New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-07-31
Mr.. GLADSTONE,s GUEST.
AND THE PROTEST OF wOLvERHAMpron
AGAINST MR. ANDREW CARNEGIE.
London. July I

"a.
London. July 10.
At last tho Nonconformist Conscience which has
been 50 long quicscent shows signs OF renewed
activity. You will be wrong however, il Won
think it is Papal aggression or the proposed sub
ugation OF Protestant Ireland which has reused
this interesting organ from its lcthargy Il "a
not that. 1t is Mr. Andrew Carnegie. and his
social relations with Mr. Gladstone. 1t appean
that Mr.. Gladstone lately committed the grave
,ndiscrction Of dining with Mr. Carnegie, or
rather OF meeting him ~ dinner at the house of
Mr. Armitstcad. one of those good Gladstonians
whose mission in life il is to provide entertain
mpnt for his great leader. lie provided. on the
occasion in question, Mr.. Carnegie. An austere
person mt Wolverhampton objected. alleging that
Mr. Carnegie had made remarks about British
ROYALTY so offensive that the Queens Prime Min.
i..er ought not to meet him at dinner Very
likely the austere person was aware that Mr..
Carnegie, though ostensibly dining with Mr..
Armitstead. was in truth dining with Mr. Glad
stone. and that he was as | have ventured to
call him. Mr.. Gadstone's guest.
II ia 7 SUPPOSE in Difference to the rising
Democratic spirit of this country that the Primo
Minister took note Of this singular communities
t;op To the minds of some good but not always
ocute Renublicans in America. there may seem q
sort of contradiction in this: il the rising
Democracy were not likely to concern itself over
much obout the Queen. The contradiction Ia
only apparant not real. Did not Lori Beacons-
fold assure an astonishcd world that the two
real mowers in this kingdom were the Monarch and
tho Multitude? Nor in fact are Democrat and
Rcnublican convertible terms in England any
moro tl,an in America. This country Is at pres
ont ruled by a Democracy. yet Il still lar from
being a Republic in It's form of government The
people are the support of the Throne; IT would
soon tumble over il they were not. 30 tiiao IL Is
not altogether unnatural that good democrat
should take thought in behalf OF the digni'y OK
his Sovereign when he imagines it outraged SIN
less is il unnatural that Prime Minister whose
power rests even more directly on the people,
should feel himself bound to answer an lhiper'i-
ncnt question put to him by one OF Ills masters.
Much other impertinence has he had to endure from
.boss who are his masters on one burning ques-
finn NJ current politics Chastcned by these In
aucnccs and himself amenable in a measure to
that "discipline- of which this pure Scotchman
thinks England in need. he allowed one of his
secretaries. Mr. Spencer Lyttelton. to reply to
his critic in the following terms:
Il am desired by Mr.. Gladstone TO acknowledge
the receipt Of your letter. and to say that 'he
latest language of Mr.. Carnegie known 10 MIN
warmly praises the Queen. ana raises hcr 20 o''e
Of the highest places in history lie CANNOT eh'e'
further into H." matter
II may therefore be said on very great authorlty,
that Mr.. Carnegie has performed feat which few
private individuals have ever attempted Or
coualled. He has raised the Queen to one OF
the highest places in history But Tor Mr.. Gar
nerje's friendly aid, Her Majesty might have oe-
but
.iby she might have been altogether overlooked.
Possibly the historian Of the future might ha'o
taken no note or little note of her ifty-siN years
reign: a reign which it has been left to Nlr. Gar
nepe. as it WERE 10 discover or to dsentomb from
that general forgetfulness in which il was buried
We are reminded to-day that the Queens reign
couals in length that OF Henry Third, who ruled
from October 49, 1916, u November IL. l?'2-a
poriod of ffty-sx years and twenty-nne days.
There has been but one longer reign in al5 Ing
lish history that of George Third, of pous meni-
ory-our benefactor and indeed creator, VINO was
not all the time actually but always nomlnally,
King OF England for ffty-nine years ana ninety
seven days The Queen therefor" has S'il' "A niue
more than three years 10 pass before sh" breaks
the regal record 10 be second IN such coihpe-
ttion is surely something and might entitle ner
70 mention in the biographical dictionary OF the
future even without help from Mir CARNEGIE
What makes Mr.. Carncgie's service TO history
ard his present homage 10 Her Majesty ~" more
remarkable i. the fact that il il. in S"n-e,
rccantation and kind of political panode.
There was a time when Mr.. Carnegie was not dis
poscd 10 raise the Queen 10 one of I'll" hl-hess
places in history, but rather TO dcpreSS ana DIS
parace her Most of you will remember, am
sure. the remarkab'. declaration made. IN an
American review-or was it in Triumphant De-
mocracy," or was it only i'll the Edinburgh speech'
by the eminent ir0nmaster OF fltfsDnr2 IL a1
tracted attention here also. IL attracted Mr'
Glat,tones attention. lie devoted an article IN
The Nineteenth Century TO Mr.. Carnegie ana
hi. book and his doctrine If Democracy
He then rebuked him for his unmannerl-
hess TO the Queen. The rebuke took tho
form of a gentle remonstrancc which came
as near u being humorous Us anything WHICH
the leader of the Gadstonan party hal, down
TO that time written or uttered. Nlor recently
having shaken off the burden of years and re-
newed his youth and set ont fresh career
in public iie he has developed humorous eapa-
bilities Of a kind hitherto unsupported. Inc
present letter to the Wolverhampton Noncon-
formist may be one new proof or illustration OF
this new side of his character or of his new intel
lectual growth But he certainly did,-it such an
oppression NAV he used with reference 10 two
such eminent men as Mr. Gladstone and Mr..
Carnegie, each eminent in his own way-he
certainly did char the ironmastcr of Pitfsbuis.
lie mildly ridiculcd him, and made excuses Tor
his indiscretion III a tone which, from another
than Mr. Gladstone 10 another than Mr. Carnegie
might have been thought CALLING There was
moment when the illustrious reviewer OF Inc
Nineteenth Century" laid his victim over his
knee and the excited reader fancicl he heard
slrels as the pitilcss hand descended upon Mr.
Carnegc's unprotected person. Bat all that IS
ancient history. The chastisement seems at any
rate. 10 have had its effect Mr.. Carnegie ceased
TO berate the Queen The speech in which. think
at Edinburgh. he revied the Throne; was not re-
A. N Lax