The herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1893-1900, 1895-06-21
is A BLOW AT ROSEBERY
Gladst0ne's Action Will Hurt the
Young Premier
Withdrawal of His Pair In Parliame ent May
Have Political Significance--The
End Not Yet

LONDON, June 2O.-There can be no
POSSIBLE evasion of the fact that the sem
sational and exclusive announcement in
the Times that Mr.. Gladstone has sur
rendered his pair in parliamen on the
pending bill to disestablish the Church of
Wales is the most staggering blow the
Rosebery government has ever received.
The Liberal leaders are endeavoring to
mitigate the effect, but it is urquestion-
ably the most extraordinary of the many
extraordinary acts in the great states
mans career. 1t promises to withdraw
in extreme contumely his support rom
the government which inherited his own
control of the party.
The truth is that Mr.. Gladstone is even
more church man than Liberal, and in
old age he cannot follow his party in
what must eventually result in the sepa-
and then in Wales. He had pledged him
self to disestablishment in Wales, but APP
parently has repented of it.
AS he is on the steamship Tantallon
Castle at kel, even his earnest friends
have apparently failed to get any ex-
PLANTATION from him. But the following
statement has been made on his behalf:
Since his retirement Mr.. Gladstone has
not voted in the house of commons, but
his vote has been paired off against that
OF Mr.. Villiers, Unionist and "the
father of the house" who is too intirm
to attend its sittings. Some few weeks
ago Mr.. Gladstone told Lord Twodmouth.
who was staying with him at Hawarden.
that as there were some points in the
Welsh dsestablishment Ebill which he did
not approve, he would prefer not to pair
in favor of them.
The first of these points, dealing with
the treatment of the Welsh church en-
dowments. was reached, and accordingly
Lord Twodmonth informed the minis
terial whips that Mr.. Gladstone should
be relieved OF his pair. The Liberal whips
sent word in due course to the Unionist
whips. Mr.. Chamberlain heard of it and
Immediately made the fact known to the
Times. He was not aware that Mr.. Glad
stones objection was confined to icertain
specific points in the Welsh bill, and the
Times assumed that Mr.. Gladstone with
drew his pair in token of general disap-
proval of the policy of the government.
The correspondent saw in the lobby of the
house of commons Mr.. H erbert Gladstone.
who corroborate1 in every respect the
foregoing explanation, which had been
obtained from another ministerial source.
My fathers withdrawal OF his pair, "
said the son, sis limited expressly to some
provisions of the Welsh bill, of which it
has long been known that he does not
approve. 1T does not indicate any weak
ening of support on his part to the gen.
eral policy of the governm ent with which
he is in entire sympathy"
inquiry among other members of the
party showed that Mr.. Gladstone S action,
even accepting 1t III this restricted sense,
is sure to precipitate dissolution, which
may come now at any moment. The
Tory leaders wish to force it, and un-
uoub btedly enough Liberal members will
now follow Gladstone in opposition to
the Welsh bill to defeat the government.
Well informed persons say, however,
that Mr.. Bafour is as unwilling as Lord
Rosebery himself to go to the country
now.
Mr.. Gladstone has teegraphed to the
Westminster Gazette a reply to the state
inent made by the London Times yester-
day alleging that the ex-premier had
withdrawn from his pairing agreement
with Charles Villers, and saying that
Mr.. Gladstone's action was occasioned
by his disappi oval of the policy of the
Rosebery government, especially in re-
gard to the Welsh church disestablish-
ment bill. Mr.. Gladstone says the state
ments are wholly untrue as regards his
attitude towards the government in order
to preserve its independence while the
measure was in committee stage. had
cancelled his pair, but it was done with
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