues
day at Hastings that his refusal to act with
Mr.. Parnell was final. Not long since he was
very angry with some Tory speaker who inter
preted his letter of last November to Mr.. John
Morley as a pledge that his cooperation with the
Irish leader was at an end forever. He rather
fercely explained that it related only to that
present moment; precisely he once said amid
roars of derision, that when he solemny declared
his Home Rule bill and Land Purchase bill in
separable he meant they were inseparable at the
moment. But let that pass. What has hap
pened since has convinced him-his wishes run
ming strongly in that direction-that he can
throw Mr. Parnell over for good; nay, that be
must throw him over and that no other
terms can the continued allegiance of great body
of Noneonformist voters be had. They are what
he calls the soundest and best parts Of the party
n l. Il ynrdc ba tIar