The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-05-19

justified the peculiar institution of slavery
put un bV the Duke Of Newcastle iau w wss
owned the borough that called young Mr..
Gladstone the slave driver" and said that
flesh.
He was then q full-faced, fat-featured
young man, with large dark eyes and eve
brows, and thoughtful look. His election
address, in copiouSnesS and ingenuity of
language. much reSembled later compost
lions by the same hand Though but a boy
OF twenty-three, he won such golden opin-
ions as to largely overcome the opposition
his pro-slavery views created, and when the
result of the election was declared he stood
at the head of the poll; When Mr.. Glad
stone was elected for Newark there was
every prospect that the first reformed Par
lament would be able to direct its attention
to domestic and colonial legislation. which
was much needed. The prolonged struggle
between the popular party and those who
were opposed to reform had ended in favor
of the former. and the important question
of the franchise was felt "a have heen dis
posed of for some time to come In it's first
session of 1888. Parliament devoted itself to
away the stain of slavery from the English
name. The ministers brought forward their
measure for the emancipation of slaves
throughout the British empire: and it was
during the debates on this subject that Mr..
Gladstone delivered his earliest speeches.
While the tenor of his addresses showed
that his views had been modified somewhat.
and that he was not hostile to emancipation,
he was undoubtedly unfavorabe to an inn
mediate and an indiscriminate enfranchise-
ment. He defended his father from charges
that had been leveled against him as a Ja-
naica planter and claimed that the inter-
ests of the planters generally should be
duly regarded; In the end, colonial slavery
was abolished. a sum of 1000 900 being
voted to the slave owners as compensation
for their losses. The new members speech
es in regard to the church and to university
questions were, in the outset, of the usual
uncompromising Tory kind, but before his
second session had concluded it was obvious
that. whatever might be the nature of his
opinions, debater of considerable power
had been added to the House The Wing
Ministry which had long been in an almost
moribund condition, was dismissed towards
the close of 1884.
HIS FIRST OFFICE
Sir Robert Peel came into power and Mr..
Gladstone was offered and accepted the
Office of junior lord of the treasury. But.
though office had come rapidly, he did not
in the first instance long enjoy it. Lord
John Russell, than whom there never was
a more skillful parliamentary general for
overthrowing his opponents, brought for
ward a resolution that the House should go
into committee on the temperatures of the
Irish church, and the ministers were de-
feated by 800 votes to 2S9. Lord Melbourne
again came in and the party warfare be-
tween the Wings and the Tories became
very violent. In these mutual recrimina-
tions Mr.. Gladstone took little part, but q
lengthy speech of his in connection with
church rates attracted great attention on
the two grounds of it's arguments and its
eIoquence. However, he persistently fought
every kind of reform, advocated negro APP
premiership (the last vestige of West India
wanfeS the ews to reman
and Macaulay spoke of him as the rising
hope of those stern and unbending Tories
who who follow tls Reluctantly ma; and mutely
called forth in 1888 when Mr.. Gladstone
wrote his book dealing with the relations
of church and state and demanding that
the Established Church keep control of the
education of dissenters. Macaulay also said
that he had a dangerous gift OF vast
command of a kind of a language grave and
majestic, but vague and uncertain" and
that his rhetoric darkened and perplexed
his logic" His extemporary speaking was
regarded as something notable among the
dull average of parliamentary orators. He
spoke with both hands behind his back or
closed together and hanging down before
him. and his personal habits were always
Lord Melbournes Wing Ministry got into
serious difficulties after the death of vii.
liam Nv, in 1897 chiefly through its bad
doubtless have regained control had he not
insisted upon dragging the affairs of the
royal household into politics and been de-
feated by the famous "Bedchamber plot. .
In 1888 the Ministry appealed to the country
upon a comparatively minor issue, their ma
tional education resolutions. This, by the
"
for nearly century and still persevere in
the Salisbury government having gone to
the country when it won it's last victory
upon petty financial measure, when the
leading parliamentary issue was the Irish
home rule question. The Wings won by a
narrow majority and Mr.. Gladstone, being
defeated at Manchester, dropped out of the
fight for three years.
He went to Italy in 1888 and saw the
eruption of Aetna, and at the age of thirty
he married Miss A. Gynne, the daughter oil
DaTOn9t. Castle
ter, which became Mr.. Gladstone's home
and remained so until his death. His wife
had turn for philanthropy, and has beer
said to have Influenced his change towards
Liberalism very much. They had four sons
tho first and fourth members of Parlia-
ment, the second a clergyman in rich
church, and the third a merchant. His
daughter married a college professor, and
two daughters are unmarried. Both bache.
lorS and old maids run in this family
In 1S41 the Wings were again forced tC
appeal to the country and lost. Now begaT
Sir Robert Peers memorable administration
An administration destined to achieve q
complete revolution in British commercial
and financial legislation. In the new govern
ment Mr. Gladstone accepted the important
offices of vice president of the board of trade
and master of the mint. But the time was
critical one for the premier. The free
trade agitation was already making great
headWay in the country and when Pee
brought forward his new sliding scale OF
corn duties in the House of Commons il
was denounced by Mr.. Golden as an insul
rious parts of the country, and the prime
minister was burnt in effigy at Northamp
ton. Peel introduced the budget on the It'll
of March. There was deficit of G2 $50 900
and the utmost limit of taxation upon arti
cleS of consumption had been cached. The
fiscal difficulties were great and had un
doubleday taxed all the ingenuity of the
premier and of Mr.. Gladstone, who rendered
his chief great service both in the prepare.
ton of his budget and his tariff scheme
The propositions were carried. The second
branch of the financial plan. the revised
tariff or customs duties scheme, was very
important, and it was understood to be
mainly the work of Mr. Gladstone. Out Of
nearly 1900 duty-paying articles q tota
abolition, or a considerable reduction, was
made in no fewer than $780, This was Ger
tainly a long step towards free trade, Will
the singular inconsistency that has marked
his political career throughout Mr. Glad.
stone was evidently undergoing complete
change of views upon the question of taxa
ton and was rapidly drifting from the pro
lection doctrine he had been preaching only
couple of years before to Mr.. Golden.
side of the argument.
Mr.. Gladstone's labors at this time were
very great; during the session of 1912 ht
spoke. 129 times, chiefly on subjects con
nected with the new fiscal legislation. HI
demonstrated his capacity for grasping al
the most complicated details of finance, anC
also his power of comprehending the scope
and necessities of the commercial interests
of the country This tariff measure and his
speeches. upon it were the first things in hi.
parliamentary career to bring him very
prominently before the notice of the people
He could make a budget speech of compact
figures glow and glisten like fire or Jewels
Parliament would vote any meeIure of tax.
alton after listening to Mr.. Gladstone state
figures and schedules though he were
showerng diamonds all over the house The
member for Newark now succeeded the
Earl of Ripon as president of the board OF
trade, and in the session of 1S43 introduced
and carried a very valuable measure 70,
the abolition of restrictions on the exDorta.