St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1895-08-01
RAD FOR THE UNIoNIsTs.


plete, there are 341 straight Tories
elected, and 20 Unionists The total
strength of the opposition, suppoSing
it to act as a unit, is only 259; so
that if the Liberal Unionists were
to go over in a body at any time to
the enemy, which is not at all
likely, they would still leave Lord
Salisbury with a majority behind
him as great as that which Lord
ROSebery could count on most of the
time during the last year of his pre-
the secession of Mr.. Chamberlain
and his followers from the Liberal
party, they are not in a position to
make terms with anybody. We re-
peat that this is result almost suf-
ficiently gratifying to compensate
for the tremendous disappointment
which this election has brought to
the Liberal side.
The so-called Liberal Unionist
party has been an organization
founded on selfish and personal con-
siderations. 1t owes its origin to the
unworthy jealousy felt by Mr., Cham
berlain of Mr.. Gladstone's greatness,
great statesman to adopt his pro-
gramme. 1t has existed under false
pretenses from the first. Its very
name is a symbol of untruth. Mr.
Chamberlain and his followers called
themselves ''Unionists" solely in or
der that they might cast upon the
tiOn of being a first step toward the
breaking up of the British empire.
They labeled themselves Unionists
and called their late associates the
advocates of separation. This is the
assertion they have put forward
through campaign after campaign
with unblushing effrontery. They
knew its utter falsehood. They were
aware that no idea of separating
Ireland from the rest of the United
Kingdom was ever entertained by
Mr.. Gladstone for a single instant.
They knew that Mr. Parnell's plan,
at the time when the Nationalist
and the Liberals were working in
harmony, did not contemplate it,
They simply chose to assert that a
proposition to give to Ireland local
self government, leaving her place
in the empire unchanged as a whole,
was the equivalent of declaring and
conceding to her a separate nation
ality and a government Independent
Of the English throne.
1t must have been particularly
calling to true and honorable Lib
eral leaders in their great struggle,
to have these men, who had once
fought side by side with them, ap-
pealing now against them to the
people on an issue Of unqualified
falsehood. But the Unionist lead
ers won the stake they were play
ing for. They made themselves nee
essary to both parties. The Con-
servatives were glad to accept their
support, because they needed it to
make a majority. 1t is much to the
credit of the Liberals that they
sturdily refused to patch UP a peace
with their former allies. At any
| time Mr.. Chamberlain would prob
ably have led his supporters back
into the fold if the Liberal party
would have accepted his Irish policy,
and given him a prominent place in
its ministry. 1t has steadily de-
clined to make any concession, and
the Unionists have merged them
selves more and more completely
in the Conservative party. 1t is not
today believed, however, that the
| old-fashioned Tory has much stom-
ach for men of the Unionist quality.
| Among his virtues is an inherited
| hatred and contempt for treason Of
any sort. He has used Mr.. Cham
berlain when he had to, probably
with a good deal of inward disgust
at the necessities Of practical poll
tics. Now for the first time he is
Independent, and we imagine that he
will not be slow in exhibiting feel
! ings and opinions that he has hith-
erto kept concealed. Lord Salisbury
and his party have no further need
| of the UnioniSts. Their members in
the new parliament number seventy,
which is exactly the strength of the
McCarthyite Nationalist. They
have their representation in the min
istry, and will probably keep it. But
they will not have to be. consulted
and deferred to.
The straight Tory is apt to be an
overbearing sort of person when Won
give him free range. Now that he
alone is seated firmly in the saddle.
| he will have few concessions to make
to the Chamberlain idea. In the
melee OF this election the Liberal
Unionists are the only faction that
ind their fortunes irretrievably
shattered. They played for a diff
ferent game. They expected, as be-
fore, to hold the balance of power.
Beyond a question, had they an
tlclpated any such result as has
occurred, they would have preferred
to throw enough seats to the Lib
erals to make themselves necessary.
They now have no goods to take to
market. The Liberals have been
desperately beaten, but that is a
part of the fortune of politics, and
a disaster which they may hope to
repair. But to neither Liberal nor
Tory would the solid Liberal Union
ist vote be Of the slightest practical
wi rrl:-