New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-07-17


last session, and The leader of that revolt is
again elected The London Progressves have an
equally clear view of the urgent necessity Of
municipal REFORM and first of all of giving a
free hand TO the London County Council Lastly.
there is Hodge and the large number of county
members who owe their seats TO him, in virtue
of very express and sweeping pledges on rural.
economical and social questions
All these sections have 10 be satisfied. and be-
hind all is great body of settled English opinion
which still regards any scheme for Dublin Par
lament with unaltered and unalterable hostility
Whatever Mr.. Gladstone may propose the Union
lists VIII refuse TO accept, and the Unionists will
be co pact body well led, numbering more than
800 in a House of Go members In no con-
ceivable event will it be an easy matter TO force
any Home-Rue bin whatever through the House
OF Commons in the face of such an opposition.
Nobody can have fofgotten what happened in
1886. Mr.. Gladstone's Home Rule scheme was
wrecked before it came to vote on the second
reading. The land-purchase half of it melted
away under the hot breath of almost universal
opposition. Now, as then, members have TO
reckon with their constituents; and if anything
in the long-drawn agony Of these elections be
plain 1T is that with large proportion of Glad
stonian constituents it is not Home Rule which
holds the first place in their affections That is
what the Unionists will urge, and that is the
view which the House of Lords is almost
certain 10 act. 1t is pretty generally assumed
that Mr.. Gladstone will be able TO carry some sort
Of Hone-Rue bill through the Commons, and that
the Lords will throw it out.
In view Of the distribution of political forces
which have briefly indicated, you can judge for
yourselves in America what the chances are in
the Commons. AS to the Lords, think it may
be said that no conceivable Majority in the House
Of Commons resulting from this present election
would have been large enough to induce Lord
Salisbury TO accept any Home Rule bill what
ever, when first sent up to him. majority
Of fifty lie is known TO regard as totally made
quate. He LOOKS upon Home Rule very
grave constitutional change He holds it TO be
the duty of the House of Lords TO exercise what
of late years il has been the fashion to call a
suspensory veto. ond to appeal again TO the pco-
Pile lie does not believe that Mr.. Gladstone S
majority. such as II is, will hold together. His
purpose is to reject the bill. and he wields in
the House Of Lords a force of ten to eager
TO do as he bids. He and Mr.. Balfour have
both said plainly that in the event of Glad
stonian majority in the Lower House. they should
regard the real struggle as just beginning. If
they adhere to their present views. that is prob
ably an accurate description OF The present
state of the contest for Home Rule.
There is, however, one thing To be added 70
last weeks forecast, which left of with the reiec-
ton of Home Rule by the House of Lords Mr..
Gladstone's refusal to dissolve and the attempt 10
pass into law some part Of the Newcastle pro-
gramme.
Suppose" il asked, "a Home-Rule bill
passed for the second time, that is in 1894, and
were again rejected by the House OF Lords, how
has Mr. Gla stone improved hi, position? The
Lords would be we'll within their right since there
had been 10 fresh consultation of the constituencies
YES" was the answer, but Nh Gladstone
meantime will have passed a new Registration
bill, which alone will give him million new
votes. lie will have carried measures which
ensure him the labor vote, the agricultural vote
and the progressive vote. That done, he will
dissolve OH tie cry, Down with the Lords and
on that he viii sweep the country"
lie will then be in his eighty-fifth year.
Mr. Gladstone in a curt letter "gratefully
thanks the electors of Midlothian for having
chosen him for the sixth time, this time under
circumstances of special stress and difficulty, 10
be their representative in Parliament. lie may
well he grateful. for he stood upon the ragged
edge Of defeat. No incident Of the whole election
throughout the Kingdom has so much impressed
the public as the narrowness of his majority ana
the extraordinary change in votes in Midlothian.
He had in 1855 in round numbers 5000 votes,
his opponent 5000 His total has now fallen
TO under 900, his Unionist opponents rising to
over 5000. Mr. Gladstones majority Of nearly
5000 is reduced TO under 700. Nobody
seems to have expected so enormous decrease.
II was thought on both sides that his majority
would be nearly or quite 5000. There are more
reasons than one for this overturn. The SCOTS
man." once his supporter, now his opponent, pnt
inst as much as ever the leading journal OF scot
land, said before the polling that in no campaign
had any great party leader ever made So mlhS
melancholy mistakes, as had MI "ld'-
stone since he came TO Midlothian
fortnight ago. That. perhaps is putting II 100
strongly but one has heard from other ana irieh"N
sources that he had thrown away some chances
He had shown a singular impatence under tha'
peculiarly Scottish discipline known as hecKhh9'
His Judgment in political or elcctioncerhg ma''e'
was thought at fault Pretty often he iaieu "a
make allowance for changed feelings In his con-
stituency His opponent, Colonel Wauchole' Is
man Of old family. of high position, Of great per
sonal popularity Against any man but Mr' ui"'-
stone he could have carried Midlothian. These
and other reasons explain the tremendous iaihhg
off Bnt the one reason which explains most Is
d;sestablishment. 1t was the Kirk which pulled
down his majority, and almost pulled down Mr
Gladstone himself. The Scotch are not only
theological people, but ecclesiastical people
In that they resemble Mr.. Gladstone. There are
hundreds if not Thousands, in Midlothian VINO are
Churchmen first, Gladstonians second. lie hao
angered these zealots by his avowed readiness 10
discsta blish the Kirk, and by the manner OF Ills
avowal lie turned an ecclesiastical question lh'o
a question Of politics. The Scot hates that' his
Church comes first. The Kirk ministers turheu
canvassers The most potent influences in all ococ
land and the best organized machinery were WORKED
relentlessly against him. ] imagine that ne no"
.ol,.s a new view Of the tenacity of Scotch attach