The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-10-04
BRITISH POLITICS.

1ne epeecn OF ME-. GLADSTONE, delivered
on the evening of the second inst, before
the great Liberal congress now in session
at Newcastle, was surely a disappointment
IN SO far as it treated Of the foreign policy
OF Great Britain. Several DAYS ago the
dispatches announced that Mr. GLADSTONE
would not only criticise the foreign policy
of Lord SALISBURY, but that he would also
outline the policy to be pursued by the Lib
eral party should that party in the pending
election gain the victory. But instead of
that subject being made prominent, it was
dismissed with merely a passing notice; ;
occupying, If the dispatches report him
fairly, no greater amount of attention than
the question of how many hours shall con-
shtute days work. This we think I'M
fortunate, since public expectation had
been aroused by the announcement of the
attention that would be given to this sub
lect IN Mr.. GLADsToNE's address; and Just
now what part England will take in the
political affairs of Europe is a question of
immense interest. Yet all that Mr.
GLADSTONE saw proper to saw
upon the subject was that the
policy of Lord SALISBURY was
well nigh the inverse and reverse of that
of Lord BEACoNsFIELD; that just as the
Liberals endesvored to make the admins
tration of Lord BEACoNsFIELp dificuIt he-
cause they thought it was doing i'll, so had
/ they striven to make the work of the pres
ent administration in It's foreign policy
easy, because they thought its spirit had
undergone beneficial change; and con-
cluded by expressing the hope that befors
Lord SALISBURY's government gave IN the
ghost it would be able to relieve England
OF the burdensome and embarrassing occu-
patton OF Egypt, which, in his judgment as
long as it lasts must be cause of weak
ness. What the foreign policy of Mr.. GLAD
STONE would be, should he come into power
at the next election, we are left to coniect-
ure, so far as his speech is concerned.
But If Mr.. GLADsToNE's speech was a
/ disappoin tment so far as it treated of Eng
lands foreign policy, it certainly was not
so IN dealing with other topics that ara
likely to become issues in the pending cleo
ton. The Liberal party's programme 40
far as may at present be learned from
this congress, is: Home rule for
Ireland, by which is meant the es-
Enlistment of an Irish parliament.
with authority TO legislate on purely Irish
affairs; the adoption of local option as the
settlement of the temperance question
labor representation in parliament and the
placing OF some moderate subsistence
within the reach of those called upon m
serve the people in parliament; the avoid
| NJ in
rels, and the promotion of the principls of
international arbitration for the settlement
of international questions and dispptes
the removal of all restrictions upon the
| free sale and transfer of land; disestah.
! lishment of the Welsh church; the mend.
ing or ending of the house of lords. This
with few minor items. such as increas-
ing the popular control of schools. the
equitable taxation OF land values, local
electoral reforms, the better housing of
the working classes, ETC., constitutes the
Liberal programme, and on a number of
these items Mr.. GLADSTONE spoke, if not
with all his old-time vigor, at least with
all his accustomed clearness, eloquence
and wisdom. Especially was this so in
his treatment of the Irish question, the
payment of members of parliament and the
abolishment of the house of peers.
| If the Liberal programme had only these
three issues in it, Liberal victory would
mean almost revolution for England, for
these issues touch fundamental principles
in the English constitution. England.
hitherto, has not paid her members of
parliament for their services, so that while
politics has been an occupation, it has
never been profession; and it has ALWAYS
been confined TO those men who were SC
fortunately situated financially as to give
their services to the country and support
themselves. This custom. while it has its
disadvantages and may have barred out
some men whose services would have been
valuable to the country, and deprived the