New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-06
PERSONALITIES.
SIR GLADSTONE, THE DEVIL, MIR. BAlfOUR,
MR. CHAMBERLAIN. MIR. HEALY.
AND MIR. GLADSTONE.

London, July 81.
The Devil. as Mr. Chamberlain remarked yes
tcrday is beginning TO play a considerable part
I'm the debates of the House of Commons. Mr.
Wallace introduced him, and "a Mr.. Wallace has
in times past been Scotch minister Of the gospel,
he ought TO be good authority. Mr.. Wallac' invited
the House 10 remember that there "A very Old
Parliamentary Hand, Of even longer standing In
that House than the Prime Minister who after
Home Rule had been granted, would stili find some
mischief for idle folk 10 do The House chcered
and laughed, but Mr. Gladstone sat with his
blacklist and most indignant look, unable to con-
ceive that anybody, and least of al follower
of his own, should take such liberty with him
and shocked still more by what he undoubtedly
regarded as blasphemous alusion.
Nevertheless, such is the force OF evil example,
Mr. Gladstone himself not many days later was to
be heard taking in vain the name of that Older Par
liamentary Hand. Much angered by Mr.. Chamber
lains dissection of his brand-new financial proposas
for Ireland, he likened him to the Devils Advocate
He treated the House, which enjoys mpartiaay
any attack on anybody, to an explanation OF the
functions OF the Devils Advocate. lie described,
In phrases of endless amplificaton, for which L
fear YOU might not find room if | quoted them, as
I should like TO do, the proceedings of the Court
of Rome when saint is to be manufactured.
in to say everything that can be said against the
candidate. for canonizaton to the end that the
worst side of his life might be laid bare, and
spiritual honors be denied him if he could not
endure this devils scrutiny. Such, said Mt
Gladstone was the office which Mr. Chamberlain
had discharged toward the Home Rule bill.
II was q good point neatly taken, but over
elaborated and dangerously open to retort Mr.
Balfour at once replied that while making no
comment the taste or propricty OF the meta
phor, he would point out that the functions Oh
DEVILS Advocate were exercised only with rcgaru
Go the dead If the Home Rule bill were to be
treated as dead, he las sure Mr. Ch'moerialn
would not object and as for himself, when once
tbe author of Home Rule had admitted it was q
CORPSE he was perfectly ready to take any part ID
anv post-mortem ceremony. Next day Mr..
Chamberlain replied that if Mr. Gladstone himself
did not object to being likened TO the Devil he
did not see why hS Mr. chamberlain, neeu NINA
being called the Devils Advocate. The duties
of this functonary had often been usctully per-
formed lie had in more than one case destroyed
the angelic theory and he should himself be glad
if he could do as much. The phrase angelic
theory" which has here passed into everyday
speech is Lord Salisburys. Whether any Of Lord
Salisbury's words ever reach the American mlha
I don't know. This was employed with reference
cisms on the want of checks and safeguards Ill
his Home Rule bill: How can Won suspect the
motives or doubt the acts Of my honorable
friends ~ is a question which the Prime Minister
has asked. not once, but a hundred times. The
Irish. including the Land Leaguers. the Moon
lighters the dynamiters, and that hero OF PhoenlX
Park whom Mr. OIrien called Honest Dan
Curley" but who was nevertheless hanged ior
the murder of Lord Frederick Chvendish-wcre
all ANGELS Hence the angelic theory. III mas oeeh
worked rather too hard. Sir William Harcourt
was asked on Monday if he could imagine the
case of any Irishman wishing to 40 back TO lie-
land under Home Rule. Sir William, "Uo Is
CAPABLE of cynical irankncss. replied: IL Is
impossible for me to tell what an lrlshnan "ouia
like" 49,.
r. was in tho course Of the same depate 'haV
Mr.. Gladstone, under the stress Of cross-eNamiha-
.tion. admitted that he did not now propose 10
settle the land question. You called 1t IN 1886
an obligation of honor cried Mr. chamberlain.
.Yes." replied Mr.. Gladstone, IAN Obligation "i
honor with respect TO facts and circumstances 'haV
were then existing (lronlcal laughterJ' ana cA-
rressly stated by me, as my night hohoraoie ''e"u
must know. to be an obligation 70 those temporary
tacts and circumstances" CON- and laughter
II vas Mr. lSalfour who made the stih9ihi
answer: Temporary obligations OF honor
have been accustomed 10 CONSIDER tha' 'He o"its~
lions of honor are permanent 10, lhoesu' HUI
MIR. Gladstone, till in an evil hour Tor his own
fame and his. own nature, he plunged into this
bottomless Irish bog.
Mr. Halfour's retort is good as ntort, DVt
there is a more serious and fatal answer. ln what
respect are the facts and circumstances so chahgo
as to release Mr.. Gladstone or anybody else from
+bo obligations of honor which admittedly eA-
listed in 1856? They were obligations OF hohor
10 the Irish landlord. He could not ho'orapS
be left, as Mr. John Morley, among Others oe
cl,red 20 the tender merclcs OF Iahd Leas"c
Parliament in Dublin. Before Dublin fdrHo-
ment could honorably be set up, the Irlsn ia'i"-
lords rights must be protected; his interests sale
guarded his property rescued from spoiiatioh ny
men who avowed their purpose TO conhsca'e IL
and 10 drive him out of the country. Hence, the
Land Bill of 1856, inseparably connected Win
tho Home Rule bill of 1856. The landlords posi-
tion is in 1893 what it was in 1856; his rights
and his property exposed to exactly the same
nerils at the hands of the same men with the
same pnrposes of robbery in their minds ana on
their lips.
H. then. there was an obligation OF honor in
1885 what has become Of it in 1893? In what
respect is it less stringent or less sacred? IL Is
now 10 be discharged by withdrawing the power
~ ooufiscation from the Dublin Parliament for
three wears At the end of three years the land
lord is TO be flung 10 the wolves. 1t Is not the
facts and circumstances that are temporary.
they are permanent. IL is Mr.. Gladstone's sense
Of the obligation Of honor to which the element
of pernanence is wanting The obligations oil
uo,itical necessity the obligations of his compact
witt, the enemies of England, Of the Empire, and
of Society as'it exists IN Ireland, the obligations
of his bondage to the Land Leaguers and Nation
aIists-thcy it is which are now permanent, ana
honor cocs by the board 1t is the most melan-
choIv incident in a policy which ever since It's
adon,ion has been full of melancholy incidents.
And il is but a melancholy satisfaction to note