The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1897-04-04
THE GLADSTONE MESSAGE AND
PROTEST.

The Philadelphia North American
comedies that Mr.. Gladstone's protest
concerning the Turco-Grecian- Cretan
d4ficultv and the Armenian outrages IS
strong: that his ringing appeal to Eng
hshmen in demand that England cut
loose from her entangling Eastern poll
cv has virtue in it, But says the Phil
adelphia critic.
No doubt much, if not all, of what
Mr. Gladstone writes is true. Inc great
body of Christians who know nothing or
the diplomatic motives which direct the
course of the Powers will at least be-
Heve. so. but. nevertheless. Mr.. Glad
stones course can not be considered
iudjcious. He has no right to use his
great personal influence to emDarrass
the position of the responsible Ministry
BY its acts this Ministry must stand or
! fall, and until the test comes there
should be no extra parliamentary at
tempt to hinder it in doing what 1t
| presumably believes to be Tor the
best interests of the nation.
To the American that must seem a
narrow view. 1t is an appeal to policy
and implies a subsection of principle. If
Mr. Gladstone believes, and no one
doubts il. that his nation has 10 moro
right to side with cruelty and injustice
| than has an individual: if it is true
that the sins of nation will as GER
| tafuly be visited upon it as that eyl.
deeds of the Individual bring their pun
| ishmeut, then 1t is not only his right,
but it is his duty to speak out to his
countrymen.
| Mr. Gladstone is more than the pri-
vate citizen. He is, and will be to the
end of his days. statesman, the friend
and the counselor Of the English peo-
pie. A very large body of them look
up to him for counsel, fixed in faith in
1t is not a question or should not be
with Mr. Gladstone of anyone else.
whether the responsible Ministry stands
or falls. but what is the right thing for
the nation to DO.
As the Brooklyn Eagle says: He
who stands on the eternal right stands
not alone. for with him are the unseen
and under him are the everlasting
arms" Rather sophomore and excited
are the further comments of our Brook
| Ign contemporary, but they are quite
too eloquent and true to be omitted
There stands William E. Gladstone
! no, ct Il n N q
toward Crete and with his face upturn-
| ed toward God AS thus he stands, the
prophet. the psaImist, the evangel, the
philosopher, the statesman, the reform
er. the liberator and the philanthropist.
which he is, all stir in him and find
voice in him and theme in his cause
To-day il is the cause of Crete and of
| Armenia and of Greece. Only yesterday
it was the cause of Gettysburg and Of
Appomattox Earlier it was the cause
of the Pilgrims Of the Holland Low
lands, of the field Of Naseby and Of
! Runnymede. Earlier still it was the
cause of Thermopylae and of Salamis.
Again on the old field and in the custo-
dy of the old people appear the new
form Of the old cause. Mr.. Gladstone
would make it also the cause Of Eng
Hand and the cause of Christendom.
and Mr. Gladstone will. BY him have
been spoken the words which can never
be recalled and which can never be
confuted. BY him have been formulat-
ed the moral rights and by him have
been loosed the moral energies whereof
the world had need TO take notice. The
rights will be vindicated. The energies
will be put forth
Here. too, is the New York Tribune
commenting upon Mr.. Gladstones mes
sage of protest pronouncing it ''studi-
ously calm and judicial in tone, SO
much so that it might have been writ
ten upon events of a thousand years
ago. instead of a burning question of
the present day" 1t is true that this
protesting message is mot the voice of
a polite statesman seeking the advan-
tage of his country, or striving to keep
the peace among the Powers, but rath-