New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-06-25
TWO ENGLISHMEN.
II.
SIR WILLIAM HARCOURT AND THE DUKn
OF DEvONSITIRE.


The point of view from which the Duke VI
Devopshire approaches great question is never
Tho Same as Sir William IIarcourt's. For the lat
for, n great question of public policy Is some
thing on which to show off. 1t is matter OF
nvroteehnics. With the Duke of DevonShire. IL
Is a matter Of duty. He does not care to dazzie'
his aim is to convince. Sir William has had no
difficulty in arriving at conciusioh' n'
Scbnadhorst has made up his mind for him. or
Mr. Gladstone has made it up, or his audience MAJ
made it up 1t is not the opinion he mas 10 ca
press which has cost this Gladstonian stage
manager any trouble not the opinion: Dut No" ne
should express il, is his real concern ho" "uo'A
lime light he can turn on. and how much spehuoi
he can impart to the image he presents '" ~"
spectator. u
The Duke of Devonshre seems to spcnd no snaiA
mart of his intellectual force in wrestling Win t's
subject itself You can imagine him, you must
imagine him, tormented by it. He must Judge
for himself: it is a necessity Of his nature. lie
can commit his political conscience to no man
looming. lie once said that, at particular
neriod with reference to which he had been chai'
lenged. he had committed his financial consclehcs
TO Mr.. Gsadsr)nei; keeping. frecISeS' .n"'
was because finance was no part OF Lof" Ia
tington's duty The political hctioh "'i"o'
makes each Cabinet Minister jointly and severaly
responsible for each act of the Cabinet ana lor 'ne
totally of its policy, is not much more 'hah =
fiction in the daily conduct of affairs Eacn
Minister directs his own department Inc rhe'
Lord OF the Admiralty does not think OF 'eu''i"S
with the Post Office, nor the PRESIDENT Oh .he
Board of Trade with the Chancellor oil 'ne
chcouer The decisions taken in the Cabinet itself
rslo.e % high policy. or perhaps high politics.
6doetinr. interfering Minister would be null
HE
tolerated. With the exception of Ministers VINO
MI offices mainly or merely Of dignity. ike the
Lord President Of the Council or the Lord Privy
seal each has enough to do to look after his own
derartment Lord Harrington, at the time OF
which be spoke, was Minister of War; posi-
that NAV tax the hardest working man.
Hut when Ireland for example. or any OF the
monv branches OF the Irish question has 10 De
dealt with. the Duke of Devonshres trea'meh'
of il is individual and seriouS-foo serious Or
William Harcourt would say. The Oladsuohiah
professes something like contempt Tor MS Chion-
ist opponent. lie called him Home Rue
l,paoonini. always playing the same tune on one
string. II is a reproach which nobody VIII ever
| .ddre.s IN Sir William: the variety Of mental
s,ares through which he passes lends, no douDt
| animation to his harangues. He plays many
| ,ures IN many strings The Dukes speeches, ne
| added varvinr the metaphor, are stereotyped'
| @you might label them tenth thousand and SO
| on. like successive editions couid repea'
every line of the Duke of Devonshires speech oe-
fore he delivers it."
The boast was unlucky. Sir William had
mother read nor OWNED the speech in question:
| and the pretcnce of having read II had oe'oer
have been left unmade. He was referring 10 tho
Glasgow speech. There has been no oe''er
example of the Dukes manner. II is not Drill
h0
!, k rho speech Of a man Of great saCacity; with
great power and experience in AFFAIRS applying
| his whole mind to the practical consideration OF
| tromenaous problem: that of Ulster. II is. in
word. the speech of statesman, ana not an
| exhibition OF gymnastics
| The view is original Suppose, said fne DUKE
| of Devonshire you set up Parliament In Duo-
| lin and Ulster resists, passlvey or ooher"le'-
how are you going 10 enforce the authority vi
| Dublin Nobody proposes to give an irish rar-
| Lament control OF the troops In Ireland. lhaS
will remain with the Crown. There are the
police but even II the police are given TO Dupiln'
| they cannot coerce province You VIII ha'e'
therefor the spectacle of an lnpotent eglsiaturei
Of Home Rule which cannot rule at nome.
The Dublin Executive is 10 he responsible for thS
| conduct Of Irish affairs, and responsible withouy
mower This is what will come Of the proposed
|
authority in Ireland while the Imperial Govern
ment retain, in it's own hands, as II confeSsedy
mu.t retain. the only means by which, in case Of
resistance, that authority can be enforced.
| Dublin of course, may ask for hep from
London. and London, equally of course. may
either grant il or refuse IT, The Crown must aco
on lis own Judgment, not on the Judgment Ok
others Or, to drop iictions and come to facts,
| the Imperial Ministry, responsible TO the Imperial
Parliament, must decide whether force Is TO re
used 70 subluc Ulster. If Mr.. Gladstone be IN
Office he may support the Dublin Legislature VIII
the forces of the Crown. That means civil war;
certainly in Ireland. perhaps in England 100 III
. T'nionist Government should he In power does
IL seem likely they will Use bayonets 70 pat down
the trnionists OF Ireland? II not, what becomes
of the Dublin Legislature and of Home Rne III
generale The very theory Of Home Rule is that
| rho Imnerial Government shall have nothing 70
do with purely Irish affairs. And again. The
Irish Government will be powerlcss unless 1t nave
n majority in Dublin The Imperial government
will be- powerless unless il have a majority at
Westminster Can any human ingenuity make
sure tina, there shall always he Identity OF opinion
between these two maioritics, one In Dubnh an"
ono M Westminster? II they differ, what becomes
of the authority Of Dublin should the Authority
Of Dublin be challenged in Ireland itself?
Whether you accept this view or not, you Will
perhaps agree thai it is an honest effort u neee
| the difficulties Of the case. The speaker mas APP
plied his mind 70 the subject, resolved us has
| been said before now 10 dispose OF II or 10 ~
dispo.ed OF by H. There IL no attempt 70 LIE
flame passion. or TO ridicue opponents OF
treat serious affairs in the tone of the chartered
icstcr.-no,hing of the Harcourt manner at all
II You want to be amused, go 10 Sir William ny
| n 1 q
best minds of the best people are likely 10 take,
| 49,. ....u La hct,er ndvisel In ask the Duke Of