New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-04-07
SPECIMEN POINTS"
ELEVEN OF THEM, ALL FROM UGANDA. AND
MIR. GLADSTONE'S WAY OF HAN
DING THEM.
london. March :

This il the session in which Mr.. Gladstone was
70 devote himself we are always told. to Homs
Rule. and TO nothing else. 1t may yet become 20.
but IL has to be said that the two speeches
which thus far have added most to his already
considerable reputation have been speeches. on ol-
metallism and on Uganda. AS the speech On d.
metallism was ill adapted TO please those OF his
American idolators who dwell in the land Of sill
vcr I will say nothing about it. i VIII only
ex plan that it came near TO DeiIi: an I'm.
pron,ptu performance as any long speech We'll
could
He had not expected 10 speak on the subject
Ua was told at |, in tie morning That IL wac
desirable he should take part in the debate. lie
did speak that afternoon and spoke Tor an hour.
and charmed everybody by his easy BATTLING OF
a difficult subject. The discursive method has
its advantages when your mird - fuli. ferhaps
ON bimetaIism itself Mr.. Gladstone has no par
ticular claim to be thought specialist But on
related questions, on finance. on currency, on lis
cal business, and on much else. he mas spens
no small mart of his life II is the testimony OF
those managing officials OF the Gladstonian parry
who determine the course OF its enorts In tnH
House that on this on other OCCASIONS tho
gallant old man has never once faiicd 10 RESPOND
TO any demand made upon him. lie no. onV
responds. but responds with alacrlty' anu o"ss
what he is asked to do with that amazing Visor
which Is one OF Tue Uiose "'Ao~A"s ~
| amazing things about nim
Toanda has been both a boon ana worry 70
.ho nartv Il has been a boon in the sense en
I,;nod bofore 10 gave Lord Rosebery an op
rortunity. and he used his opportunity 70 the al
rontaoc both of his party and Of his country. ie
disnelIed the cloud Of suspicion which hung aoous
his party, and relieved them once lot al OIL INC
mputation that they are ready 10 scu''ie VI. $"
,Io moro distant possessions OF the Empire. Inc
Radicals. of course do not forgive him' Mf' la
houcbere does not forgive him, and Mr.. Lapouchers
st,lI has a long score, as he THINKS 10 pay on
n no does not, at present. deem IL prudeh' 10 ae
J tack the Prime Minister on the main hSue "
| Homo Rule, he hangs on his skir's "A' e"''''''
him as occasion offers.
"'" RI towns ~ the House lend themselves to on.
,ornr;ses of this kind The same question recun
and rccurs in different shapes and under diierens
forms J-oan,a has come up, should be AFRAID
20 cay how many times already. and the poss|
bilities of rcdiscussng IL are by 10 hea"s eA'
bausted Mr. LabOuchcre found iresn one Oh
Tuesday. and, as he thought. a fresh victih' Inc
,r.sb victim WAS Sir Edward Grey, Under Secre'
tary of State for Foreign Affairs Inc fasn
voung man-hc is ONLY thirtyOne-took the liberty
/ of agreeing with his immediate cher. the Foreign
| Minister and of dsasreeins with MI. LIioouc"es
.s % Iroanda lie made brief but telling speech
/ i'm favor OF remaining III ts"h""'
the obligations which circumstances had imposed
| - Al, Co,nrpmopt He smoke OF Sir Gerald
Portals mission in tho language of common Sense;
awning some portion of what everybody knows
% no the truth: that lie has gone there 70 stay.
| Evacuation meant massacre ScuttlihG m''h"
| among other things. the loss OF trade In snor''
the impression of bis speech-not a long speec"-
on the House was deep, and sir EDWARD "IeN
abatement went so far beyond anything that had
| hofore been heard from official lips. that Mr
I.bouchere rosr instantly as he said, to protest.
Ue accused Sir Edward Grey of having attacked
the Prime Minister and declared that ne Id
boucherc was there to defend the Prime Minister
The House thought this the best joke which MI.
Iabouchere had made for long time' and Hushed'
| 80 that his main object was achieved
But this was only the beginning Next any
Uganda again came up on the second reading OF
tho Anpropriation bill. and again Mr. lahouchers
felt it his duty to address the House on fhss
| subject Again he declared, this time IN Mr.
| Glodstone's presence that he was there TO dciend
| the Prime Minister. Again he made JOKE
| though borrowed one. remarking that AZ
| friend had said to him, he had sometimes heard
OF an Under Secretary being thrown over ny
Prime Minister, but never before OF prlnle
| Minister being thrown over by an Under Secre-
tary And he appealed to Mr. Gladstone TO know
whether he meant to be bound by Sir Edward
Grcys declarations.
Mr. Glatlstones reply lasted ten minutes. and
might he commended to the rising American
politician as one OF the mos, perfect examples ever
known of the art of sitting on the fence. Perhaps
Mr. Gladstone is never happier than in that POSITION
lie has, admittedly. equal in this country in
the art Of balancing himself Nobody has such
"A knowledge of political forces whose resultant is
"A state Of equilibrium. No matter how narrow
the rail. no matter how violent thu pressure on
either side. he sits tight II he sways to ono
side or the other, lie RECEIVERS himself with per.
feet ease Your notion that lie was going 10 fall
was but an optical illusion, and what YOU thought
unsteadincss was the elasticity of youth. No
human eye has ever bcheld him come down, no
human testimony would avail to convince the
public that he had been seen on ore side, or
ever been forced TO take single view of any
question which he preferred TO straddle.
Never. ] suppose, by any human being has the
nse of language as a means of conccalipy ones
thoughts been carried to such absolute perfection
as by Mr.. Gladstone. If it is not for concealing
his thought it is, at any rate, for avoiding the
disclosure of his purpose let us read together
in prayerful spirit, one or two sentences uttered
on this difficult occasion, and first on the general
question whether to 20 stay:
I'VE have been asked whether our policy 10
TO get ont of Uganda, IL we can. or 10 remain
in Uganda. That Is n neat statement Of alterna.
tves, but it is quite possible that those may
rot he the only alternatives. and that the same
person. may have in his mind the idea of getting
out of Uganda. If he can, while not avoiding tho
responsibility of remaining in Uganda. il n
ought"
Why should it be 80 difficult to decide' Why
|, should truly good men hold different opinions On
| this OuestiOnp Listen Because with reference
to the condition of things in Uganda, there are
eleven points, all of which. and each of which. arc
- VITAL and there is not adequate Information On
, any one Of them. No information adequate 70
, enable perpleXed Prime Minister, with followers
| xlao IN mud folIa,vars who ,xanf y