The sun., 1892-02-21
LATEST NEWS FROM EUROPE.
xxLFoUR CALLS UPON 1HB LIBERALs
10 SHOW 1HKIn HAND.

sxLFouR CALLS UPor zHn L1BEBALs
TO Snow 1HK1R HAND
=. Te,is The Tories They Must Give Cheer
IA, Atsention 70 the Party Whips-Ex.
uberant Gaysty IN the Liberal Ranhs-
Gladstone VIII Return This Week to Lead
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LONDON. Feb 2o.-Mr. Gladstons's famous
declaration, ireland blocks the way." has
been strlkingly justified by events in the
House OF Commons this week. The time OF
the House has been monopolized BY the Irish
business. and the orators. from Cabinet Min
isters TO new members, have talked OF nothing
hut ireland. On Tuesday night the Govern
nent narrowly escaped defeat upon an Irish
amendment to the address in reply to the
Oueen's speech. and on the following day they
sverted actual disaster only By resortinR to
the shabby device Of putting mp q long -winded
Tory to talk out q bill designed to facilitate
tho requirement Of small holdings By agricul-
tural laborers in ireland.
The Tory Generalization. which THE Sur
predicted would be witnessed this session. has
already set In. and has attained dangerous
proportions within . week Of the opening
Of Parliament The gravity Of tho stu
tion from the Ministerial point OF view
WAS demonstrated to those who know
what is going on behind the scenes. by Mr..
Baliour's anxiety to have his speech at the
Constitutional Club ON Wednesday evening
fully reported. The occasion was q banquet
organized In Balfours honor. and It had been
repeatedly announced upon authority that the
proceedings would be strictly private. The
Central News and the Press Association. the two
agencies upon which the entire British press
rely for reports Of big political speeches. were
informed as late as Wednesday forenoon that
the original arrangements would be main-
tanned owing to Balfours strong d deslre for pri-
vacy: but two hours later special messengers
we're despatched in hot haste with invitations
to the dinner. and . request from Balfour
himself that the report be In full. His speech
was sent to every newspaper In the United
Kingdom. The speech proved to have the
double purpose Of forcing tho hands OF the
Liberal leaders and Of reminding lazy or un-
willing Tories Of the absolute necessity for the
strictest attention to Parliamentary duties.
The text for the first part Of the discourse was
furnished by the extremely able but mis-
chievous speech delivered in the House Of
Commons on Monday night by John Redmond.
in the course Of which he called upon
Mr. Gladstone to publish the details OF
his home rule scheme forthwith. The Tories
have been making the same demand for
years past. so that they naturally cheered Mr..
Redmond with great .gusto. and Balfour on
Wednesday evening gave 1t his hearty en-
dorsement, adding that the Grand Old Man
feared to take tho country into his confidence.
because he intended to cheat either the British
Liberals or the Irish Nationalistss
Gladstone's contention has always been that
It no part Of tho duty Of the leader OF the op-
position to propose important legislation be-
cause he has no power to carry It through Par
lament: that It would bs violation Of rule
e, 1an's g Dr. s ~ Bsss shas
It will be time enough to show his hand to his
opponents when they shall have summoned up
the courage to appeal to the constituencies.
Itis. In fact we'll understood that when Parlia-
ment has been dissolved Mr.. Gladstone will
place the issue before the country in the form
OF a manifesto in which will be embodied the
leading features OF his homo rule scheme. The
British Liberals and the majority Of the Irish
Nationalists are quite willing to wait until then.
tits only Mr.. Redmond. Mr.. Balfour. Mr. Cham
berain. and their friends who are in despe-
rate hurry to know what the Grand Old Man
has up his sleeve.
Mr.. Baliour's appeal to his followers to give
readier and more cheerful attention to the
crack OF the party whips was pitched in q
respondent key and is not likely to have any
permanent effect The Tories are too far gone
In melancholy even to assume cheerfulness
and too assured Of coming defeat to pretend
Confidence
But exuberant gayety prevails in the Liberal
ranks. and their uproarious merriment on
Thursday evening when Balfour introduced
his so-called Local Government bill for Ireland
quito disconnected that ordinarily self-pos-
sessed philosopher. They really could not help
laughing. and the wonder is that the Tories
managed to keep their faces straight. Some
OF them. to their credit failed to do 30. and
one loud suffaw which startled the House at q
critical momcnt is said to have been emitted
by the Minister for Agricultural but. as Mr..
Chaplin's face remained impassive and as he
Is not credited with any sense Of humor. tho
statement is probably incorrect.
Tho scoffer might have been Lord Randolph
Churchill. who occupied back seat not far
from Chaplin. and remained there all the even
ing. resolutely deaf to the frequent ironical
appeals addressed to him from the Liberal
benches to say what he thought OF the bill.
Lord Randolph had come down prepared to
speak. for no was dressed with great care and
wore carnation In his buttonhole. But he
was so staggered by Balfour's safeguards"
that no decided to wait until the bill has been
printed before criticsing It's provisions. II
hebe the honest man that he is generally
supposed to be. Churchill will have nothing to
90 with tho monstrous measure offered In ap-
parent mockery to Ireland. He has over and
over again declared that the system Of SELF
government should be substantially similar
70 that given to England and Scotland: but
hafour's shameful bill is veritable travesty
thereof. 1t is founded upon distrust Of the
people and based upon the assumption that a
vast majority OF tho Catholic Nationalist Irish
men are fools and rogues. At every point the
evil power OF Dublin Castle is obtruded. and
Wherever there Is a semblsnce Of popular
franchise 1t Is forthwith nulli6ed BY some
Kind OF safeguard"
The Unionist Daily Chronicle truly says: Like
the hero OF one OF Ibsen's stories. this bill is
worm eaten even at BIRTH" Its too much even