The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1896-08-31
LORD RUSSELL.
A Talk With the Distinguished
Englishman.

| Mr.. Gladstone and Home Rule for
Decentralization and the Behring
| Sea Award.
Montreal, Aug. 29.-Lord Russell, of
Killowen, and his party left here today
| for Ottawa, where they will be the guestz
! OF the Governor General. In the course
OF an interview printed here Lord Rus
sell says: "We haven't seen great
deal of America, for upon our arrival at
New York, we were simply transferred
from one steamer to another, and taken
up the Hudson River to Saratoga.
thought very highly of the representa-
yes of the American Bar whom / met
at the convention, and I was greatly I'M
pressed by the splendid address delivered
| by the President, Mr.. Moorfeld Storey,
| of Boston. That should entertain
high opinion of representative American
| lawyers ia not however, surprising
when you consider that the delegates to
the convention at Saratoga included
such men as MI. ]. c. Carter, General
Foster and MIR. Phelps, all of whom 1
mot when they represented the Uni ted
States at the Paris conference on the
| BebF1ng sea arbitration.
II am glad to know that my speech on
| arbitration has been SO cordially received
by the the press Of the United States and
the large dailies in London, but 1 am
| free to confess that / am very curious to
know just what the large provincial
papers, the press of Liverpool, Manches-
ter, Birmin CHAM and Newcastle have
in England is an exceedingly able and
independent institution. and is IN no way
dependent upon the LONDON newspapers
for its OPP inions.
1.-THE American press? What shall I
say of the great Sunday papers2 They
is to say " automatically ''as regards
their size. Fell me, ia there one living
| soul in America who ever reads one of
them right through, from beginning to
end?'
Asked concerning his plea for inter-
would be enforced, and being reminded
that the Senate and Congress of the
| United States had scarcely acted up to
the promises made concerning the
decision arrived at in Paris, the Chief
Justice said: II endeavored to touch
upon this phase of the subject in my
speech, hut"-laughing-" as the speech
was almost as lengthy as Sunday news
paper, perhaps you did not have the op-
portunity of reading full report of it, I
can only say that. if it IL necessary, IN
til the moral sense of the nations is edu-
Gated sufficiently, then there must be
combination of the nations concerned in
the arbitration to ooeroe the recaloitrant
nation until the conditions of the award
are complied with. Concerning the ac-
tion of the United States in reference to
| the Behring Sea matter, I may say that
| regard 1t as rather unfortunate that a
Senator who was one of the arbitrators
felt it to be his duty.to oppose the pay
ment OF the award when it became the
duty OF the Senate to approve the latter.
do not impugn the motives, which
were, doubtless, all right, but do say
that, when two nations have entered into
an agreement to arbitrate, as was Fdone
in the Behring Sea matter. they should
discharge the obligations Of the award
with a liberal spirit, which should place
them entirely above criticism"
A question regarding the Dublin con-
ference brought up the subject of Home
Rule for Ireland. AZ must not express
any opinion in regard to the gathering. 4"
said Lord Russell, "but og gourse 1t is
well known that I have always been a
Home Ruler. Both Mr.. Morley and my
self believed in that principle long before
bill in 1856. But do you know, I think
that Mr.. Gladstone himself had been
that way inclined long before he made
the stop which decided his adhereuce to
the cause once and for all. You may be
surprised when / tell you that / believe
that Mr. Gladstone had leanings in the
direction of Home Rule rs far back as
1872 or 1878. At that time the Irish
Nationalist party was under the leader
ship Of Mr.. Isaac Butt, Ind it was not
the power in the House which it became
under Mr.. Parnell. The leaders had not
tho necessary knowledge of Parliamen-
tnry tactics, and the members themselves
had not yet learned to be aggressive, and
fight every inch of ground before giving
up. The utility of obstruction was not
yet learned. And so, once a year, Mr..
Butt would submit HIS Home Rule bill
| in much the same manner AS Sir Wilfrid
Lawson presents his annual temperance
motion, and some of the members would
sit it out while others would make use of
the opportunity to 60 to the smoking
room and have quiet chat. But the
point I wish to emphasize Is this: If
you set nm opportunity to read the
speeches made in 1879 or 1878 by Mr..
Gladstone in answer to Mr.. Butt, you
will be struck by the fact that in not
one of them did the ex- Premier declare
against the principle of Home Rule as
objections to the bill on the contention
that any member who undertook to
presest such measure to the House
should be prepared to answer all ques-
tions with regard to it's workings, and
the method in which 1t was proposed to
carry 1t out. Yes, repent that there Is
no doubt in my mind that Mr.. Gladstone
was Home Ruler long before most
people looked upon him as being convert
ed to the doctrine.
|