New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-06
Third Door West Of Ci
LORD RosEBERY's "PITT.'
,,,r 1prsu CHApTER-TwO VIEWS-Mh'
GIApsToNEs AND LORD RosEDhki
OF PITT AND THE ACT OF UNION

on PITT AND THE ACT OF UNION
London, November "a.
IA. o. .h. Irish chapter Of this book Ina' ,'o
..,s.nt q, current politics will turn most eaevrs
.'--. -..sons than one No writer can 30 "e".
~, nor,ion Of recent Irish history as 10 asoi"
oo,nment express or implicit, on the ir'sh nv
Son,. ., those last few yours. The isn IT,
-, COWS Lord Rosebery, has never PISS
into history. for il has never passed OUT Oh pon
tn ,nost innocent investigator, ADDS h', 80
.,o. blending OF humor and pethos chaiao.
90 him csnuot escape; his rate ID ce''" -
,o,.seer for the moment his foot rests Oh 80
=. ,vro.,stiblv steps on TO 1885; and reoouha"s
90. 30 90 no is soon soused in 1891. Lfas, VI ~"
when he has to give an account oi '"e A,
Irnion and to pass Judgment both upon '''ao ~
and the author Of it. Such Ia Loru '-S,,;on
tosL and no must be we'll aware that MS po'''oa
18th reference to this duty is peculiar one "u1
that the interest arising out OF tne
Il bv him has piquancy OF It's own ,, on
What Mr., Gladstone has thougho III ~ 0aS
the subject is fresh in all memories i"' 80
he chose for Pitts conduct were SUCH Ia
blaczguardism, baseness fouiness mo 49, sssor;he
Ar Pit,s,successor could be too strong 10 ue'o..
49, .aaa ~, which the Act Of Union was paSseu'
Mr. Gladstone however, was not writing ni'.oi'
Of
not olyavs more Particular about the Mn"
hr;c,e .nd mortar he uses than the maNei y
,,o1,r, Iopdon. known sometimes as te T'i9
h,iIdo,. q, than Pitt himself was ha'ihs
exnress an opinion on the same matter WIZ -
revered leader had then dealt witn' Loi' ~
herv Was in a delicate dilemma. III was .'o M"
decate tecause il current political gossip ha'' ""s
foundation in fact his attachment 10 .he o'u'
30 Home Rule is not fanatical; his Dehei !" ~"
wisdom or practicability not ferven' :.
Tbere can be no doubt. however, 81 MS at
tachment to Mr.. Gladstone; the PERSONA Ie 49, 30
between these two eminent men are hho"n ~
yorv close The younger man is perfectly ioyui
=, the elder. II may now be seen that ne Is sun
moro LOYAL to the truth and to his own con'i'
tions He no more sacrifices them 10 IDS resa
FOR his friend than he would sacrihce isSp"
This attitude Of mind to Mr. diaos'ohe - gu.
which / commend to the American aoorer VI ."a'
EnoIish enemy of America. use the phrase ms
tor;coIIv The American adorer, borrowing from
his English cousin and congener in ldoiatry' III
s,sts that n rational admiration for q noble past
OUGHT IA blind one to the errors and political
infirmities which age has brought with IL, even
though they promise also to bring disaster upon
his country and upon the cause OF free govern
ment everywhere in the world. Not SO Is any
nublic duty to be discharged. Vera pro gratis
ia the historians motto; it might well DE the
motto of him who desires TO see the things OF To-
day as they are, and not as he would IKE theh
70 he There is not in this chapter on iremnd
n word which seems aimed at Mr.. GLADSTONE
there is hardly a Judgment or an opinion III IL
which is not. in effect. criticism ana repuNI
The criticism and the rebuke are the more effect
i've because Lor1 Rosebery takes almost as
strong q view as Mr. Gladstone Of the means by
which the Act of Union passed. lie uses
highly seasoned languaged to describe them Inc
corruption wa, black, hideous, horrible; revolt
ino Mt any time atrOcous when 1t is remembered
that il was a nations birthright that was being
sold There is favor of the platform rather
than of the CLOSET in those adjectives, but so much
the better They represent the utmost lengths
70 which Lord Rosehery, the biographer
suffers Lord Rosebery the politician to inirude
upon his biographical pages II you put them be-
side Mr. Iecky's summary of the same proceed
ing. the contrast is striking enough. Mr.. Lecky
condemns the corruption, but condemns it In the
tone of Judge passing sentence, not OF the advocate
pleading for a conviction. But the contrast be-
tween Lord Rosebery and Mr.. Gladstone is more
striking still Nothing less would answer the
immediate purpose of Mr.. Parnell's great Convert
than 70 ioin in common anathema at once the Act
and the actor He saw his mistake later and tried to
draw distinction, but that attempt was of no
aval, See how different is Lord Rosebery's
method:
at is easy' on the brink Of the twentieth cen.
fury TO censure much in the eighteenth but is it
candid to do without placing oneself as far as
possibie in the atmosphere, circumstances and
ditions of the period which one is considering
Have Pitts critics done this? Have they judged
him by the standards and ideas Of his time and
not by the standards and ideas of their own? That
is the spirit in which History judges statesmen
and for simple reason had they attempted TO
carry into effect in their generation the ideas Of
ours, they would not have been statesmen at all
In this and in the excellent passage which fol-
lows there is nothing new; it is but a good state
ment Of historical canon universally accepted.
save by eminent party leaders who have q strong
party reason for negecting il. But il is put with
force by Lord Rosebery, and in the tone of man
in touch with affairs. Were History TO Judge
otherwise he adds, she would hold the third Duke
of Richmond with his universal suffrage and an
nual Parliaments, greater statesman than Pitt,
or Burke, any Of his contemporaries 1t must he
the History of the future to which be is referring
for nowhere in the present have got quite so far
as universal suffrage or annual parliaments il that
means parliaments elected annually. But the point
is this
TO Pitt alone is melted out different measure
He alone is Judged not by the end Of the eighteenth
but by the end of the nineteenth century. And
why? Because the Irish question which he at
tempted to settle is unsettled question still"
Yes, and because the leader who has attempted 70
settle it by undong Pitts work THINKS tine chances
Of undoing it would be improved could he undo
Pitt also, aud his great name In that, as in
everything else, Mr. Gladstone is sincere: he
sincerely believes that his own ends are righteous
and that whatever stands beween him and them
whether great name in the past or the Ccnsti-