New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-02-19

IL Is no compliment 10 refer to his age. 1t was
gallant effort for his age. 1t was wonderful
performance for any age, and it is only by com
pairing Mr.. Gladstone with himself that YOU get
any standard for criticism All his genius is
wanted for this attempt to solve the insolubIr
There has been no other speech of the highest
order his own side. Sir William IIarcourt has
remained silent, reserving himself for the next
crisis, and so has Mr.. Asquith. There is nobody
else whose power in debate can be compared fer
one moment to that of Mr.. Balfour, Mr.. Chamber
lain. Mr. Goschen and perhaps Lord Randolph
Churchill. Most of all their criticisms remain
unanswered, and such answer has been made
has rot been in the most effective form. There
has been for instance, no answer 10 MIR. Chamber
lain, whose speech last night was fine example
of trained capacity for addressing and imprcssing
a legislative assembly.
1t is Mr. Bryce who, next after Mr. Gladstone,
has given most light on the bill. Mr. Bryce is
credited with large share in the construction of
the measure. 1t he whom Mr.. Gladstone
consulted most constantly on historical and con-
stitutonal points. Finally he has been hailed by
Mr. Balfour himself the highest authority in the
House of Commons on historical and const-
tutional questions. His advance into the full
clare of celebrity is somewhat sudden. Mr.. Bryce
has figured hitherto rather professor than as a
politician and Lord Bcaconsield long since in
timated his belief that the House of Commons
docs not like professors. Mr.. Bryce. in truth.
as an orator leaves something to desire. He has
tho manner Of the lecture-room. He is didactic,
eyegotical, something too positive, and little
dry witha; or if not dry, hard. But the root Of
the matter is in him. and he had Tuesday a
most useful function to discharge He had to
light up the places which Mr.. Gladstone had left
dark On some of them he did shed a gentle
illumination. Others are just as Cimmeran as
when Mr. Parnell's great convert concluded his
exposition
II is to be said further. that whatever NAV be
thought of the bill from other points of view. it
j. masterpiece of pure politics. Do You rccollect
how many Home Rule dilemmas have been slated
during the last few years. and especially during
the last few months" These dilcmmas were
logically complete SO was the general dilemma
whi.h included item all namely. that on such
points o. Imucnal supremacy, the veto. tie land.
and srmc others whatever solution satisfied the
Irish must he lateful TO the English, and vice
versa The TWO vlcvs the Unionist View and
,he Scpnratist view. totally irrcconciable.
Well. | do not say that Mr.. Gladstone has recon-
ciled them. lie has done two things. Some
difficulties he has cvadcd with respect. To others
h. has given each section Of his supporters. Eng
liSh and Irish. and the various sections Of each
scction Il plausible eNcuse for accepting the solu-
ton of the most distressing problems. II is a
bill of makeshfts and of porous plastcrs. with a
choice selection of different sorts of salve for
different sorts Of consclences.
The besettng sin of politicians, said Mr. Glad
stone on Monday. is suspicion. and he avowcd
that in framing this bill he had wrought in a
spirit of trust He has. lie has convinced him
sci. that there is in Ireland and among tho
Catholic and Nationalist majority a sentiment OF
LOYALTY Of attachment 10 the Union. of fairness
to tie Protestant minority. and of submission to
imperial supremacy. He has found "A score OF
synonymes for his old phrase about tho union OF
hearts which has been laughed away. On hls
own personal trust in this sentiment, which
those who best know Ireland believe to be purely
Imaginary and which Irish patriots have
thousand times repudatcd. he is ready tn risk the
uSjty and security of the British Empire lh'
English may we'll hope that he is right and every
body elsa wrong. Guarantees for the unity am
security Of the Empire must he sought where NJ
seeks them, if anywhere. They are not to b'
found in the bill.
Lord Womer has got himself and to som'
extent his party into trouble ty a statement
made at public dinner in hs own honor tina
| Irish Members Of Parliament are paid ny th'
| Gladstonian party. lie was challenged for IT or
| Thursday in the House Of Commons. retractc'
II. and apoogizcd for it; but had. nevertheless
10 endure such weight Of ccnsurc as seldom lam
on any private Member. The Irish ragged. Lor'
| Wolmers own friends flung him to the wolves
| Mr.. Gladstone poured ont or him a flood OF con
| ,.mntuous invcctivc Mr. Courtney said that n
ahhorrcd such attacks Lord WolmerN. :. w
! hodv defended him. He is whip to the Liberal
| ,,,1 N -l.ly
| What fate could he too hard for such wre'ch
| In his fall he dragged down The Times VIII
| him and gave rise 10 one more suprem"N ioo"s'
| ottennt by the House of Commons TO muzzP 'l'
nress The contest is of "a kind as Mr. Baioul
| trul,. said. ont Of which the House has heV"l
| or,orood with credit If English journalism wer'
! in truth profession, or if the English press H''
| . snirit of solidarity, the controversy pc'WPe'
The Times" and the House OF Commons migh
| have taken a different turn. The comments
other papers on tie matter would certainly nave
| hocn different No doubt "Ihc Times was wroh'
| in taking Lord Wolmer's statement as 'rue' AM
mart Of its article might we'll have been l"it un
written but from that TO the gross and seaman
| o,s broacb of prvlege" of which it stands con
Damned bv a vote of the House, the road Is
| , ono The House now ever undertakes u
| Ina iudqc in its own case and there are case
,vhon il must be- On Thursday it acted agaln'
thc advice of the Speaker and with little r"gar'
70 rcason The dcfnti Of Seldcn, an authorlt'
| ;C tbcre be one. i, AS good now as II was 2''
vcars apo. Whatever they please" SAID III
grcat lawyer, is privilege of Parliament ah'
whatsoever they dislike is breach Of privilege
What is the sting Of the accusation against VI
Irish Members Not. | imagine, that they ar
maid by one PERSON or party rather thah aho'nc'
hut that they are paid. We'll, it Is admitted Una
they have been paid. II has been ludicl'ii'
.,armcd th.t in 1856 and 1857 they were pan
h.. the Clan-na-Gacl itself, "A body actively en-
Gagged III promoting the use of dynamite ior III
dcstruotion Of lie and property in England
Mr.. Chan b-rlan once called them Kept party
| , voI,rcr contcnted himself with the wor