New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-06
THE NEW POLICY.
. norn RID FOR THE VOTES OF THE RURAL
LABoRERS OF ENGLAND.

THE PRECEDENCE OF HOME RULE.
10y cAnLE TO rHE TrusuSK
o..,-,oA,, 1881 By The Tribune Association
,.,aon Dec 5.-The Unionist victory in East
-. ,naoes the effect Of the Gladstonian victory
p" sor,h Motion. and spois the too-confident con-
~ drawn by the Scparatists from the latter.
- Motion, you remember, supposed to
s.-ifv the revolt of rural labor from Toryisin.
- extensive was the transfer of votes that the
c,.Sstonians in their first enthusiasm seem to have
,',.,,ed that the whole agricultural population
:, England was coming over to them. They saw
". counties all theirs. This illusion vanshes
Ia East Dorset. The counties are still TO
:. toucht for True, all that the Unionists have
80 in East Dorset is TO hold the scat, and by
,.S,ned majority, while in South Motion the Glad
''..ians captured seat held by their opponents
~. victory in East Dorset which Lord Salisbury,
- commonly chooses his words rightly, called
'.,v,hls is therefore less brilliant than that in
snn,b Motion; but brilliancy is not always the
,,os, desirable thing in politics
Tn, use of East Dorset is as an index TO the
..oypment of opinion among that class of electors
.bom both parties are wooing with most asSiduity.
IN assiduous the Gladstonians are appears from
=. elaborate preparation for that conference on
.br,seOlogy, to be held next week in London. 1t
!. frankly admitted TO be a new departure in what
!. s,iu sometimes called Liberalism, name the
SstOrical meaning of which now exists in history
.rr. | collect from the London organ of Glad
,,Onsm some interesting particulars.
Dst this conference is to be experimental.
u, schnadhorst does not mean to commit his
.,,ty 10 Hodge unless Hodge, ON his side, be
lid nm bfs with Mr. Schnad-
.ost Next Thursdays proceedings, we are told.
~, 70 be essentially deliberative, and not declar
starv. Perhaps it is felt that the programme of
as,larations at Newcastle is already as long as 1T
=, safely be made. 1t is to he a conference of
,yrsrts Its management is in the hands of the
General Committee Of the National Liberal Fedora
,i,, more shortly called the GladstOnian Caucus.
Tbss. bosses are Of the opinion that Hodge is
shswd enough to judge for himself on his own
.ssns and that he would care little for panaceds
,-o,osed By such amateurs in agriculture as have
j..,ly been prescribing for him-Mr. John Morley,
s,r example Candi l1tes not practically ac-
oeinted with ploughs and turnps are ruthlessly
,.i.eted They must understand politics as well;
to tbe very essence the sole aim, of this Congress
IA politics-in other words, votes. 1t is TO con-
sd,r parish councils and district councils, and
al subjects which are 10 come under the control
a, these bodies when created. II is TO consider
land and all things relating TO land, including
the abolition of primOgeniture and the establish
usnt OF a new system of land transfer.
So far. good hut thPfe reforms are 10 be merely
N, starting point OF socialistic schemes. II VIII
b seriously proposed that county councils, or per-
Rams even parish councils, shall be invested with
powers to buy or hire land " TO satisfy the wants
Of the community" Within the four corners OF
that elastic phrase are included the purchase
Of land for allOtments the purchase of land to be
rtailed in parcels 10 private buyers on larger
sak, these parcels being called small holdings,
and the purchase of land for private houses. That
what England is coming 10, if this scheme DC
thought likely TO win votes enough. The state
Of the municipality is TO become a land jobber on
gigantic scale.
Il viii be interesting to hear what Mr.. Glad
s0ne viii have TO say on these proposals, for Mr..
GAdsone is or was till lately, on many questlonsi
md Certainly on questions of property in England
i exclude Ireand-One of the most conservative
Of men He is warned in advance by his own
organ that his political future and the future oil
kk party depend on his casting this conservatism
70 the winds quote the sentence. the most
nnarkable sentence yet seen in print The ac-
ssdlted London organ-if there he an Organ-of
he fortunes of Liberalism when the Liberal
psrty will stand or fall, according as they solve
or bungle the problems Of land and labor" Where.
then. is Home Rule? The mask is off at last.
The avowal is openly made that the next election
Is 10 turn 50 far as the Gladstonians can make 1t
turn. not on Home Rule, not on Ireland, but on a
new agrarian policy for England.
The precedence of Home Rule is nevertheless
affirmed As stoutly as of old by Mr.. Gladstone IN
his latest speech at Wirrall, and by Sir William
Harcourt at Derby None ever doubted that to
NJ. Gladstone the policy Of disunion is as dear as
ever. or that Sir William, now as in 1886, could
make his political convictions obedient TO the
compilation Of his leader. Mr.. Gladstone visited
Wifrsu on his way TO the soap-works of MesSrs.
Lever. who have GOT perhaps, the best advertise
nent ever given 70 any variety Of this useful
emolhent This experienced politician is in some
matters as guilelcss as 4 child. Home Rule is
still in the van" cries its English godfather.
We place Home Rule first echoes Sir William
Th formula is capable of indefinite variation, but
neither Of those who repeat it objects to winning
tyeeeetions on totally different issues. nor 10
that caucus programme for the general election
which appeals for votes on purely selfish grounds.
Nor is there in either of these two speeches one
wrd By which any human being is one whit the
wiser as 70 the meaning Of Home Rule.
Mr. GladstOnes speech is chiefly remarkable
for his restatenent Of those foreign analoges in
which be seeks precedents for the separation OF
Ireland from England. They are but repetitlons
errors already often exposed, based upon that
acquaintance with Continental affairs which en-
ADS him 10 20 wrong with entire sincerity. One.
krhapS is new. Lord Salisbury had cited France
one among many examples of that general
sadency in modern times toward unity against
which Mr. Gladstone sets himself. His answer
extremely Gladstonian. Every wise man in
innce thinks France too much centralized" says
ias eA-Prime Minister of England. Wise" in
M Glsdstones mouth, as often in others, means
'ose who agree with him. but were it true, 1t
would be beside the mark The Capitalization