New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-22
PERSONALITIES.
wITIkGooD AND BAD EXAMPLES
ENGLISH. IRISH. AND ImsHAMERrcAy-n
JOHN MORLEY. SIR WILLIAM HARoouRr.
Mr.. GLADSTONE. Mr.. HEALY

MH OLADcJOSE' hti- bEALf
AND Mr.. GoDKIS.
London, December
IL Ia a question what the personal relation, h.
tween English politicians who were once pr,oo.i
friend. are TO Ne IN the future Politics are beoom.
Ing enyenomed as the general election draw
nearer and political animosities are 80 keen thai
personalities succeed TO personal relations; nor.
sonalities almost savage enough TO please Mr God.
kin himself That eminent advocate Of ferocisy
IN politics would read with glee the attacks Of
Mr.. John Morley and Of Sir William IIarcourt a.
Mr.. Chamberlain; or would II he ever read any.
thing about English politics; which, apparently, bs
does not They are almost as ferocious 40 h
could wish them to be, though they do not o..
proach the standard Of vulgarity which the Emit
nent Emigrant who edits The Evening Post Of
New.York delights TO display.
say nothing Of the Irish, whether ParneIits
or ti-Parpellite with whom vituperstion "a n
pastime which long since developed into passion
Their ex-fellow-countryman may reproach even
them with falling short OF his ideal lie might
except Mr. Healy, who comes as near as anybody
to uniting in his own person the two qualities
which his eminent transatlantic rival regards a
essential to public life. and to journalism. When
Mr.. Heay threatened TO drive Mr.. Parnell into he
grave or lunatic asylum, and when
he described Mrs Parncll as a proved
British prostitute" he showed something Of
that delicate refinement of style OF which Nc
Godkin Is the acknowledged master In America
The English do not attain to this. or do nst
vet attain TO it, but the influence of Irish methods
ON English manners increases steadily. There sns
English Healy nor English Godkln Mr..
Labouchere sometimes comes pretty close TO them.
NJ
Healy does, to convey an impression Of being In
earnest. even when he is scolding somebody he
wishes to discredfc. Not many people take Mr.
Labouchere seriously at any time. But here y
Mr.. John Morley, with natural sweetness Of
character which Is perfectly charming, ana even
his sweetness sometimes turns sour. Only ths
other day he was accusing Mr.. Chamberlain Of
hitting below the belt, and Of baseness without
precedent in English political history. When the
Jacobin gets the upper hand in Mr.. Morley, than
natural sweetness which is SO charming disappear
for the moment Then there is Sir William Har-
court. You heard by cable wha; he said Of Mr..
Chamberlain: the Bazaine Of birmingham; In
other words traitor
Mr.. Chamberlain has an unlucky knack Of pro-
voxing his opponents, but they used not to ntors
in this way The baseness and treachery with
which they charge him are words which once
would not have been exchanged between personal
friends Can men who them and Of whom
they are used remain personal friends? Ar.
Morley has been W. Chamberain's guest az
Highbury; nay, hS tOnce said: we were as
brothers,; they were the Siamese twins OF poll
Lies Mr. Chamberlain has been Sir William Har-
courts guest at Malwood,-it was no very long
time since. Is it then permissible TO hken ones
guest to the betrayer Of Metz, and VIII the guest
he hocni fahla naslf Of
the New Forest?
The men who use this sort OF language complain
Of attacks on Mr. Gladstone. But the attacks on Mr.
Gladstone are political, and the attacks which MI
Gladstones friends make on his opponents are as we
have seen. sometimes extremely personal. Nobody
accuses the leader who has given his name TO TIM
larger remnant Of the Liberal party OF hitting
below the belt or calls him traitor. rev men
have been more plainspoken about Mr.. Giaoc'one
than Mr.. Chamberlain himself, and no one bs
more often been accused Of insulting his former
leader But if you ask to have the insults pointed
out the charge collapSes. AS soon as you quote
them: it is seen that they are not insults, but
criticisms of purely political kind. That is why
thew are so effective. Nobody is really hurt by
being called names or by the imputation OF isnooe
motives :; the latter favorite form OF calumny
with Mr.. Godkin. What hurts is the criticism
based on facts and principles; the proof OF In
consistency; the demonstration OF error In me
gravest affairs.
Il hurts q statesman politician when, TOT
example you show that he has abandoned one SET
Of convictions for another irreconcilable with the
first. 1t hurts still more If sou can show uas
he has done it several times. and that this change
of convictions comedies with an expectation oil
political advantage. 1t is not necessary TO deny
l., in
of convictions 1t is his sincerity which gives
point to the charge against Mr.. Gladstone; his
unequalled power Of persuading himself that ["
circumstances have changed, he is bound TO change
with them As Mr. Forster said He can con
vince most people Of most things, and himself OF
anything 1t was so true that it stung. and
| has ranked ever since And there is, perhaps
| no quality of mind more dangerous 10 its pos
SCISSOR or to the public than the ingenuity when
supplies party leader with fresh set Of perfectly
| conclusive reasons as often as he wishes TO turn
| his back on himself or reverse the policy he has
| lately supported.
man less sure of his own conscientiousness
| than Mr.. Gladstone is might hesitate. lie might
| see how likely others would he 70 THINK
him governed by motives Of political expediency,
| or by ambition. or by an irresistible craving
| for power. But the moralist is familiar
with these phases Of self-deception, and
has discoursed on them at large. lie knows that
men act very often from mixed motives, wmA
| TO themselves their motives seem simple, and even
| single-minded He has even gone so far as 10
say that the worst acts are often done from the
best motives. 1t is therefore reflection on
Mr.. GladstOnes purity Of character to hold thss
he may have been guided by other considers
tons than those which were most clearly presens
TO his own mind. He has shown in other matters
great power of belief. lie did so in the Mitchek
town incident, and in the Doping incident lie
accepted in each case q purely fantastic account
Of events with respect TO which the eviden"
was contradictory. lie preferred to believe the
story which suited his own views. His errors